Elsberg Baker & Maruri PLLC - The Inside View

Ever seen a movie with an A-list cast so stacked that it seems almost too good to be true? Enter EBM, a single-office firm that’s nothing short of a blockbuster, starring nationally recognized names like David Elsberg, Rollo Baker, and Silpa Maruri. The other three founding partners are similarly renowned, and all six came together to launch the firm in February 2024 and take the market by storm. Two years on from its premiere, Elsberg Baker & Maruri is already recognized in Chambers USA for its highly regarded commercial litigation work, which is no small feat for a firm of its age and size. Take it from the firm’s CEO, Josette Rodriguez-Winograd: “I don’t know another firm that has been ranked with Chambers within one year of its inception,” she says, adding “I think we may have set a record – and that speaks to how good these people are.”

For any celebrity, reputation is everything, and the same goes for this boutique. “I saw the coverage of the announcement, and of course, I knew about David’s reputation,” one associate reminisced of joining the firm. “Once I got a sense of the mission here,” they continued, “I was taken by this portrait of the firm as a place where associates could be involved in the business and life of the firm – more so than you could at BigLaw.”

“…it’s been incredibly fast-moving and electrifying.”

Fresh out the plastic, brand-new commercial litigation boutique EBM might only be in its infancy, but according to its juniors, there have been no teething issues. The consensus was that “it’s been incredibly fast-moving and electrifying,” with the “newness of the firm being a draw” for many. One source elaborated further: “There’s always a temptation to think twice when something is this new, but it felt exciting for me to be a part of something like this.” Another massive selling point was the professional development opportunities that the firm offers, and the verdict is that “they’ve really come through on that promise.” Given the scale of the firm, “you get hands-on experience pretty much immediately,” working directly alongside colleagues characterized by their “encyclopedic grasp of case law and how things are evolving.”

With just one office in the concrete jungle, our interviewees were all reporting to us live from New York.

Elsberg Baker & Maruri is recognized as an Excellent Performer for Junior Satisfaction and an Excellent Performer for Mid to Senior Satisfaction in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Strategy & Future

Although “people still think of BigLaw firms as a relatively safe bet,” Rodriguez-Winograd tells us, “aside from the accelerating number of mergers, these 100-year-old firms are weighed down by systems and processes that they’d never put into place if they had the chance to start over.” Those at EBM saw an opportunity to “take the components of BigLaw that we love, and remove the parts that are outdated,” all to create a “steady firm that is litigation only, solely New York based, and absolutely laser-focused on trials and arbitrations.”

Rodriguez-Winograd is confident that this fresh new perspective is putting Elsberg Baker & Maruri ahead of the curve. “It’s no surprise to me when clients express how they’re not getting the value out of BigLaw, or that their last firm was billing them for massive, transitory teams of people the client had never seen or met,” she reports. The creation of “elite boutiques” like EBM is “a direct response and alternative to those options.”

Talent is on the tip of everyone’s tongue these days, so what is EBM’s strategy? “We are very careful with our hiring,” Rodriguez-Winograd explains, “and we’ll always be quality-constrained from a talent perspective; we won’t hire for the sake of getting to a set number.” Most importantly, “we are looking for quality above all else: crisp thinking people who, if challenged, will push back first and bring things to a head quickly; people who have a real passion for trial work and being on their feet. The people who want to dive in headfirst, get hands-on experience, and put themselves in the ring? Those are the kind of associates we are looking for.”

Read our full interview with Josette Rodriguez-Winograd under the ‘Get Hired’ tab.

Elsberg Baker & Maruri is recognized as a Strong Performer for AI Integration in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Summer Program

2026 is the second year in which EBM is running its ten-week summer program, and both the program and its participants have really hit the ground running. Given the firm’s all-in focus on recruiting the litigation superstars of the future, the schedule naturally centers on building up trainees’ skills in contentious work. This is done through involving them in active client matters, under the supervision of dedicated partner and associate mentors.

In addition to hard graft, participants can also expect plenty of opportunities to relax and get to know the team. Associates really appreciated how the firm’s small size was no bar to laying on a full social calendar, noting how “there are events to kickstart things throughout the summer associate season.”

