NCAA has hired Beth Wilkinson and Wilkinson Stekloff to lead the trial team in Jenkins v. NCAA, a class action antitrust suit challenging NCAA rules preserving amateurism for student-athletes. In a press release announcing the engagement, NCAA Chief Legal Officer Donald Remy said, “Beth’s unparalleled track record of success throughout her career in high-profile cases, as well as her past representations in antitrust matters and of the sports and higher education communities, make her especially well-suited to lead the defense of the association as the litigation proceeds. We welcome Beth and her colleagues to the team of talented attorneys from Skadden representing the Association, as well as the excellent counsel representing the NCAA conferences.” For more on this announcement read here. Contact: media@wilkinsonstekloff.com
Wilkinson Stekloff Secures Second Decisive Victory for Bayer in Xarelto Trial
June 13, 2017
NEW ORLEANS, LA – Wilkinson Stekloff won the second bellwether trial on June 12, 2017 in the multi-district litigation over the blood thinner Xarelto. Beth Wilkinson, a founding partner of Wilkinson Stekloff, led the defense to victory on behalf of Bayer and Janssen in the second of four bellwether trials in the MDL. The complete defense verdict came just two hours after closing arguments. This latest victory comes just six weeks after Wilkinson obtained a complete defense verdict in the first bellwether trial in the litigation. The lawsuit alleged that Bayer, and Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals, were liable for claims that the Xarelto label did not adequately instruct doctors on how to minimize the risk of bleeding associated with the anticoagulant Xarelto. In this trial, the plaintiff passed away due to a brain bleed. Wilkinson Stekloff represented Bayer, with Beth Wilkinson serving as lead trial counsel. David Dukes …
Beth Wilkinson Named American Lawyer’s Litigator of the Week and a Law360 Legal Lion for Win in Bellwether Trial for Bayer’s Xarelto
May 5, 2017
WASHINGTON, May 5, 2017 – Beth Wilkinson was named American Lawyer’s Litigator of the Week and a Law360 Legal Lion. The accolades come after Beth successfully led a team of lawyers in defense of Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals in a key bellwether trial over the blood thinner Xarelto. A federal jury in New Orleans deliberated for about one hour before unanimously deciding in favor of Bayer. On the victory, Wilkinson said, “If you can make your case really clear, so the jury from opening to closings knows what you’re saying, it makes it easier to go back and come to a consensus.” “When doctors come in and say this medication works and is important, it makes it very difficult for plaintiffs to prevail.” Wilkinson will stay on as lead counsel in the next Xarelto trial in New Orleans, scheduled for May 30. Beth Wilkinson is a founding partner at Wilkinson Stekloff. …
Wilkinson Stekloff Wins Bellwether Xarelto Trial For Bayer
May 4, 2017
Beth Wilkinson, co-founding partner of Wilkinson, Walsh + Eskovitz, led the defense team to victory. WASHINGTON – The Wilkinson, Walsh + Eskovitz trial team led by Founding Partner Beth Wilkinson secured a major victory for Bayer in the first bellwether trial in a multi-district litigation involving the drug Xarelto. The lawsuit alleged that Bayer, and Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals, were liable for claims that the Xarelto label did not adequately instruct doctors on how to minimize the risk of bleeding associated with the anticoagulant Xareltot. The nine-member jury in New Orleans returned a unanimous defense verdict roughly one hour after closing arguments. Wilkinson served as lead counsel on the case and delivered both opening and closing arguments at trial. David Dukes of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough and Richard Sarver of Barrasso Usdin Kupperman Freeman & Sarver also served as trial counsel for Bayer and Janssen, respectively. The …
White House Associate Counsel Rakesh Kilaru Joins Wilkinson Stekloff
March 22, 2017
WASHINGTON – Wilkinson, Walsh + Eskovitz today announced that former Obama Administration official Rakesh Kilaru has joined the firm’s rapidly growing litigation practice. Rakesh served as a Special Assistant to the President and Associate Counsel in the Office of White House Counsel, where he provided legal advice to President Obama and senior administration officials focusing on healthcare, education, labor and employment, housing, and the Supreme Court. He also helped to develop and implement the government’s litigation strategy in cases arising under the Affordable Care Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act. “It’s an honor to be joining Wilkinson, Walsh + Eskovitz,” said Mr. Kilaru. “The firm has quickly become known for employing innovative and intelligent strategies to win high-profile, high-stakes trials, and I’m thrilled to work with such an impressive group of litigators.” Before joining the White House, Rakesh clerked for Justice Elena Kagan of the Supreme Court of the …
