WASHINGTON – Wilkinson Stekloff was named the fifth best law firm for female attorneys among all firms with 20 to 149 lawyers in Law360’s 2018 Glass Ceiling report. Though women represent just over one-third of all attorneys in private practice, Law360 recognized Wilkinson Stekloff for its strong female leadership, including two female name partners, and for achieving gender parity among the firm’s attorneys. “Having a diverse workforce is not just the right thing to do, but it also enhances the strength and quality of our firm, including our ability to deliver victories in the courtroom,” said Wilkinson Stekloff Founding Partner Beth Wilkinson. “Wilkinson Stekloff’s diversity may make our firm the exception, not the rule — but it certainly is the model of the future.” “When we started this firm over two years ago, we agreed that diversity in all forms was an important and essential virtue of the firm,” said …
Wilkinson Stekloff Wins Another Decisive Victory for Bayer in Xarelto Trial
April 27, 2018
Wilkinson Stekloff’s Brian Stekloff Led the Team to Its Fourth Xarelto Win Washington, D.C. – Wilkinson Stekloff, led by Founding Partner Brian Stekloff, won the second state-court bellwether trial over the blood-thinner Xarelto when the jury rejected claims against Bayer AG and Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals. Wilkinson Stekloff Partners Lori Alvino McGill and Jeremy Barber also served as counsel for Bayer in the trial. The plaintiff in the Russell case alleged that Bayer and Janssen were liable for claims that the Xarelto label did not adequately instruct doctors on the risks of bleeding associated with the anticoagulant Xarelto. According to Law360, the Philadelphia jury “rejected claims that warnings labels for the … drug left out key information about the increased risk the drug posed when combined with antiplatelet medications.” Previously, Wilkinson Stekloff secured two full defense verdicts for Bayer in similar cases in the federal multi-district litigation in …
Independent Review Panel Releases Interim Report on Integrity Issues Facing Professional Tennis
April 25, 2018
Wilkinson Stekloff Assists Panel Reviewing Allegations of Match-Fixing and Betting-Related Corruption Washington, D.C. – An Independent Review Panel tasked with reviewing betting-related integrity issues facing professional tennis released its interim report and record of evidence and analysis, finding that “tennis faces a serious integrity problem” and that “no level of professional tennis is immune from betting-related and other breaches of integrity.” The interim report specifically notes that “the problem is particularly acute and pervasive at the lower levels.” Wilkinson Stekloff Founding Partner Beth Wilkinson served on the three-person panel, which was appointed by the organizations responsible for governing professional tennis, including the ATP, the WTA, the ITF, and the Grand Slam Board. Wilkinson Stekloff Founding Partner Sean Eskovitz provided substantial assistance during the course of the review. The independent panel was commissioned after a 2016 report from BuzzFeed and the BBC alleged “evidence of widespread match-fixing by players at the …
Benchmark Names Beth Wilkinson Trial Lawyer Of The Year
February 23, 2018
Wilkinson Stekloff’s Work On Georgia-Pacific Case Also Recognized By Benchmark WASHINGTON – Wilkinson Stekloff Founding Partner Beth Wilkinson has been named Trial Lawyer of the Year by Benchmark Litigation 2018. Benchmark Litigation also awarded Wilkinson Stekloff the National Impact Case Award for its role in winning summary judgment for Georgia-Pacific in a multi-billion dollar class action in Chicago federal court alleging Sherman Act violations by the largest manufacturers in the containerboard and corrugated products industries. The Trial Lawyer of the Year award is the latest in a series of accolades honoring Beth and Wilkinson Stekloff, which Benchmark named the 2017 “Boutique Firm of the Year.” Since founding Wilkinson Stekloff less than two years ago, Beth has notched a string of standout trial victories, been honored and recognized for her and Wilkinson Stekloff’s various successes, and built the firm into a boutique powerhouse while mentoring the next generation of trial lawyers. …
Wilkinson Stekloff Adds James Rosenthal as Partner
February 21, 2018
Rosenthal brings his extensive complex litigation experience and class-action expertise to top boutique trial firm WASHINGTON – Wilkinson Stekloff today announced the addition of James Rosenthal as a partner in its Washington, D.C. office. Rosenthal is an experienced class action litigator who has handled numerous complex and high-stakes matters, most recently as Vice President & Associate General Counsel at Altria Client Services. “While I was in house counsel, I had the opportunity to retain Wilkinson Stekloff lawyers to try class actions, and I was always impressed with their brilliant trial skills, creativity, and teamwork,” said Rosenthal. “In a very short period of time they have built a top-tier high stakes litigation boutique, and I am thrilled to join them in my return to private practice.” During his six years at Altria Client Services, James managed the class action litigation facing the Altria family of companies, including Philip Morris USA. During his tenure, Philip …
