Wilkinson Stekloff is pleased to announce the addition of eight associates. The new class is the largest and most diverse in the firm’s history.
“Cases are won by teams who share different perspectives but are united by a common commitment to excellence. We are proud to have recruited some of the best and brightest young lawyers to form the largest and most diverse class Wilkinson Stekloff has had the privilege of welcoming since our founding in 2016,” said Beth Wilkinson, founding partner, Wilkinson Stekloff.
“We are excited to have this talented group join our team,” added Wilkinson Stekloff Founding Partner Brian Stekloff. “Our attorneys appear in front of jury pools that represent all of America and our lawyers need to reflect that. It is critical for us to hire diverse attorneys and give them meaningful trial experience and client exposure.”
The WS team reflects the firm’s ongoing commitment to talent and diversity. Chambers recognized WS as a 2020 and 2021 “Outstanding Firm for Furthering Diversity and Inclusion” and Vault.com selected the firm among the top five midsize law firms in the country for diversity and pro bono work, as well as one of the top three midsize law firms for compensation and selectivity. The diverse new class has garnered attention in the legal media, most recently from Law360.
WS welcomes the following associates:
Tomi Akinmola
Tomi attended Washington and Lee School of Law, where she was the Mock Trial Chair. She competed in the Thurgood Marshall National Moot Court Competition, where she won the Best Brief Award in two consecutive years. In 2021, Tomi received the Best Oral Advocate Award for the Mid-Atlantic Region of the moot court competition.
Neil Alacha
Neil attended Yale Law School, where he served as a Coker Fellow for a Constitutional Law course and was the co-recipient of the Harlan Fiske Stone Prize (best oral argument by a student in Moot Court), the Potter Stewart Prize (best overall and written advocacy in Moot Court), and the William K.S. Wang Prize (recognizing superior performance in corporate law). Before law school, Neil earned a Master of Philosophy in International Relations from the University of Oxford, which he attended as a Rhodes Scholar.
Anthony Ferrara
Before joining the firm, Anthony was a law clerk to the Honorable R. Lanier Anderson III of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and the Honorable Sanket J. Bulsara of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Prior to his clerkships, Anthony was an associate at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius in New York where he represented corporate clients in government investigations and complex commercial litigation. Anthony graduated from the University of North Carolina School of Law, where he served as Executive Comments Editor of the North Carolina Law Review and was a member of the Broun National Trial Team.
Elizabeth Keys
Before joining the firm, Elizabeth served as a law clerk for the Honorable Amy Berman Jackson of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Elizabeth attended the Georgetown University Law Center and interned for the Honorable Paul L. Friedman of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, and for the U.S. Department of Justice in the Special Litigation Section of the Civil Rights Division.
Caroline Li
Before joining the firm, Caroline served as a law clerk to the Honorable Pamela K. Chen of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Caroline attended Harvard Law School, where she was an editor for the Journal of Law and Technology. During law school, she was a finalist in the Ames Moot Court Competition, in which her team won Best Brief. Caroline also represented clients in disciplinary hearings as a Student Attorney for the Prison Legal Assistance Project, and interned for the Honorable Patti B. Saris of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
Tania Martinez
Tania attended Northwestern Law School, where she was an Associate Editor for the Journal of Law and Social Policy. During law school she was a member of the Northwestern Bartlit Center Trial Team, in which she was awarded Best Overall Attorney in the 2021 Southern Classic Trial Advocacy Competition. Tania also served as a Student Attorney at the MacArthur Justice Center, representing clients in prisoner’s rights cases which garnered national media attention.
Justin Mungai
Before joining the firm, Justin was a law clerk for Judge Mark J. Bennett of the United States Circuit Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, after having worked as an Associate at Cravath, Swaine & Moore for three years. Prior to that, Justin clerked for Justice Barry T. Albin of the New Jersey Supreme Court. Justin graduated from Cornell Law School, where he served as the Chancellor of the Moot Court Board and worked as the Senior Notes Editor for the Cornell International Law Journal.
Chelsea Shaffer
Before joining the firm, Chelsea clerked for Judge Victor A. Bolden of the the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut. Chelsea attended Yale Law School, where she served as Chair of Yale Law Women. While studying at Yale, she was a member of the Veterans Legal Services Clinic and argued before the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.