In recognition of Wilkinson Stekloff’s work on some of the most consequential trials across the country, The American Lawyer selected the firm as its National Boutique / Specialty Litigation Department of the Year at the 2024 Industry Awards. Across all types of high-stakes litigation, 40-lawyer firm Wilkinson Stekloff has delivered a slate of victories that would be the envy of far larger firms, trying over 20 cases to verdict since 2016 and stacking up win after win. The firm’s most recent accomplishments include winning the second-largest merger trial in American history, the biggest involving a technology company, by defeating the Federal Trade Commission’s motion for a preliminary injunction to block Microsoft’s proposed $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The firm continues to represent Microsoft in the FTC’s appeal in the Ninth Circuit and the FTC’s challenge to the merger through an administrative proceeding. This past year, the firm also delivered …
Law360 Chronicles Rakesh Kilaru’s Groundbreaking Victories in Sports & Betting MVP Feature
November 12, 2024
Law360 recently featured Partner Rakesh Kilaru in an article chronicling the accomplishments that led to his 2024 MVP for Sports & Betting recognition. This past year, Rakesh delivered major victories for the NCAA and NFL, confirming his standing as the first choice for clients facing the toughest and most consequential litigation in professional and college sports. Most recently, Rakesh surfaced as the architect of a groundbreaking settlement to a series of antitrust class action lawsuits brought by hundreds of thousands of current and former student-athletes challenging NCAA rules that limit student-athlete compensation and benefits. Preliminary approval of the $2.78 billion settlement, one of the largest and most consequential in sports and antitrust history, was granted on October 7, 2024. Rakesh also served as co-lead trial counsel for the NFL and its 32 member clubs in a class action lawsuit brought by residential and commercial subscribers of the NFL’s Sunday Ticket …
Beth Wilkinson and Rakesh Kilaru Named Winning Litigators at 2024 National Law Journal Legal Awards
October 28, 2024
In recognition of Wilkinson Stekloff’s remarkable run of wins in some of the past year’s most consequential trials and matters, Founding Partner Beth Wilkinson and Partner Rakesh Kilaru were named joint Winning Litigators at the 2024 National Law Journal Legal Awards. This prestigious annual series highlights the top litigation work of law firms and attorneys from the previous year. Selected from a competitive field of 20 accomplished finalists, Beth and Rakesh secured the Winning Litigators recognition for their work taking on some of the largest and most complex antitrust litigation in the country. They led the team that won the second largest merger trial in American history and the biggest involving a technology company, defeating the FTC’s motion for a preliminary injunction to block Microsoft’s proposed $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. They continue to represent Microsoft in the FTC’s appeal in the Ninth Circuit and the FTC’s challenge to the merger through an …
Law360 Selects Rakesh Kilaru as Sports & Betting MVP
October 22, 2024
Wilkinson Stekloff Partner Rakesh Kilaru has been recognized by Law360 as a 2024 MVP for Sports & Betting. Selected from more than 900 submissions, this year’s class of MVPs has distinguished themselves from their peers by securing hard-earned successes in high-stakes litigation, complex global matters, and record-breaking deals. Most recently, Rakesh served as the lead defense negotiator of a groundbreaking settlement, announced in May 2024, involving a series of antitrust class action lawsuits brought by hundreds of thousands of current and former student-athletes against the NCAA and the Autonomy Five collegiate athletic conferences. Seeking to revolutionize college sports, plaintiffs challenged NCAA rules that limit student-athlete compensation and benefits, including rules restricting student-athletes from the commercial use of their name, image, and likeness (“NIL”), as well as rules prohibiting professional-style revenue sharing. Preliminary approval of the $2.78 billion settlement, one of the largest and most consequential litigation settlements in sports and …
Law360 Recognizes Wilkinson Stekloff Among Top Five Firms in 2024 Pro Bono Ranking
October 16, 2024
Wilkinson Stekloff placed fifth nationally among firms with fewer than 100 attorneys in the 2024 Law360 Pulse Pro Bono Ranking. This is the third consecutive year the firm has been recognized among the top five in its size category. An essential component of Law360’s Social Impact Leaders rankings, the Pro Bono Ranking is based on several metrics including overall participation rate in pro bono activity. Wilkinson Stekloff has maintained a deep and lasting commitment to providing pro bono representation. Since its 2016 founding, the firm has handled more than 100 pro bono matters, with the vast majority of its attorneys devoting significant time across areas including family law, immigration, post-conviction representation, appeals, and filing amicus briefs. In addition to Law360 Pulse, Wilkinson Stekloff has been recognized by organizations including Chambers and Partners, Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll, DC Volunteer Lawyers Project, and the Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice for making this …
