Widely recognized as a leading litigator, Steven Salky joined Lyons and Salky in 2020 as “of counsel” to continuing practicing law while attending nursing school. He previously practiced law for 35 years at Zuckerman Spaeder LLP, where he primarily represented organizations and executives in white collar criminal investigations, securities enforcement actions, complex civil litigation, and parallel Congressional investigations.

Steve is a 1981 graduate of Yale Law School. He clerked for the Chief Judge of the District Columbia Court of Appeals and spent two years as the Stuart Stiller Fellow at Georgetown University Law Center, where he represented indigent criminal defendants, supervised third year students doing the same, and taught trial skills at the Georgetown Criminal Justice Clinic. He is the author of a book on the Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination and numerous articles in various journals, magazines, and newspapers addressing matters concerning the criminal justice system.

In addition to volunteering as a certified nurse assistant at a Federally Qualified Health Center in D.C., Steve has devoted his law-related energies to a variety of pro bono activities supporting the rule of law and preserving democracy. He created and currently oversees the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Criminal Case Tracker, which monitors and reviews unusual criminal prosecutions being brought by the Department of Justice since January 20, 2025. He continues to develop a Denaturalization Defense Clearinghouse devoted to recruiting, training, and supporting lawyers to represent citizens the government seeks to denaturalize on a pro bono basis. He also is an active member of Lawyers for the Rule of Law, where he uses his talent for finding creative solutions to difficult problems to advance the right to fair elections.

Steve is no longer accepting cases that require him to appear as trial counsel. He welcomes opportunities to assist other lawyers in defending clients in criminal investigations, civil enforcement actions, and complex civil litigation. Steve is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia bar, where he is an active member.