Our last group of D.C. Rising Stars in 2017 included many stellar litigators, such as a Kirkland & Ellis partner who was recently confirmed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (Dan Bress), a collection of appellate aces (among them, Jenner & Block's Adam Unikowsky and McDermott Will & Emery's Michael Kimberly and Paul Hughes) and luminaries from other practice areas, like M&A and IP.

So it's no surprise that, for this year's bright and talented class, expectations are high. Luckily, our 2019 D.C. Rising Stars do not disappoint. Our 40 honorees, all 40 or under at the time of application, have all put their clients' needs first and have pushed the industry forward in practice areas ranging from appellate to international trade.

They've excelled on some of the biggest stages—clerking at the U.S. Supreme Court, working at the White House or at the U.S. Department of Justice. In private practice, they advocate for the best interests of businesses and individuals.

One honoree closed an $18.5 billion fund. Another was part of a team that the scored the first verdict under the Defend Trade Secrets Act. A third helped lead the team defending Volkswagen against environmental lawsuits filed by state attorneys general across the country over diesel emissions. Another helped defeat summary judgment in a widely covered law firm gender discrimination case.

Their greatest sources of inspiration come from the judges for whom they clerked, their practice group heads and their parents. Common themes? Work hard, write clearly, think a couple of moves ahead and remember, as one honoree said, "there doesn't have to be a trade-off between being a successful lawyer and a decent person."

Check out this year's cover package for more on our Rising Stars' biggest successes in practice, their keys to success and what they've learned along the way.

Elsewhere in the August issue, Managing Editor Sarah Tincher chats with the former chairman of the National Labor Relations Board, Mark Gaston Pearce. He's leading the new Workers' Rights Institute at Georgetown Law.

The new institute focuses on "on innovative legal and policy initiatives" to equip "the nation's most vulnerable workers to access labor protections," the school announced in late June. Tincher has more.

And in commentary, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-Rhode Island, writes on why he thinks the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Knick v. Township of Scott signals a new day.

As always, we love to hear your thoughts. Email me at the address below or tweet me @lhelemNLJ. Thanks for reading!