Sterne Kessler

Looking for a firm with specialisms in intellectual property and a home in the capital? IP-so facto: Sterne Kessler is calling.

About the Firm

So, you’ve had the bright idea that you want to be a lawyer. You’ve done the thinking, survived law school, and now you’re ready to make the most consequential decision you’ve probably made so far: where do you actually want to work? What about the place that safeguards and protects any and all ideas? Yes, that’s intellectual property powerhouse Sterne Kessler.

“I wanted to be on the very cutting edge of IP litigation,” one junior explained, “they’re a big player in that space, and very specialized in what we do.” Our colleagues at Chambers USA can vouch for this, as the firm’s IP departments picks up acclaim for its work across patent prosecution, patent trial and appeal board, and litigation.

“I wanted to be on the very cutting edge of IP litigation.”

The firm’s managing partner Mike Ray breaks down the firm’s niche in this helpful anecdote: “If you need brain surgery, are you going to go to your family practice doctor who does everything?’ You're not. You're going to go to a specialist. We're that specialist in IP.” Within their niche, the firm’s work is broken down evenly into two buckets: litigation and prosecution. “It’s really important to have that mix as an IP firm,” Ray emphasizes, “by doing both, we can take lessons learned on one side and take it to the other.” Beyond a healthy mix of work buckets, the firm also attracts a good range of technical experts to the DC stronghold, with juniors pointing out that “there’s a lot of people from those backgrounds here and working with my colleagues has been a real highlight.”

Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox is recognized as a Strong Performer for Mid to Senior Satisfaction in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Summer Program

The main goal of the firm’s summer program is to “give you a good sense of why people do the job” explained one junior. Summers are given substantive work such as a motion to exclude a witness which can ultimately be done faster and more efficiently by associates, but sources felt that “getting to grapple with the actual facts of the case felt like they were keeping me in a good loop.”

It’s not all work though, as we heard there is at least one social event a week to integrate summers with associates and seniors, which sources agreed “set us up well” for when they joined the firm proper.

Strategy & Future

When asked about the future, Ray has two words on his lips: artificial intelligence. “Everyone recognizes that AI has the potential to change the practice of the law,” Ray begins, “The only question is, is it going to happen months from now or five years from now?” From Sterne Kessler’s point of view, the former may be more likely, and the firm is jumping on that opportunity as it is actively engaged in developing its own AI tools in-house.

“It's still early, but we expect it will have a significant impact, and we want to lead in that area,” Ray describes of the firm’s ambitions. Push back from clients is lessening by the day as well, with Ray highlighting that “our clients have really adjusted and changed their expectations” in regard to hesitation around AI. This firm-wide drive in the space has trickled down to its junior classes as well, with sources pointing out that “a good amount of resources and time have been put into that.”

Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox is recognized as a Strong Performer for AI Integration in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

The Work

Rookies coming into the firm are assigned to one of four groups: trial and appellate, biotechnology and chemical, mechanical and design, and electronic. The latter three are largely prosecution groups with the trial and appellate team taking on district court and appellate litigation matters.

The firm favors a more free market focused system across the board, after a slight grace period at the start, which in practice operates like this: “They try to set you up with cases when you join but after that it’s up to you to make connections with that kind of networking.” Although some juniors noted that this system meant associates could struggle to find work if they weren’t especially proactive, others saw the benefits of this system as “it gives me a little more autonomy in who I work with and what I do.”

Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox is recognized as a Strong Performer for Work Allocation & Autonomy in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Career Development

Juniors reported having plenty of “pretty robust formal training” along with professional development advisors galore on hand. An online academy also provides an assortment of sessions for newbies, who were left feeling that firm is very much invested in their success. “They offer an appellate series to work on your skills for example,” one source revealed, “you learn something new every time you go.”

While there is plenty of training to go round, some preferred the opportunities to learn by doing, with one source proclaiming that “in terms of what’s actually helpful, there’s nothing better than the school of hard knocks and experience!”

Partnership (or directorship) becomes eligible once an associate has billed 1,900 hours for seven years, but our interviewees weren’t too fixated on that at this stage; “it’s all transparent but they discourage you thinking about it until your fifth year when you start working with a director as a mentor.” Associates were optimistic however, musing that “it’s a good firm to establish your career, many people have their careers here.”

Hours & Compensation

Sterne Kessler offers a flexible billable hour requirement which ranges depending on practice group but tends to fall to around 1,900 but can be a bit higher (2,000 in litigation). The firm does also offer flexible hours in the instance where “you’re doing online schooling or if you have young kids.” Like hours, working patterns seemed to vary too: “9am – 6pm is the standard but no one is keeping track of when you come and leave.”

“9am – 6pm is the standard but no one is keeping track of when you come and leave.”

In terms of pay, this follows the market scale so long as the individual’s target is met. Though, the bonus was a factor which juniors did express a desire for more clarity around in practice: “The bonus is a little more mysterious to me, we’re not really sure how it’s calculated.”

Culture

What are people at Sterne Kessler like? Well, if you haven’t guessed by now, associates are proudly on the academic side and are “just a little bit nerdy and enjoy thinking and talking about technology.” While plenty of our insiders heralded their colleagues as great people and co-workers, the one caveat is they don’t get to see them all that much in person.

Sterne Kessler encourages three days in the office a week, but this is not a hard rule, and the result is that a great deal of associates work remotely most of the time. “There’s no set days to be in, so sometimes I go in and there’s no one I know there,” one junior began, “it’s easy to meet and interact with people, the majority of the face time is just virtual.”

This doesn’t mean there’s a lack of social activities though, interviewees recalled Holiday parties, baseball games, happy hours, and a special shoutout to the famed weekly summer trivia lunches where “all the groups go against each other, it’s a real blast!” For those that do venture into the office often, it was found to more than meet their needs with offices you can book on the day, a barista, free lunch, and a wellness center with an on-site nurse practitioner. “It’s covered through insurance so you can have your annual exams and everything, it’s great!” gleamed one source.

Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox is recognized as a Strong Performer for Culture in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Pro Bono

Up to 100 hours of pro bono work can count as billable, although associates cautioned that reaching the ceiling of that is less than likely. “There’s less opportunities on the litigation side,” one junior revealed, “for a great many years it was immigration work, and I don’t think it’s controversial to say that there’s not been a whole lot of work in that area now.” Other causes are still seen too though, with legal aid and veterans’ work popping up.

One notable pro bono event sources cited was a small business owners pro bono clinic held every year where they give legal advice. “It’s five hours total, but it’s one of the highlights of my year,” one junior beamed, “it really feels like you’re connecting with this person and helping them solve real problems.”

Inclusion

Juniors felt the firm “puts a lot of emphasis on diversity and it’s valued at the firm,” which reflects in the variety of DEI events and affinity groups on offer, such as around Black History Month. Associates particularly noted that the firm has “always made a point to promote inclusion” in the wake of recent political developments and that they were proud to see that there were no signs of slowing down on that front.

Insiders did elaborate that there was a “separate challenge in terms of diverse talent at the firm.” While some praised the amount of female and minority partners they were working for, others acknowledged that “it would be better if there was slightly more diversity at the associate level, even if it is an industry-wide issue.”