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 …
Wilkinson Stekloff Ranked Among Top 10 Fundraisers in Legal Aid’s 2024 Making Justice Real Campaign
August 13, 2024
Legal Aid DC recently recognized Wilkinson Stekloff for its contribution to the 2024 Making Justice Real Campaign, an annual fundraiser to support Legal Aid’s mission to provide services to D.C. residents facing legal crises. With 100% participation among attorneys for the fourth year running, Wilkinson Stekloff contributed a total of $100,022 and was the 9th most generous donor in the campaign, ranking ahead of over 20 firms that are more than triple its size. The firm raised the most money in its category of firms with 25 to 49 attorneys, as well as firms with 50 to 74 attorneys and 75 to 99 attorneys. The 2024 Making Justice Real Campaign raised over $3.7 million, supplying approximately 30% of Legal Aid’s annual budget and supporting its mission to assist D.C. residents navigating legal issues related to domestic violence/family, housing, public benefits, and consumer law. In addition to providing direct representation, Legal Aid helps clients avoid …
Three Wilkinson Stekloff Partners Named to Benchmark Litigation’s 2024 40 and Under List
August 9, 2024
Wilkinson Stekloff Partners Cali Arat, Rakesh Kilaru, and Moira Penza were named to the 2024 Benchmark Litigation’s “40 and Under,” a list of the nation’s best and brightest young litigators. This is Cali’s second appearance on the list and Moira’s fourth. Rakesh has secured a spot each year since 2018. Since joining the firm at its founding in 2016, Cali has served as a key member of more than half of the firm’s trial teams, including most recently leading the representation of Monsanto in the first hybrid trial involving claims that exposure to PCBs and Roundup-branded products, both manufactured by Monsanto, cause Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. Cali has helped to develop and execute successful trial strategies for corporate clients across a diverse set of industries, from pharmaceuticals to sports to social media. Her experience includes seven jury trials, three of which were federal multi-district litigation bellwether cases, two of which were bench trials, and two of which …
Wilkinson Stekloff Leads Law360’s Legal Lions of the Week and American Lawyer’s Litigators of the Week for Securing Post-Trial NFL Victory
August 6, 2024
On August 2, Law360 recognized Wilkinson Stekloff’s major victory on behalf of the NFL and its 32 member teams as the lead achievement in its Legal Lions of the Week feature, highlighting several members of the Wilkinson Stekloff team, including Beth Wilkinson, Brian Stekloff, Rakesh Kilaru, Jeremy Barber, and Max Warren. In addition, the American Lawyer named Beth, Brian, and Rakesh its Litigators of the Week on August 14. Wilkinson Stekloff secured this win when a California federal judge granted the NFL’s post-trial motion for judgment as a matter of law, overturning a jury’s earlier verdict in the class action lawsuit that had challenged the League’s collective licensing of broadcast rights to NFL games, including the exclusive distributorship arrangement with DIRECTV for its Sunday Ticket subscription. U.S. District Judge Philip S. Gutierrez’s definitive ruling, which set aside the jury’s original $4.7 billion award to the plaintiffs, comes after nine years …
Wilkinson Stekloff Delivers a Win for NFL as Judge Overturns ‘Sunday Ticket’ Jury Verdict
August 2, 2024
Wilkinson Stekloff achieved a major victory for the NFL and its 32 member teams when a California federal judge granted their post-trial motion for judgment as a matter of law, overturning a jury’s earlier verdict in the class action lawsuit that had challenged the League’s collective licensing of broadcast rights to NFL games, including the exclusive distributorship arrangement with DIRECTV for its Sunday Ticket subscription. In his August 1 order, U.S. District Judge Philip S. Gutierrez excluded as “unreliable” the testimony of Plaintiffs’ key expert witnesses. Without their testimony, he noted, the Plaintiffs “failed to provide evidence from which a reasonable jury could make a finding of injury.” Judge Gutierrez’ definitive ruling comes after nine years of litigation in which certain Sunday Ticket subscribers alleged that the league’s media rights model had violated U.S. antitrust law. Wilkinson Stekloff has served as the NFL’s lead counsel throughout the litigation. Partners Beth …
Vault Once Again Recognizes Wilkinson Stekloff Among Top Firms by Prestige and Quality of Life
July 29, 2024
Wilkinson Stekloff has once again been recognized by Vault among the nation’s top law firms by prestige and quality of life in its 2025 Rankings. The firm is recognized among the best “Litigation Specialty” law firms, as voted by associates working in that practice area at peer firms, as well as the “Top 150 Under 150,” Vault’s list of the outstanding small and midsize law firms with 150 lawyers or fewer that deliver big results. In addition, Above the Law featured Wilkinson Stekloff as one of 12 “recognizable” firms in its coverage of the Top 150 Under 150. Wilkinson Stekloff is also proud to be recognized among Vault’s “Best Midsize Law Firms to Work For” in 13 categories, including: Since 1996, Vault has provided in-depth intelligence on what it’s like to work within an industry, company, or profession, including rankings, ratings, and reviews on thousands of top employers. The 2025 …
Legal 500 Continues to Recognize Wilkinson Stekloff as a Top-Tier Firm
July 1, 2024
In recognition of the size, complexity, and significance of the litigation handled by Wilkinson Stekloff across the antitrust, product liability, and sports landscapes, legal industry research outlet Legal 500 has ranked the firm and its attorneys among the trial elite in the recently released 2024 guide for the United States. Across all types of high-stakes litigation, 40-lawyer firm Wilkinson Stekloff has delivered a slate of client victories that would be the envy of far larger firms, trying over 20 cases to verdict since 2016 and stacking up win after win. In recognition of these results, Legal 500 has maintained the firm’s top-tier status in the prestigious Leading Trial Lawyers category for Dispute Resolution and its Tier 4 ranking in Sports. The firm also improved its rankings in Product Liability, Mass Tort, and Class Action Defense for Toxic Tort (Tier 2) and Consumer Products Including Tobacco (Tier 3), and is newly …
11 Wilkinson Stekloff Attorneys Recognized in 2023 D.C. Pro Bono Honor Roll
June 17, 2024
D.C. Courts, in partnership with the D.C. Access to Justice Commission and the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center, honored 11 Wilkinson Stekloff attorneys in its 2023 Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll. The Honor Roll, which is jointly sponsored by the District of Columbia Court of Appeals and the Superior Court of D.C., recognizes attorneys who provide 50 or more hours of pro bono services or 100 or more hours of service for the High Honors category. These honorees played a vital role in providing desperately needed legal representation to those living in poverty and/or to disadvantaged small businesses and community-based nonprofits that are critical to the economic well-being of our community. The Wilkinson Stekloff attorneys recognized include: Matthew Skanchy, Counsel (High Honors) Hannah Bedard, Associate (High Honors) Elizabeth Keys, Associate (High Honors) Robert Laird, Associate (High Honors) Logan Page, Associate (High Honors) Jeremy Barber, Partner Rakesh Kilaru, Partner Anastasia Pastan, Counsel Anthony Ferrara, Associate Mikaela Meyer, Associate Jenna Pavelec, …