Benchmark Names Wilkinson Stekloff “Boutique Firm of the Year”
March 3, 2017
WASHINGTON – Benchmark Litigation named Wilkinson Stekloff the “Boutique Firm of the Year” during its annual awards ceremony in New York City. This prestigious award recognizes Wilkinson Stekloff’s remarkable accomplishments in just its first year, including a high-stakes jury trial win two months after opening its doors last February and other high-profile engagements for the NFL, Pfizer, Facebook, Bayer, the NCAA, Theranos, and Medtronic. “The Benchmark award recognizes our commitment to excellence and getting results for our clients,” said founding partner Beth Wilkinson, an American Lawyer Litigator of the Year. “We have the best trial teams, with unmatched courtroom experience, ready to win more high-stakes cases across the country.” In selecting Wilkinson Stekloff for this award, Benchmark described the trial-focused boutique as “emblematic of a litigator’s dream shop, boasting composite qualities of diversity, youth, and a culture fostering a work-hard-play-hard ethos that its personnel takes to heart.” With offices in …
Wilkinson Stekloff Co-Founders Are Blazing a Trail as Women First-Chair Trial Lawyers
March 1, 2017
March 1, 2017 – Wilkinson Stekloff co-founders Beth Wilkinson and Alexandra Walsh are blazing a trail for women as first-chair trial lawyers, a role long dominated by men. Wilkinson and Walsh have unparalleled experience trying sophisticated, high-profile cases, which is still uncommon at many law firms. A recent ABA Journal feature highlighting the gender discrepancy among top litigation firms recognized Wilkinson and Walsh for their efforts to bring more women to the forefront, both by example and by advocating for greater female representation in the first-chair role. “’I think you can either complain—which is what I sometimes do—or try to make a difference,’ [Wilkinson] says. ‘And we’re trying to make a difference.’” Half of the partners at Wilkinson Stekloff are women; and with the exception of the appellate partner, they all have experience first-chairing trials. Read the full story here: http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/female_first_chairs
Experienced Trial Attorney Jeremy Barber Elected To Wilkinson Stekloff Partnership
January 10, 2017
Wilkinson Stekloff is thrilled to announce the election to our partnership of experienced trial attorney Jeremy Barber. Jeremy’s background includes four years of service as an Assistant United States Attorney and four years as Senior Nominations Counsel in the Office of Legal Policy at the U.S. Department of Justice. Jeremy has successfully represented numerous clients in private practice, and he played an instrumental role in Wilkinson Stekloff’s first trial, for Altria Group’s subsidiary, Philip Morris USA. Jeremy joined Wilkinson Stekloff as Counsel in January 2016. His passion, skills, and dedication to client service are a welcome addition to the Wilkinson Stekloff partnership.
Pro Bono Asylum Victory for Wilkinson Stekloff
September 21, 2016
Wilkinson Stekloff celebrates an asylum victory today for a sixteen-year old client fleeing persecution in Honduras. Our client suffered persecution in Honduras after his father, a member of a local taxi driver’s cooperative, defied a powerful international gang by refusing to make extortion payments. The gang stalked, threatened, and attempted to kidnap our client from school. Associate Max Warren led the case under the supervision of partner Brian Stekloff. Associates Norman Pentelovitch, Cali Cope-Kasten, and Meg Loftus, paralegal Youlan Xiu, and assistant Kat Phillips assisted with the case. The team worked in collaboration Human Rights First, a non-profit international human rights organization. We are proud of our client for the enormous bravery he has demonstrated in the face of adversity, and know he will be a model citizen in the United States.
Wilkinson Stekloff Adds Three Preeminent Trial Attorneys On Two Coasts
September 20, 2016
Wilkinson Stekloff continues to grow its trial boutique with the addition of three young and experienced trial attorneys to its all-star team: Jennifer Saulino, who joins as a partner from the Fraud Section of the Department of Justice; Kosta Stojilkovic, who has joined the firm as a partner from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Koren (“Kori”) Bell, who will join the firm as counsel in Los Angeles from the Office of the Federal Public Defender in Los Angeles, where she is a Supervising Trial Deputy. According to Wilkinson Stekloff founding partner Sean Eskovitz, who heads the firm’s Los Angeles office, “Jennifer, Kosta, and Kori have exactly what we are always looking for: energy, intelligence and courtroom confidence. Adding them to the Wilkinson Stekloff team expands our ability to provide top-drawer trial talent to clients.” Wilkinson Stekloff, which opened its doors in February, has grown …