The Work

The firm has recently instituted a centralized staffing system where an internal professional will help with work allocation, but an associate reports that the arrangements are “still fairly free market, so, if your hours are bursting at the seams, there’s not some overwhelming pressure to say yes to more work.” One of the many benefits of the firm’s modest size is that “you do end up working on all the partners’ matters,” and partners will “reach out to ask if you have time or are interested in certain cases.” All our interviewees were content with this system: “It’s pretty great to have some way of shaping your experience and caseload around building relationships with the partners,” one told us.

Elsberg Baker & Maruri is recognized as an Excellent Performer for Work Allocation & Autonomy in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

As a boutique, the whole firm is doing litigation & trial work. In the words of one associate, EBM is “a commercial litigation firm, which basically means that we do disputes that involve a lot of money.” Right now, the work is “heavy” on private equity and investment funds, with plenty of institutional investor and “deep-pocketed individual” clients too. Commenting on the “interestingly diverse” clientele, a junior noted that “we have some really big clients, but they often aren’t multi-billion-dollar companies,” which is ultimately positive: “If you’re a huge firm with those clients, it conflicts you out of a ton of work and creates more opportunities for us!” The caseload, which is split between both plaintiff and defendant representation, involves a good amount of focus on fraud, breach of contract, confidential arbitration, wrongful termination, and corporate governance… “really, any commercial disputes that come with financial institutions.”

“I’ve been to trial, which is the best experience you can get as a young litigator…”

The breadth of matters here leaves plenty of space for junior litigators to rack up responsibilities early on, as one junior related: “I’ve been to trial, which is the best experience you can get as a young litigator, and I’ve gotten to argue a motion to dismiss.” Even second and third chairing depositions are a common occurrence, which is “exactly the type of high-quality professional experience I was looking for at Elsberg.” Sources detailed regularly drafting motions and briefs, doing the standard doc review, running meet and confers, conducting third-party discovery, helping partners and senior associates prepare for oral arguments, and much more. This isn’t just junior work, insiders were quick to clarify. “There’s less of a hierarchy within the associates,” one said, as “A fifth year will happily split first-year level work with you.” Another pleased interviewee told us that “So much of what I do is new to me; I’m discovering that the diversity in litigation-based tasks is so widespread.”

Litigation & trial clients: Madison Square Gardens, Fairstead Capital Management, Soroc Technology Holdings. Defended Sol Goldman Investments against allegations that it had breached its LLC agreement in a high-profile dispute worth approximately $2 billion.

Career Development

We heard there is a good amount of formal training at EBM – with a business development training budget for first years, which is “pretty great!” – but where the firm really shines is its informal mentorship. “Our strength in mentorship and professional development comes from the fact that we have so few partners and associates,” one junior told us, adding that “The level of interaction I have with partners is daily, so you learn as you go.” Another agreed, explaining how “The amount of exposure and facetime you get with people who have practiced at the highest level is what I value most.” Getting expert advice from partners is described as being like “talking to a law school professor,” while “even the lawyers with truly national reputations are accessible.”

Partnership is just as accessible, with an accelerated, equity-only partner track: “It’s viable, and the firm is doing really well from a commercial perspective. There’s a realistic opportunity there for anyone who comes here and succeeds.”

Elsberg Baker & Maruri is recognized as an Excellent Performer for Career Development in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Culture

“If you feel like you need handholding, it might not be the place for you.”

EBM, according to its juniors, is “a good place for people who take initiative and responsibility; if you feel like you need handholding, it might not be the place for you.” A colleague seconded this, saying that the firm suits “people who are self-directed, competent, and committed to doing good work.” EBM lawyers are also typically “creative, highly motivated to succeed… definitely not shrinking violets,” another source told us, adding that “We’re all academic and competitive in the way that elite litigators are!” Social events are intimate, as per the nature of the firm – “we all know each other!” – and they include monthly in-office happy hours with wine, cheese, and cakes. There are also wellness events and a holiday party that our sources were “really excited for!”

