Wallace King was formed in 1998 by a group of partners who had practiced together at large firms for nearly 20 years. Beginning with a lean team of eight lawyers based in offices at the American Institute for Architects building in Washington, the firm quickly earned a reputation as a premier litigation boutique. The firm started with a variety of demanding cases in challenging forums:

A putative class action in Louisiana that the firm won on summary judgment and then successfully defended on appeal in the Fifth Circuit;

A collection of property damage cases involving massive tracts in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico, which the firm eventually won on motions or favorably settled;

A complex commercial contract action in Delaware that we won at trial; an international arbitration over an oil-drilling contract, which the firm successfully tried before an arbitral panel in Singapore; and

Other national and local cases ranging from libel actions against a major broadcaster to environmental cost-recovery actions.

Perhaps the largest of the cases the firm handled at the start was a putative nationwide class action in Alabama against the oil industry. Wallace King served as lead trial counsel for four oil companies, and court-appointed liaison counsel for the oil industry defense. In that case and many others since, Wallace King has proved the premise that smaller can be better. No case is too large for the right combination of lawyers. Wallace King assembles the right combination for each and every litigation matter it handles.

In 1999, we were joined by Julie Domike, who heads our environmental regulatory practice. After a successful career at EPA and several years with a large firm in private practice, Julie has expanded the regulatory practice to encompass compliance counseling under the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, and Toxic Substances Compliance Act. We have worked on behalf of clients on state or federal rulemaking, as well as rule challenges. Wallace King has served as counsel in numerous enforcement defense cases, including several under EPA national initiatives, and provides ongoing advice in the implementation of resulting settlements.

Most recently, in 2006, Terri Reiskin joined us as a partner after 20 years at a large firm. Terri's thriving products liability practice, which focuses on the automotive, medical device and pharmaceutical industries, is a natural complement to our products and environmental litigation practice. As a seasoned trial lawyer with extensive experience in class action defense, as well as the defense of individual cases, Terri and her team further enhance our ability to handle complex litigation whenever, and wherever, our clients demand.

In the years since the firm opened, it has grown to more than 20 lawyers, based in offices in the US News building in Georgetown. We are committed to excellence and dedicated to diversity. Half of our partners and two-thirds or our associates are minorities or women. Wallace King has an established track record of success and continues to set the standard for complex litigation and arbitration. The firm has demonstrated the ability to achieve favorable results in the most challenging cases and venues.