Law360 recently featured Partner Rakesh Kilaru in an article chronicling the accomplishments that led to his 2024 MVP for Sports & Betting recognition. This past year, Rakesh delivered major victories for the NCAA and NFL, confirming his standing as the first choice for clients facing the toughest and most consequential litigation in professional and college sports.
Most recently, Rakesh surfaced as the architect of a groundbreaking settlement to a series of antitrust class action lawsuits brought by hundreds of thousands of current and former student-athletes challenging NCAA rules that limit student-athlete compensation and benefits. Preliminary approval of the $2.78 billion settlement, one of the largest and most consequential in sports and antitrust history, was granted on October 7, 2024.
Rakesh also served as co-lead trial counsel for the NFL and its 32 member clubs in a class action lawsuit brought by residential and commercial subscribers of the NFL’s Sunday Ticket package. The plaintiffs sought over $21 billion in damages post-trebling as well as injunctive relief that would undermine the NFL’s entire broadcast model. Rakesh examined several key witnesses at trial, including the NFL’s chief media and business officer and its expert econometrician. He also directed the NFL’s legal strategy, including the post-trial briefing that resulted in a complete victory for the NFL.
“One of the things I’m proudest of is that there are two different cases that were successfully resolved in different ways, which I think speaks to the creativity of our whole team,” Rakesh shared with Law360.
When asked what motivates him most, Rakesh spoke of seeking opportunities to be better than he was the day before. His career has progressed to the point that he can look back on matters he worked on a decade ago and see areas he would now handle differently, and he said he is sure the same will be true with another 10 years of growth behind him.
“I think there is something to constantly trying to be a little bit better at something than you were the day before,” Rakesh said. “And also… just making sure others are getting to share in these opportunities.”