Elsberg Baker & Maruri is recognized as an Excellent Performer for Culture in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Hours & Compensation

Billable hours: no requirement

The absence of a billable hour target doesn’t mean associates don’t have their plates full: one reported that they “work a lot” and envisioned billing2,200 or 2,300 hours this year.It may sound like a tall order, but one associate reported that “it actually shocked me, the extent to which people at the firm respect your weekends and evenings.” Given the firm’s trial focus, “hours vary with the ebb and flow of cases” as well as “the phase of the case.” Most of our sources were in office around four days a week, which they were pleased with because “it’s a good way to connect with colleagues, and that’s the whole reason I joined the firm.”

“Our bonus was 75% above the Cravath scale.”

Being a boutique doesn’t stop EBM from doling out BigLaw level compensation either: “Our bonus was 75% above the Cravath scale,” one satisfied associate informed us, “and our base pay matches the market.”

Elsberg Baker & Maruri is recognized as an Excellent Performer for Benefits & Quality of Life in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Pro Bono

“Pro bono opportunities come along, and the firm is very encouraging of people bringing in pro bono cases on their own initiative,” an insider commented, noting that “They think it’s great for you to make those connections.” That said, the firm being a relative newcomer means that pro bono is “still getting off the ground.” While there is yet to be a “steady pipeline” of opportunities, sources were confident that “it will come at some point.”

Pro bono hours  

• For all US attorneys: Undisclosed
• Average per US attorney: Undisclosed

Inclusion

Inclusion comes naturally at EBM, where “everyone just feels like they belong without the firm having to go out of its way to push formal programming. The culture is tight knit enough that everyone feels welcomed.” What was particularly highlighted is the firm’s inclusivity when it comes to working parents: “I’ve come to value how many of the partners and senior associates have families,” a source reflected, noting that “Everyone is super understanding of parental responsibilities and involved in their kids’ lives,” which is “a huge plus.” Affinity groups at the firm include the Women’s group, First Generation Lawyers, and Employees of Color (EoC).

Get Hired

The first stage: recruitment on and off campus

Elsberg usually follows the market when it comes to recruiting, having sourced applications in late 2025 before following up for interviews in early 2026.

“The scope of our entry-level recruiting drive is wide-spread.”  Legal Recruiting Director Joanna Desposati lays out the breadth of the firm’s recruiting efforts, reporting that “we accept direct write-ins, but also participate in OCI and host resume collects at various schools.”  The number of on-campus interviews varied, with OCI interviews being conducted by either school alums or one of the partners from the firm.

The firm is also looking to expand its ranks via clerkship and lateral hiring with a focus on junior to mid-level associates. “We want associates who are eager for stand-up opportunities, have a real interest in litigation and trial work and have impeccable academic records,” explains Desposati.

Top tips at this stage:

“Come see us when we’re on campus or hosting a clerkship reception. Get to know what sets us apart from our peers.” – Joanna Desposati

Callbacks

For those lucky enough to get to the callback stage, Desposati lays out what’s in store: “Our callbacks are structured with two partners and two associates and typically take about 2 hours to complete.” Desposati continues, “we encourage students to interview in-person with us.”

Top tips for this stage:

The firm is looking for proof of a candidate’s academic success and proven interest in litigation and trial work, so make sure to show that off.

Summer Program

Summer associates will receive substantive experience and hands-on training  focused on legal writing and advocacy skills. “We hold a variety of trainings throughout the summer and staff summers on active matters early on. Our goal is to give the summers an accurate picture of life as an associate and our firm culture. This is also done through formal mentorship pairings involving partners and associates” ,” explains Desposati. Events are also common and can range from Broadway shows to concerts and cooking classes.

Given the freshness of the firm, only one summer program has taken place so far in 2025, but five 2Ls participated and five out of five will return as associates for the class of 2026.

Top tips for this stage:

“Get to know as many of our attorneys as possible, whether through work or at summer events.  Don’t be afraid to ask questions and lean on your mentors for guidance.” – Joanna Desposati

Interview with Josette Rodriguez-Winograd, CEO

Commercial strategy, market position and trends

Chambers Associate: How would you define your firm’s current position and identity in the legal market? What differentiates your firm from your peer firms in the market?

