Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker
Professional services
UnclaimedA large American law firm with a historic strength in insurance defense and a broad national legal-services platform.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker, commonly known as Wilson Elser, is a privately held American law firm headquartered in New York City. The firm is structured as a large national legal-services practice with more than 1,300 attorneys working from 44 offices: 43 in the United States and one in London. Its client work spans litigation, insurance defense, professional liability, transportation, employment, corporate and transactional matters, and other business-related legal services. The firm's roots reach back to 1944, when Max Edelman hired Sol Kroll into what was then a small legal practice. Edelman and Kroll developed the practice over subsequent decades, helping create a multi-state firm at a time when many American law practices remained centered on a single city or region. During the 1970s, the expanding practice was known as Kroll, Edelman, Elser, & Wilson. After Kroll's departure, Thomas Wilson Sr., John Elser, and Max Edelman established Wilson Elser in 1978. Insurance defense has remained central to the firm's identity and client base. The practice has nevertheless broadened considerably beyond its original concentration, adding capabilities in corporate and transactional work and serving clients across a wide range of industries and disputes. The firm's national office network allows it to coordinate matters across multiple jurisdictions, while its London office provides an international point of presence without changing its fundamentally American operating base. Wilson Elser positions itself as a full-service business law firm for companies, insurers, professionals, and other institutional clients. Its work commonly involves defending claims, managing complex litigation, advising on risk, and supporting commercial transactions. The firm has been identified among the largest law firms in the United States by legal-industry publications, including The American Lawyer and The National Law Journal. It has also received recognition relating to the advancement of women attorneys and workplace diversity. Diversity Lab listed the firm as Mansfield Certified Plus for the 2023–2024 certification cycle, reflecting participation in a structured process intended to broaden consideration for leadership and advancement opportunities. The firm has also attracted public scrutiny through its representation of American Airlines in litigation involving allegations that an employee secretly recorded minors in an aircraft lavatory. In that matter, reporting and public commentary criticized a defense argument that the minors should have recognized they were being recorded. The episode illustrates the reputational and ethical pressures that large defense firms can face when representing corporate clients in sensitive cases. Wilson Elser remains active as a national law firm, with its business centered on legal representation and advice rather than consumer products or publicly traded securities.
History
Wilson Elser's institutional history begins in 1944, when Max Edelman hired Sol Kroll into a small legal practice. Edelman and Kroll gradually expanded the practice and developed a model capable of operating across state boundaries. That development was significant in the context of the American legal market, where many firms historically operated from a single metropolitan base. By the 1970s, the growing practice was known as Kroll, Edelman, Elser, & Wilson. Following Kroll's departure, attorneys Thomas Wilson Sr., John Elser, and Max Edelman established Wilson Elser in 1978. The new firm preserved the predecessor practice's experience in insurance defense, which became a defining part of its market identity. Insurance-defense work typically requires representation of insurers and their policyholders in civil claims, coverage-related disputes, professional-liability matters, and other litigation. This heritage gave the firm a substantial disputes-oriented foundation. Over time, Wilson Elser expanded beyond insurance defense. Its capabilities developed to include a wider range of litigation, corporate and transactional services, and industry-focused legal work. The firm now serves businesses, insurers, professionals, and other institutional clients across numerous areas of law. Its expansion also produced a broad office network, with more than 1,300 attorneys across 44 offices, including 43 locations in the United States and one in London. The firm's modern identity therefore combines a historic defense practice with the geographic reach and service breadth of a large national law firm. It has been placed among the largest American law firms in rankings and surveys associated with The American Lawyer, The National Law Journal, and Law360. Those recognitions describe scale, market position, and workplace or demographic characteristics rather than public-company financial performance; Wilson Elser is privately held and has no publicly traded ticker. Diversity and advancement have also formed part of the firm's recent public profile. For the 2023–2024 cycle, Diversity Lab identified Wilson Elser as Mansfield Certified Plus. Mansfield is a structured certification process designed to assess whether qualified talent receives a fair opportunity to be considered for leadership roles and advancement. The recognition reflects participation in that process, not a claim that all diversity or workplace outcomes have been resolved. The firm has also encountered reputational controversy through its defense of American Airlines in a sensitive case involving alleged covert recording of minors in an aircraft lavatory. Public criticism focused on an argument reported in connection with the defense that the minors should have been aware they were being recorded. The controversy illustrates the tension between a law firm's professional duty to represent a client and public reaction to litigation positions in cases involving alleged sexual misconduct or invasion of privacy. Despite that scrutiny, Wilson Elser continues to operate as an active national law firm.
- 2024
Mansfield Certified Plus recognition
[2]Wilson Elser is listed among firms achieving Mansfield Certified Plus for the 2023–2024 cycle.
- 1978
Wilson Elser is established
[1]Thomas Wilson Sr., John Elser, and Max Edelman establish the firm that becomes Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker after Sol Kroll's departure from the predecessor practice.
- 1970
Predecessor practice operates as Kroll, Edelman, Elser, & Wilson
[1]The expanding practice is identified during the 1970s by the name Kroll, Edelman, Elser, & Wilson, reflecting its development into a broader multi-state firm.
- 1944
Max Edelman hires Sol Kroll
[1]The predecessor practice to Wilson Elser begins its documented history when Max Edelman brings Sol Kroll into a small legal practice.
Products and positioning
A large, privately held national law firm serving businesses, insurers, professionals, and institutional clients, with roots in insurance defense and a broader full-service litigation and transactional platform.
Legal service
Insurance defense
Insurance defense is the firm's historic core. Wilson Elser represents insurers and related clients in civil litigation, liability disputes, professional-liability claims, and other matters arising from insured risks. This practice area provided the foundation for the firm's national expansion and remains central to its market positioning.
Legal service
Litigation and dispute resolution
The firm's litigation platform covers disputes involving businesses, insurers, professionals, and other institutional clients. Its work is connected to the firm's defense background but extends across a broad range of civil and commercial controversies handled through litigation and related dispute-resolution processes.
Legal service
Corporate and transactional services
Wilson Elser expanded beyond its traditional insurance-defense base into corporate and transactional legal work. These services support businesses and other clients with commercial matters and legal advice connected to transactions, in addition to the firm's substantial disputes practice.
Legal service
Professional liability
Professional-liability work forms part of the firm's broader defense offering. The practice represents institutional and professional clients in claims involving alleged errors, omissions, or other liabilities arising from professional services.
Controversies
2024
Public criticism over American Airlines recording case
Wilson Elser was criticized in connection with its defense of American Airlines in a case involving an employee accused of secretly recording four minors in an aircraft lavatory. Public attention focused on a reported defense argument that the minors should have recognized they were being videotaped.
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