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 …
Five Wilkinson Stekloff Associates Honored by DC Volunteer Lawyers Project For Exceptional Advocacy
Washington, D.C. – The DC Volunteer Lawyers Project (DCVLP) recently honored five Wilkinson Stekloff associates as DCVLP’s Domestic Relations Branch Volunteers of the Year, recognizing their dedication on behalf of victims of domestic abuse and their children. The DCVLP honorees were Wilkinson Stekloff associates Hal Brewster, Cali Cope-Kasten, Ash Jamali, Meg Loftus, and Kirsten Nelson. Ash, Meg, and Kirsten were honored for a significant trial victory earlier this year. Working with DCVLP and under the supervision of partner Jeremy Barber, they prevailed in securing for their pro bono client full physical and legal custody over her two young children. Wilkinson Stekloff’s client divorced her husband in 2015 after suffering months of domestic abuse. In January 2017, her ex-husband (the plaintiff) filed a lawsuit seeking primary custody of their two children, falsely claiming that she had effectively kidnapped the children when she moved from the District of Columbia to Maryland. At …
Law360 Names Beth Wilkinson MVP of the Year for Trial Practice
December 11, 2017
WASHINGTON – Wilkinson Stekloff Founding Partner Beth Wilkinson has been named MVP of the Year for Trial Practice by Law360. The award recognizes Beth for “securing hard-earned successes in high-stakes litigation” throughout the year. “This award is only possible because of the standout work from the entire Wilkinson Stekloff team, who delivered impressive results for our clients all year,” said Beth Wilkinson. “I am confident that we will build on this success as the firm continues to grow in our third year.” Since founding Wilkinson Stekloff in 2016, Wilkinson has notched a string of exceptional trial victories, received several honors for her and Wilkinson Stekloff’s successes, and helped to build the firm into a boutique powerhouse while mentoring the next generation of trial lawyers. The Law360 award is the latest in a series of accolades honoring Beth and Wilkinson Stekloff, which Benchmark named the 2017 “Boutique Firm of the Year.” …
Law360: Litigation Boutiques Match, Exceed Cravath Scale Bonuses
December 8, 2017
Law360, New York (December 5, 2017, 6:28 PM EST) — A pair of litigation boutiques have revealed that their associates would receive year-end bonuses that either matched or exceeded the market scale established by Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP, which has remained the standard among many BigLaw firms. Holwell Shuster & Goldberg LLP announced that its associate bonuses would align with the so-called Cravath scale, ranging from $15,000 to $100,000, while Wilkinson Stekloff & Eskovitz LLP, as it did last year, offered bonuses that exceeded that scale by 50 percent for all associates across the board, according to memos that were initially made public Tuesday on legal news blog Above The Law and whose authenticity was confirmed to Law360. “As in the past, this year we remain committed to recognizing the contributions of our excellent associates,” Wilkinson Stekloff partners said in their memo. “And, we are fortunate again this year to be able to provide bonus compensation …
Benchmark Names Beth Wilkinson a Top 100 Trial Lawyer
November 7, 2017
WASHINGTON – Wilkinson Stekloff Founding Partner Beth Wilkinson has been named one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers in America by Benchmark Litigation 2018. The award recognizes Beth’s expertise as an “elite trial strategist” and her stellar results, based on client and peer review. Since founding Wilkinson Stekloff less than two years ago, Beth has notched a string of standout trial victories; she has delivered other significant results for major clients; and she has built the firm into a boutique powerhouse while mentoring the next generation of trial lawyers. The Benchmark award is the latest in a series of accolades honoring Beth and Wilkinson Stekloff, which Benchmark named the 2017 “Boutique Firm of the Year.” View Benchmark’s Top 100 here. ###
Beth Wilkinson Joins Recode Decode Podcast
November 2, 2017
WASHINGTON –Wilkinson, Walsh + Eskovitz Founding Partner Beth Wilkinson joined the Recode Decode podcast hosted by Kara Swisher for a conversation about the intersection of technology, law, and politics. Wilkinson was joined on the show by Yelp VP of Public Policy Luther Lowe and special guest co-host Hilary Rosen. This episode of the podcast—released just days after executives from Google, Facebook and Twitter testified on Capitol Hill—focused on relations between Silicon Valley and Washington. “There’s a focus in the government on what’s on the front page when they use their investigative resources, and that’s the same for the FBI, and there can be that perfect storm, and that’s where tech is right now,” Wilkinson said on the podcast. “They’re in the crosshairs of the government. You have Congress adding to that . . . and that puts these companies in a very difficult place where they want to cooperate publicly …