Josette Rodriguez-Winograd: The legal market is experiencing seismic shifts and fractures. Every year brings with it more news of BigLaw mergers, but despite the well-reported data, people still think of BigLaw firms as a relatively safe bet. Aside from the accelerating number of mergers, these 100-year old firms are weighed down by systems and processes that they’d never put into place if they had the chance to start over. We took this as an opportunity to take the components of BigLaw that we love, and remove the parts that are outdated. The end result is a steady firm that is litigation only, solely New York based, and absolutely laser-focused on trials and arbitrations.

I worked in BigLaw for many years, and part of my job was to help position firms as litigation experts. But the truth is that very few litigation partners actually go to trial. Compared to firms that have 100-person litigation departments, or even 100-partner litigation departments, we are doing more trials and arbitrations, because we are actually trial lawyers, often brought in at the last minute as a replacement, or addition to BigLaw firms that have been at the top of Chambers’ lists for a long time.

In the marketplace, many people think of us as a hot young firm on the block, and the press has reported us as such. It’s a little bit of a mischaracterization because my partners have been around for decades working at other firms.

The people whose names are on the door are prior department heads at Quinn Emanuel. This team knows each other, and they know how to interact with each other in a seamless, collegial, and natural way. It sounds simple, but creating that culture is very deliberate.

CA: Have there been any developments at the firm over the past year that you’d like law students to know about?

Rodriguez-Winograd: One of the biggest developments in the past year has been the market’s very warm reaction to our story. We’ve won major awards from all the most prestigious institutions. 

These should signal to associates that we are serious about giving them a very different experience here than they would have at a larger firm. Or, at least, that’s what our associates have told me. In a BigLaw firm, litigation associates often get tied up in discovery for years. They’ll report to other, more senior associates on their matters, and they are unlikely to see partners’ strategic decision-making process, let alone the inside of a courtroom for years. At our firm, within our first 12 months, every single associate – including first years – had been to trial at least once. Because we’re smaller, associates get a lot more experience on their feet, and they have a lot more integration into client management than they would at a BigLaw firm, and frankly, more than they would at a lot of other elite boutiques.

Our associates are constantly interacting with partners directly – that’s a huge difference. They receive a lot of partner feedback on their work, and most importantly, they have a voice at the table. This is something that one of our named partners, Silpa Maruri, firmly stands for: if someone has an idea, it ultimately doesn’t matter who the idea came from – whether it’s a junior associate or a partner. All that matters is that it’s a good idea. Having all these voices at the table is beneficial to both the client and the team. It’s a confidence changer when an associate has a good idea, and it takes off. So, we think it is important to cultivate those moments with our associates, especially the juniors.

In terms of our culture, because we are small, it’s very tight knit. Everyone knows everyone; there’s not a person whose name you don’t know. New associates are paired with an associate mentor who is often a bit more senior, so they always have a person to go to if they have questions or want to bounce ideas around. Also, we’re moving to the Empire State Building in January, and we will be based on two beautiful floors. Whereas at other firms associates might have to share office space or sit in cubes, our associates will be in their own private windowed offices in one of the most iconic buildings in the city.

We pay bonuses above market by 175% of the Cravath scale, which speaks to the way we value our associates, but compensation isn’t the only way we show how much we value their hard work. In our first year – and to be clear, we’re under two years old– our associates have stepped into a range of different roles. They’ve seen so much and done so much. We’re extremely pleased with the associates that have come through. We want people here who are the best, and we’ve gotten the best. As Silpa Maruri would say, we are giving associates an experience that matches their intelligence. A lot of times – and I’ve come from some great firms – associates receive no business development training. Here, they’re getting their feet wet with ongoing business development training, and get an annual budget to cultivate their relationships. By the time associates here are up for partner, they will have far more experience than their peers at other firms. It’s been a good model.

CA: Are there any domestic or international events/trends that are affecting any of the firm’s practices at the moment? Are there any trends that you think are affecting the business of law firms more generally, and how is that playing out with your firm?

Rodriguez-Winograd: Forget about AI for a moment. Most BigLaw firms are struggling with far more basic issues – outdated systems, massive overhead for processes that have little to no return on investment, people who are lauded for being on the payroll for 20 years but who have a narrow skill set. That’s what it really is in most firms, including those who tout their AI credentials. So it’s no surprise to me when clients express how they’re not getting the value out of BigLaw, or that their last firm was billing them for massive, transitory teams of people the client had never seen or met. Law firms have been performing behind the curve in terms of innovation and client service for decades.

