Wilkinson Stekloff Partner Brian Stekloff was named Trial Lawyer of the Year at last night’s 2023 Benchmark Litigation US Awards ceremony in New York City, confirming his standing as one of the country’s most accomplished and in-demand trial lawyers.
Benchmark also named Brian as the year’s Top Product Liability Litigator, and gave its National Impact Case Award to the Wilkinson Stekloff trial team, led by Brian, that secured a defense verdict in Clark v. Monsanto.
Benchmark Litigation is considered the definitive guide to the world’s leading litigation firms and lawyers. Previously, the organization has honored Brian as a Litigation Star, and named Wilkinson Stekloff a Top 20 Trial Law Firm, Top Boutique, and Highly Recommended Firm, and ranked it as Tier 1 for General Commercial Litigation, in its 2023 Benchmark Litigation Guide.
Brian’s outsize accomplishments are both remarkable and no surprise to the colleagues and clients who are fortunate to see his work up close. Clark, a trial involving claims that the herbicide Roundup causes Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, was the fourth case in the Roundup mass tort to go to trial; the three previous trials resulted in verdicts against Monsanto ranging from $81 million to over $2 billion. Thanks to the work of Brian and his team, after a single day of deliberation in Clark the jury delivered the first-ever verdict for Monsanto.
Brian’s unparalleled skill and experience in the courtroom continues to shine in his current cases, most notably in his work co-leading the team representing a chemical manufacturer in the first bellwether trial in multi-district litigation involving alleged PFAS groundwater contamination from the use of aqueous film forming foam. Brian and Beth Wilkinson are directing overall trial strategy for that client in both the MDL and various state courts. Brian also represents Altria in multidistrict litigation arising out of its $12.8 billion minority investment in JUUL Labs. Next month, Brian will serve as a lead lawyer for Altria in the first bellwether trial, defending against public nuisance, negligence, and RICO claims brought by the San Francisco Unified School District.
Congratulations, Brian, on these three outstanding recognitions from Benchmark.