Benjamin Wilson doesn't measure success by wins and losses in the courtroom. Instead, when asked about his career, the chairman of Beveridge & Diamond talks about the young lawyers he's helped. There was the law school graduate from Austin, Texas, looking for a new job. Wilson shared a few contacts and soon the young man began work at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in the nation's capital.

Another, a young woman at Wilson's firm in Washington, D.C., wanted to join the National Association of Women Lawyers. Wilson had the firm pay her sponsorship, he said, and his encouragement helped her start the organization's environmental law section.

“The whole point is, can we inspire others and offer hope to others?” Wilson said. “Otherwise, it's just another story about just another lawyer who had a good career and made money. Hopefully life is more than that.”