Overview
Onika Williams advises clients on compliance and enforcement issues before a variety of federal regulatory agencies as well as disputes before the Surface Transportation Board (STB). Clients benefit from her experience as a legal advisor in the STB’s Office of Proceedings. While there, she advised the Board in proceedings arising under the ICC Termination Act of 1995, involving questions of statutory, administrative, and constitutional law.
Prior to the STB, Onika served as a Law Clerk at the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission where she advised and assisted three judge boards in adjudicating cases under the Atomic Energy Act, regarding nuclear safety, security, and the environment.
Outside of private practice, Onika is involved with the National Bar Association (NBA) and currently serves as the Chair of the NBA's Young Lawyers Division. Additionally, she is a Team Editor for Litigation News, an American Bar Association Litigation Section publication.
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Supreme Court of the United States
- US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel, 2012-2014
- Hon. Henry Lee Adams, Jr., US District Court, Middle District of Florida, 2010-2012
- J.D., Indiana University Bloomington, 2010, Notes and Comment Editor, Indiana Law Journal
- B.B.A., Florida International University, 2005, cum laude
Speaking Engagements
- "Biometric Roadblocks in the Transport Industry," Association of Transportation Law Professionals 94th Annual Meeting, June 25, 2023
- Panelist, 5th Annual "Black Biglaw Pipeline (BBP) Associate Boot Camp," June 10, 2023
- "Combating Imposter Syndrome for Minority Attorneys," Lawline’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Summit, October 19, 2021
- Moderator, "Bridging the Gap: Why Lead," National Bar Association 96th Annual Convention, July 27, 2021
- Moderator, "Opening Keynote with Paul Grewal," American Bar Association's Collaborative Bar Leadership Academy, June 29, 2021
News & Publications
Press Releases
Onika Williams Recognized as a 2023 Law360 Rising Star in Transportation
August 10, 2023
Publications
Navigating the Roadblocks of Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act
Association of Transportation Law Professionals’ Journal of Transportation Law, Logistics, and Policy Volume 90, Number 1
July 2023
By: Jennifer Quinn-Barabanov, Zachary B. Schreiber, Onika K. Williams
Press Releases
Steptoe Receives 28 Practice Rankings, 34 Individual Awards in Legal 500 US 2023
June 14, 2023
Press Releases
Four Steptoe Lawyers Named Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Fellows and Pathfinders
February 24, 2022
Noteworthy
- Legal 500 US, Rising Star, Transport: Rail & Road - Litigation & Regulation (2023)
- National Bar Association, Presidential Award, (2020, 2021)
- National Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division, Division of the Year, 2021
- Washington Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division, Kim M. Keenan Advocacy & Leadership Award, 2021
- National Bar Association, Maynard Jackson Award, 2021
- National Bar Association, Greater Washington Area Chapter, Women Lawyers Division, Rising Star Award, 2020
- Washington Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division, Chair’s Legacy Awards, 2020
- National Black Lawyers, Top 40 Under 40, 2018-2021
- National Bar Association, Top 40 Under 40, 2019
- National Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division, Outstanding Service Award, 2019
- Washington Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division, Young Lawyer of the Year, 2019
Professional Affiliations
- Fellow, American Bar Foundation
- Association of Transportation Law Professionals
- National Bar Association
- Chair, Young Lawyers Division (2020–Present)
- Chair-Elect (2019–20); Vice Chair (2018–19); Membership Chair (2016–18)
- Member, National Bar Association Board of Governors (2020–Present)
- Member, National Bar Association COVID-19 Task Force (2020–Present)
- Deputy Chief of Staff to 77th President Alfreda Robinson (2020)
- Chair, Young Lawyers Division (2020–Present)
- American Bar Association's Litigation News Publication
- Team Editor (2020–Present)
- Associate Editor (2016–2020)
- Contributing Editor (2014–2016)