Wilkinson Stekloff has been honored by Law360 as a Practice Group of the Year—an award that celebrates “the attorney teams behind litigation wins” that “resonated throughout the legal industry”—in both the Competition/Antitrust and Sports & Betting categories. This marks the first time the firm has won two PGOTY honors in the same cycle, underscoring landmark results across trials, appeals, and complex resolutions in 2025. The firm was previously recognized by Law360 in Competition/Antitrust in 2023 and Sports & Betting in 2020.
Law360’s features spotlighted Wilkinson Stekloff’s many victories for the NCAA—beginning with securing approval of the groundbreaking $2.8 billion name-image-and-likeness (“NIL”) settlement, which resolved antitrust claims from multiple plaintiff classes against the NCAA and five major athletic conferences, enabling schools to directly compensate student-athletes for their participation in athletics. Despite a complex process that required lead defense negotiator Rakesh Kilaru to defend the deal at multiple hearings before it received final approval, the resolution ultimately brought a “structure to college sports,” Kilaru explained.
“The goal when we struck the initial House settlement was that we would hopefully be able to bring some peace and stability to the NCAA. And I think, on the one hand, that probably hasn’t happened, insofar as there is a lot of litigation,” Kilaru said. “But on the flip side, I think that we’ve been happy that we’ve been able to deliver victories in the vast majority of that new run of cases. Which I think is a sign that hopefully, we’re turning things in the right direction.”
That new run of lawsuits began in the wake of the settlement, with complaints from high-profile former athletes seeking damages for compensation rules in effect when they competed. Plaintiffs included Kansas Men’s Basketball National Champion Mario Chalmers (S.D.N.Y.), Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor (S.D. Ohio), Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson (E.D. Mich.), Heisman Trophy-winning USC running back Reggie Bush (L.A. Sup.), and the 1972 N.C. State Men’s Basketball team (N.C. Bus. Ct.), nicknamed the “Cardiac Pack” for their buzzer-beating victory in the NCAA Championship game. Rakesh, Partner Cali Arat, and Counsel Matthew Skanchy led the NCAA’s defense in Chalmers v. NCAA, where plaintiffs sought to represent a sprawling nationwide class of former student-athletes dating back more than 40 years.
In April, the court dismissed all claims with prejudice in an opinion that adopted Rakesh’s arguments on statute of limitations and preclusion, earning Law360’s Legal Lions of the Week recognition. That ruling set important precedent buttressing the dismissal of the remaining cases prior to discovery, eliminating significant exposure and a “tremendously expensive” process, Cali explained. “Avoiding that is a major savings for any corporate client in a case like this. There is a very human cost for these clients.” The Chalmers decision was affirmed in December by the Second Circuit after Rakesh argued before the appellate panel.
The firm continued to lead the NCAA’s defense amid the next surge of challenges to the Association’s core eligibility bylaws, enjoying significant successes at both the district court and appellate levels. The team, led by Rakesh, Of Counsel Daniel Epps, and Counsel Max Warren, defeated preliminary injunction requests in Zeigler (E.D. Tenn.)and Patterson (M.D. Tenn.), and secured reversals of injunctions that had been granted in Fourqurean (7th Cir.) and Elad (3d Cir.). These victories shifted the legal landscape back in favor of the NCAA, despite the “very sympathetic plaintiff[s],” according to Rakesh. “But we have to look at broader equities. It’s not just about one student. They need evidence of today’s market.”
While the firm’s work for the NCAA was concentrated on antitrust law, Wilkinson Stekloff’s Competition practice extends well beyond the sports arena. Building on recent high-profile antitrust victories in federal court for Microsoft and the NFL, and the successful pre-litigation defense of multiple billion-dollar Fortune 100 acquisitions, the firm again delivered standout results in market-defining matters, including clearing the path for Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s acquisition of Juniper Networks.
Retained as lead trial counsel, Beth Wilkinson and Kosta Stojilkovic guided HPE’s defense of the largest acquisition in the company’s history—the $14 billion purchase of Juniper aimed at enhancing the capabilities HPE could offer in the wireless local area networking (“WLAN”) industry. On the eve of trial, and only days after pre-trial submissions, the DOJ dropped its challenge and agreed to a resolution that allowed HPE to close the deal—the culmination of a litigation sprint in which the firm completed voluminous fact and expert discovery in less than six months. Partner Roxana Guidero and Counsel Jenna Pavelec played prominent roles on the team that prepared intensively for trial and developed a record that fundamentally undermined the government’s theory. The result is expected to facilitate increased competition in the WLAN space and further strengthens the firm’s position at the forefront of bet-the-company antitrust litigation.
Law360 continued that, “perhaps the most decisive win for the trial boutique’s 51 attorneys, who do not work in strict practice groups, was the Ninth Circuit decision last May standing by a lower court decision rejecting the FTC’s challenge to Microsoft’s $68.7 billion acquisition of game developer Activision Blizzard.” Founding Partner Beth Wilkinson, alongside Rakesh, led the trial team to victory in 2023 in the second-largest merger trial in American history, which the firm’s previous recognition from Law360 as a Competition Practice Group of the Year.
“‘It was very obvious to us that we should win that case. That doesn’t mean you will win,’ Wilkinson said, pointing to ‘the very consistent arguments’ made throughout the case.”
Rakesh continued as Microsoft’s lead counsel on appeal, beginning a trend of successful appellate advocacy for the firm, demonstrating the breadth of our antitrust capabilities. After the firm rebuffed multiple stay requests from the FTC, and the deal closed in October 2023, Rakesh argued back-to-back hearings before a three-judge panel in December—appeals taken by both the FTC and a private class of gamers. In May 2025, the Ninth Circuit’s unanimous affirmance confirmed the acquisition as beneficial to consumers and competition in the gaming industry, and led the FTC to drop their challenge entirely.
Earning simultaneous Practice Group of the Year honors in Competition/Antitrust and Sports & Betting underscores a litigation team that prevails where the stakes are highest. While this year’s accolades highlight antitrust and sports matters, our first-chair trial work spans industries and forums—from merger challenges and class actions to complex commercial and technology disputes. Looking ahead, we are committed to continuing this momentum and delivering results for clients at every stage of their most consequential litigation.