Wilkinson Stekloff is proud to announce that Partners Keri Arnold, Moira Penza, and Ralia Polechronis have been recognized by Crain’s New York Business among its Notable Women in Law. This honor from one of New York’s premier business publications celebrates women leaders in the legal profession who demonstrate excellence in their practice while serving as role models and mentors for the next generation of attorneys.
Keri Arnold is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers with more than twenty years of experience defending Fortune 500 corporations in high-stakes litigation. A true trial attorney, she has served as first-chair counsel in over a dozen cases tried to verdict on behalf of major pharmaceutical, tobacco, and energy companies. Keri currently represents a 3M Company in the sprawling AFFF multidistrict products liability litigation—the most significant PFAS matter in the country—and Exxon Mobil in its massive climate change litigation. She also serves as litigation and trial counsel for Valve Corp., defending against class claims of anticompetitive practices surrounding their leading global gaming platform Steam, and most recently served as co-lead trial counsel to Medtronic in billion-dollar antitrust litigation. Outside of the courtroom, Keri has been a Lecturer in Law on Drug Product Liability Litigation at Columbia Law School.
Moira Penza has a record of success leading high-stakes litigation, and is currently serving as trial counsel to Altria in antitrust class action litigation surrounding its $12.8 billion investment in Juul Labs, slated for trial in 2026. She previously represented Altria in two trials arising from the same Juul transaction—classwide product liability claims resolved favorably for Altria mid-trial in May 2023, and prior antitrust proceedings by the FTC resulted in the Commission’s own administrative law judge dismissing all claims after a Part 3 Administrative trial. Moira also continues to lead the defense of Cargill, the largest privately held company in America, in expansive multidistrict litigation alleging collusion in the cattle and beef industries. In addition, she remains a sought-after commentator, drawing on her experience as an AUSA for E.D.N.Y. where she led the groundbreaking prosecution and trial conviction of NXIVM cult leader Keith Raniere, sharing insights on trial strategy with major publications like the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and Law360.
Ralia Polechronis is an accomplished trial lawyer who has played pivotal roles across a breadth of the firm’s most consequential matters. Ralia is currently lead counsel alongside Keri for Valve Corp., the popular videogame developer and publisher, defending against class action antitrust claims, and for 3M in PFAS litigation that stretches across multiple federal and state jurisdictions. Ralia most recently defended prominent fintech company Plaid Inc. against trademark infringement claims brought by PNC bank, delivering argument at a novel Daubert hearing that successfully exposed fatal flaws in PNC’s expert testimony. The Judge granted all four of Plaid’s motions in full or in part, eliminating hundreds of millions in exposure, paving the way for a favorable resolution on the eve of trial after which the parties continued a successful business relationship. Before joining the firm, Ralia was the Executive Director and General Counsel of the nonprofit Partnership for Educational Justice, where she led national impact litigation.
This is the fourth consecutive issue of Crain’s Notable Women in Law in which Wilkinson Stekloff has been represented. The firm has also been repeatedly recognized by Law360 Pulse in its Women in Law Report, and remains deeply committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace where the next generation of trial lawyers can shine. This continued recognition of Keri, Moira, and Ralia reflects the firm’s dedication to advancing and showcasing talented women attorneys, affording them the opportunity for leadership roles in the nation’s most significant litigation.