Cloherty & Steinberg LLP

What Cloherty & Steinberg LLP does

Cloherty & Steinberg LLP is a Boston-based boutique litigation firm founded in February 2023 by attorneys Daniel J. Cloherty and Victoria L. Steinberg, both former partners at Todd & Weld LLP. The firm operates from One Financial Center, Suite 1120, Boston, MA, and is structured as a Massachusetts limited liability partnership with no external investors or parent company. It is co-led by three partners (Cloherty, Steinberg, and Megan Siddall) and supported by senior counsel, associates, an office manager, and paralegals, totaling approximately 8 to 13 team members.

The firm offers four core legal service areas: business litigation, education law, employment law, and government investigations/white collar criminal defense. Its client base is anchored in higher education institutions (Harvard, Northeastern University, Worcester Polytechnic Institute) and extends to businesses ranging from startups to international corporations, alongside individual executives and professionals facing government investigations or criminal charges. The firm's revenue model is professional services, generating income through hourly billing, flat fees for specific matters, and contingency arrangements; pricing is set case-by-case and not publicly disclosed. Client acquisition is referral-driven, fueled by attorney reputation, professional recognition (Tier 1 Best Law Firms 2025 in five practice areas, Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers), and bar association involvement rather than traditional advertising or digital marketing.

The firm's go-to-market is sales-led but operates through earned credibility: awards, peer recognition, and courtroom results. Its infrastructure is administrative and operational rather than technology-based — there is no proprietary technology platform, AI product, or software offering. The firm's competitive position rests on the talent moat of its founding partners and senior counsel (including David Bunis, former General Counsel at WPI and Brandeis), its institutional client relationships, and its recognized expertise in niche areas such as higher education law and white collar defense.

Name

Cloherty & Steinberg LLP

Legal name

Cloherty & Steinberg LLP

Website

https://clohertysteinberg.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cloherty & Steinberg LLP is a Boston boutique litigation firm founded in 2023 by Daniel Cloherty and Victoria Steinberg, offering business litigation, education law, employment law, and white collar criminal defense services to higher education institutions, businesses, and individual executives.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services (Litigation)

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Legal Services (5411), Offices of Lawyers (54111)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

White-Collar Defense & Investigations (BPAHAAAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Employment & Labor Law (BPAHAAAD), Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) & Securities Law (BPAHAAAI)

Keywords

• Business litigation services
• Education law practice
• Employment law representation
• White collar defense
• Criminal defense services

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Professional Fees: The firm generates revenue through legal fees for litigation services, including hourly billing, flat fees for specific matters, and potentially contingency arrangements for certain cases. Services span business litigation, employment law, education law, and government investigations/criminal defense.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Cloherty & Steinberg LLP is a Boston boutique litigation firm providing legal representation in four core practice areas: Business Litigation, Education Law, Employment Law, and Government Investigations/White Collar Criminal Defense. The firm represents institutions, businesses, and individuals in state and federal courts, administrative proceedings, arbitrations, and mediations. Services span Title IX litigation, disciplinary matters, white collar defense, SEC matters, employment disputes, contract actions, and grand jury subpoenas.

Product overview

Cloherty & Steinberg LLP is a Boston boutique litigation firm founded in 2023 by Daniel J. Cloherty and Victoria L. Steinberg. The firm operates as a single unified practice offering four interconnected legal service areas: Business Litigation, Education Law, Employment Law, and Government Investigations/White Collar Criminal Defense. The practice serves institutions, businesses, and individuals across all industries, providing client-centered legal representation in state and federal courts, administrative proceedings, arbitrations, and mediations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Litigation Comprehensive litigation representation for businesses of all sizes, from startups to international corporations, handling employment disputes, contract actions, governance disputes, fiduciary conflicts, and class action matters in state and federal court.
• Education Law Legal representation for colleges, universities, secondary schools, and educational institutions in matters including Title IX litigation, disciplinary matters, employment disputes, government investigations, defamation cases, and intellectual property.
• Employment Law Legal support for employers and employees including non-compete litigation, terminations, discrimination matters, internal investigations, retaliation cases, government investigations, handbook analysis, disability accommodations, and contract negotiations.
• Government Investigations / White Collar Criminal Defense Representation for entities and individuals in government investigations, white collar criminal defense, SEC matters, state and federal proceedings, grand jury subpoenas, pre- and post-indictment proceedings, including securities fraud, healthcare fraud, and tax offenses.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully represented Harvard in multiple federal court victories including motions to dismiss and summary judgment.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• American Civil Liberties Union of MassachusettscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 May 2025The firm joined with ACLU of Massachusetts, ACLU, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and Freedom From Religion Foundation in filing a lawsuit challenging the installation of religious statues on public building in Quincy, MA.
• American Civil Liberties UnioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 May 2025The firm collaborated with national ACLU on the Quincy religious statues lawsuit challenging installation of Catholic saints statues on government building.
• Americans United for Separation of Church and StateminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 May 2025Collaborated on lawsuit challenging religious statues on public building as part of multifaith group of Quincy residents.
• Freedom From Religion FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 May 2025Partnered on constitutional challenge to religious statues on government property.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Saul Ewing LLP: Regional firm with a nationally recognized higher-education practice serving institutions on Title IX, employment, and student matters — competes for the same education-law engagements.
• Cozen O'Connor: National firm with a focused higher-education practice group that serves colleges and universities on Title IX, employment, and governance matters — directly comparable niche.

Broad incumbents

• Ropes & Gray LLP: Global AmLaw firm headquartered in Boston with a nationally recognized higher-education practice and active white-collar and employment groups; represents the institutional side of higher-ed mandates the boutique also targets.
• Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo PC: Major Boston-based firm with overlapping education law, employment, white-collar defense, and business litigation practices; broader geographic reach and significantly deeper resources.
• Foley Hoag LLP: Larger Boston-based firm with substantial litigation, white-collar defense, and higher-education practices; competes for the same institutional and complex-litigation matters from a deeper bench.
• Goodwin Procter LLP: Boston-based AmLaw firm with strong higher-education, white-collar, and complex litigation practices; competes for senior institutional and individual engagements across the firm's practice areas.
• WilmerHale: Premier Boston/Washington firm with leading white-collar defense, securities, and complex litigation practices that directly overlap Cloherty & Steinberg's government investigations and business litigation work.

Direct peers

• Dwyer & Collora LLP: Boston litigation boutique where co-founder Victoria Steinberg previously served as partner; similar boutique scale and complex litigation practice with strong higher-education and business dispute work.
• Todd & Weld LLP: Boston boutique litigation firm from which both founding partners of Cloherty & Steinberg departed; directly comparable in size, Boston focus, and litigation practice mix, including education law and complex civil disputes.

Regional players

• Hinckley Allen: Boston/New England-based mid-size firm with overlapping higher-education, employment, and complex litigation practices serving institutional clients in the same regional market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cloherty-steinberg-llp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cloherty & Steinberg LLP