CFPB Dismisses Enforcement Action Against Wilkinson Stekloff Tribal Client
January 26, 2018
WASHINGTON – On January 18, 2018, the CFPB announced the dismissal of a lawsuit brought against the economic development arms of the Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake, a sovereign Indian Nation based in California. The Tribe had retained Wilkinson Stekloff in February 2017, shortly after the Tribe was first contacted by the CFPB, to serve as lead counsel in the event the Bureau decided to bring an enforcement action against its economic development arms, which provide loans over the internet to customers throughout the country who freely consent to tribal jurisdiction as a condition of obtaining their loans. In April 2017, the CFPB sued the tribal arms in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, claiming that the loans they originate violate federal law and regulations because they allegedly violate the laws of several different states. Wilkinson Stekloff’s team moved to transfer the case to the U.S. …
Experienced Defense Attorney Kieran Gostin Promoted To Wilkinson Stekloff Counsel
January 12, 2018
WASHINGTON – Wilkinson Stekloff today announced that Kieran Gostin has been promoted to Counsel effective January 1, 2018. Since joining Wilkinson Stekloff as an associate, Kieran has used his breadth of experience representing government and corporate clients to secure major victories for Wilkinson Stekloff’s clients. Kieran most recently helped Bayer win the first state-court bellwether trial over the blood-thinner Xarelto; the trial court entered judgment for Bayer and Janssen notwithstanding a jury verdict in favor of the plaintiff. He also played a significant role in helping Bayer obtain victories in the first two federal MDL trials relating to Xarelto, with both juries returning complete defense verdicts in under two hours. Kieran’s promotion is a testament to the considerable talent Wilkinson Stekloff has amassed in under two years and the ongoing expansion of the firm. Since its inception, Wilkinson Stekloff has grown to nearly 40 lawyers and has quickly established itself …
Wilkinson Stekloff Wins Victory for Bayer in First State-Court Xarelto Trial
January 10, 2018
WASHINGTON – On January 9, 2018, Wilkinson Stekloff, led by Founding Partners Beth Wilkinson and Alexandra Walsh, won the first state-court bellwether trial over the blood-thinner Xarelto when the trial court entered judgment for Bayer and Janssen notwithstanding a jury verdict in favor of the plaintiff. Wilkinson and Wilkinson Stekloff had previously secured two full defense verdicts for Bayer in similar cases in the federal multi-district litigation in Louisiana. In December 2017, a jury in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas awarded nearly $28 million to plaintiff Lynn Hartman in a lawsuit that alleged that Bayer and Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals were liable for claims that the Xarelto label did not adequately instruct doctors on the risks of bleeding associated with the anticoagulant Xarelto. Bayer and Janssen then filed motions for judgment notwithstanding the verdict and a new trial. The motions raised two key points (among many others). …
Law360 MVP: Wilkinson Stekloff’s Beth Wilkinson
December 19, 2017
Law360, New York — Wilkinson Stekloff & Eskovitz PLLC’s Beth Wilkinson only co-founded her firm a year ago, and she and her team have already scored major victories defending Georgia Pacific from a $10 billion antitrust suit and winning the first two trials in the high-stakes Xarelto litigation, securing her a place as one of Law360’s 2017 Trials MVPs. The story is available here. Her biggest accomplishment this year: Wilkinson said that despite the many trial and motion victories her young firm has notched up this past year, her biggest accomplishment is undoubtedly the founding of Wilkinson Stekloff itself back in January. “The building of our firm and the incredibly talented people we’ve managed to get together to work on these cases has been nothing short of amazing,” Wilkinson said. “We started with 17 lawyers and now we’re at 40, and we’re already taking on big, bet-the-company cases that people normally think only BigLaw can …
Talented Litigator Rakesh Kilaru Elected To Wilkinson Stekloff Partnership
December 12, 2017
WASHINGTON – Wilkinson Stekloff today announced that Rakesh Kilaru has been elected to the partnership effective January 1, 2018. Since joining Wilkinson Stekloff, Rakesh has brought his considerable legal skills and strategic judgment to bear for many of Wilkinson Stekloff’s clients, including Georgia Pacific LLP, the Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake, and the NCAA. Among many other matters, Rakesh played a key role in helping Georgia Pacific win summary judgment in August 2017 in an antitrust class action claiming over $10 billion in damages. Rakesh’s hiring and promotion continues Wilkinson Stekloff’s impressive expansion; in under two years, the firm has grown to nearly 40 lawyers and has quickly established itself as the leading boutique trial firm in the country. Rakesh is the firm’s 10th partner. “I couldn’t be more excited to join the supremely talented partnership at Wilkinson Stekloff,” said Mr. Kilaru. “It’s been thrilling to work alongside the best …