Instead, a lot of firms try to cross-sell, or persuade a client from one practice or one office to use another department or a different office to expand the firm’s book of business. It’s really out of sync, and favors firms, not clients. That’s not the way clients use legal services anymore. Clients hire people, not firms. Long gone are the days when one firm would handle all of a client’s matters. But firms are still approaching business development with that same archaic lens. It explains part of the fracturing we’re seeing. 

We are also seeing clients concerned about independence. Imagine this: I’m a client working with a BigLaw firm on a transactional deal that goes wrong. Then, they refer me to the litigation department to sort it out. Are those litigators going to tell me the deal should not have been structured the way it was in the first place? There’s an inherent conflict in the way BigLaw has developed over the past century; it’s become overgrown, outdated and clients are becoming hip to all this. These elite boutiques are a direct response and alternative to those options. Fewer, better people will always be more attractive to clients than armies of talent with inconsistent quality. 

CA: What is your firm’s commercial strategy focusing on, and how do you expect the next year to unfold?

Rodriguez-Winograd: Our commercial strategy is based on our reputation as trial specialists, and the growing list of client victories we’re accruing. We’re looking to build on our success by further developing our associates, expanding our class sizes as client needs warrant, and building a strong, cohesive culture. Our size will always be dictated by the needs of our clients, and we can already see there is going to be a lot of need. We are very careful with our hiring, and we’ll always be quality- constrained from a talent perspective; we won’t hire for the sake of getting to a set number. That creates a steadier situation in the long run. 

We are looking for quality above all else: crisp thinking people who, if challenged, will push back first and bring things to a head quickly; people who have a real passion for trial work and being on their feet. The people who want to dive in headfirst, get hands-on experience, and put themselves in the ring? Those are the kind of associates we are looking for.

We don’t have 100 practices and claim to be the expert in all of them; we do trials and arbitrations. We will continue to push every single way we can for more trials, more arbitrations, and more experience overall, and we’ve been very fortunate to have a very full docket.

I don’t know another firm that has been ranked with Chambers in year one of its inception. I think we may have set a record – and that speaks to how good these people are. 100% of our focus is on getting the best people in the door and fighting the best fight we can for clients.

I also expect our move to be a great new chapter for our associates. 

CA: How do you predict the rise in AI will affect the ways in which lawyers work? How will it affect the services law firms provide?

Rodriguez-Winograd: Despite what they say, I think law firms generally don’t have a clear view on how they’re going to operate in this new environment, and there are very few firms who can point to concrete use cases. In light of that, one of the easiest places to integrate AI is in the back-office operations of the firm, and that is what we’re doing. A lot of our staff functionalities have been automated by AI. We also provide regular, mandatory training for staff on AI.

For attorneys, we’ve adopted CoCounsel, a Westlaw product, and Microsoft’s Copilot. We have a few other programs that we’re piloting. We make sure our associates know how to use these programs, sometimes bringing in outside folks to train them.

In the same vein, we see lots of opportunities to use AI to promote more transparency internally and on the client side, and we’ll be piloting a few ways to bring that to life in the next year. 

The Fun Bit

CA: What was the first concert you attended?

Rodriguez-Winograd: New Kids on the Block.

CA: Are you a morning person or an evening person?

Rodriguez-Winograd: Evening. In the words of Drake, “I come alive in the nighttime!”

CA: Phone call or email?

Rodriguez-Winograd: Email.

CA: Cats or dogs?

Rodriguez-Winograd: Dogs. I have had a Jack Russell terrier and I’m hoping to get another dog soon.

CA: Business suit or business casual?

Rodriguez-Winograd: Suit. I am very drawn to business attire and love getting dressed for work. I’m glad to have a place to go each day that warrants it. I’m the first person to go to college in my family, so it’s never lost on me that it is a privilege to be here and get dressed in business clothes each day. Besides, dressing can be a creative outlet. During the pandemic, I went wild on The RealReal, and I got so many great things.