The Steptoe & Johnson Culture

Our first duty and commitment is to each other.

Each of us works for the common good of the firm and its clients. Our clients don’t belong to individual lawyers. The firm has clients, and we all serve them.

We serve our clients as we would serve our families, with unconditional dedication.

We seek and develop women and men of character who are first-rate professionals and passionate about being on our team. We value both gentle manners and hard work. We do not abide arrogance, dishonesty, or selfishness. We don’t employ jerks.

We treat people with fairness and dignity. We value diversity and teamwork. The way up our ladder is open to everybody who shares our values and purpose.

We guard our reputation because we know it is our most valuable asset. We are passionate about succeeding, but we play fair. We are unfailingly honest and confidential in all of our dealings. We treat everyone with the professionalism and civility that distinguishes us from mere advocates, even (and especially) when they don’t reciprocate.

We are serious about our work, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously. We have lives outside the office. We teach each other. We help each other even when it’s inconvenient. We genuinely care about each other. We share the credit. We learn from our mistakes. And we laugh. A lot.

We serve and give back to our communities. We handle our community service and pro bono work with the same degree of excellence that we devote to all of our work.

We are stewards of a great law firm. We will come and go, and make our mark, and the firm will live on. We are duty-bound to ensure that the culture that has sustained and united our firm for more than 100 years endures even after we are all long gone.