Benchmark Litigation Selects Wilkinson Stekloff as a Top 20 Trial Law Firm, Honors Eight Partners
October 9, 2024
Wilkinson Stekloff has been named a Top 20 Trial Law Firm in the 2025 Benchmark Litigation guide, marking the third consecutive year the firm has received this prestigious recognition. Additionally, Wilkinson Stekloff was recognized as a Top Boutique, ranked as Tier 1 for Commercial Litigation, and is Highly Recommended for Dispute Resolution in D.C. Considered the definitive guide to the world’s leading litigation firms and lawyers, Benchmark Litigation rankings are determined by six months of extensive research, which includes interviews with peers and clients. In addition to the firm’s rankings, Wilkinson Stekloff Founding Partners Beth Wilkinson and Brian Stekloff were recognized among the Top 100 Trial Lawyers, an elite group selected by peers and clients as the best of the best in the practice of trial law. This recognition comes on the heels of Beth being named a Top 10 Female Litigator by Benchmark Litigation for the fourth year in a row. Benchmark Litigation also recognized several Wilkinson …
Lawdragon Once Again Recognizes Wilkinson Stekloff Partners Among Its 2025 500 Leading Litigators in America
September 12, 2024
Lawdragon once again recognized Wilkinson Stekloff partners in the third edition of its 500 Leading Litigators in America. This guide spotlights attorneys who excel in representing corporations and other market-leading entities in their most significant legal battles. Lawdragon’s selection process involves extensive independent research into the attorneys making a significant impact on the legal field, emphasizing recent matters handled. Those selected for the guide typically have decades of experience in leading roles in state or federal courts, or before government agencies and international adjudicatory entities. They are also chosen for their intellect, wisdom, conduct, and leadership. The ten Wilkinson Stekloff partners recognized include: Beth Wilkinson Brian Stekloff Keri Arnold Jeremy Barber Kieran Gostin Rakesh Kilaru Moira Penza Ralia Polechronis James Rosenthal Kosta Stojilkovic
National Law Journal Legal Awards 2024 Honors Wilkinson Stekloff Attorneys for the Third Year in a Row
August 27, 2024
In recognition of Wilkinson Stekloff’s remarkable run of wins in some of the past year’s most consequential trials and matters, the National Law Journal selected three of the firm’s attorneys for honors in its 2024 Legal Awards. Founding Partner Beth Wilkinson and Partner Rakesh Kilaru were named joint finalists in the Winning Litigators category, and Counsel Sarah Neuman was named a Rising Star. The NLJ Legal Awards is a prestigious annual series that highlights the top litigation work of law firms and attorneys from the previous year. Beth and Rakesh secured the Winning Litigators recognition for their work taking on some of the largest and most complex antitrust litigation in the country. They led the team that won the second largest merger trial in American history and the biggest involving a technology company, defeating the FTC’s motion for a preliminary injunction to block Microsoft’s proposed $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision …
Wilkinson Stekloff Named a Finalist Among the Nation’s Top Litigators in the 2024 American Lawyer Industry Awards
August 23, 2024
In recognition of Wilkinson Stekloff’s work on some of the most consequential trials across the country, The American Lawyer selected the firm among its finalists for the 2024 Industry Awards National Boutique / Specialty Litigation Department of the Year. In addition, Founding Partner Beth Wilkinson was named a finalist in the Litigator of the Year category. This annual awards series celebrates the “most impactful, innovative, and otherwise excellent legal work” from the previous year. Over the past year, Wilkinson Stekloff has achieved extraordinary results in some of the most complex cases for major clients including Altria, Microsoft, the NCAA, and the NFL. The firm’s most recent accomplishments include winning the second-largest merger trial in American history and the biggest involving a technology company, defeating the Federal Trade Commission’s motion for a preliminary injunction to block Microsoft’s proposed $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, and serving as lead defense negotiator for the groundbreaking, …
Wilkinson Stekloff Partners Named to Benchmark Litigation’s 2024 Top 250 Women in Litigation; Beth Wilkinson Honored Among Top 10
August 15, 2024
For the fourth consecutive year, Beth Wilkinson was honored among Benchmark Litigation’s prestigious “Top 10 Women in Litigation,” an elite subset of the “Top 250 Women in Litigation” that celebrates recipients of the most robust and vocal “best-in-class” nominations throughout Benchmark’s research cycle. In addition, Partners Cali Arat, Keri Arnold, and Moira Penza were selected to the “Top 250 Women in Litigation,” a guide that honors women who have participated in some of the most impactful litigation matters in recent history, earning the hard-won respect of their peers and clients as top players in their respective fields. Beth has served as lead counsel in over 50 jury trials, including numerous bet-the company, multibillion-dollar cases, developing an unrivaled record of victories in federal and state courts throughout the country. Beth’s career has taken her from the Army to a leading role in the prosecution of the Oklahoma City bombers to nationally recognized work as a litigation partner at two of …