Wilkson Stekloff Founding Partner Beth Wilkinson was recognized among the National Law Journal’s 2023 Trailblazers for General Litigation. This prestigious award spotlights individuals who have moved the needle in the legal industry. Beth has served as lead counsel in over 50 jury trials, including numerous bet-the-company, multibillion-dollar cases, earning an unrivaled record of victories in federal and state courts throughout the country. The National Law Journal’s award recognizes Beth’s fresh and pragmatic approach to complex antitrust litigation. “Often, and especially in antitrust matters, parties believe that the economist with the most complicated model will win. We have taken a different approach,” Beth told the National Law Journal. “Rather than get bogged down in technical minutiae or economic jargon, we have worked to explain market realities in an accessible, commonsense manner that resonates with the factfinder and reinforces our core themes.” Beth was lead trial counsel for Microsoft in the FTC’s challenge to …
Benchmark Litigation Names Wilkinson Stekloff a Top 20 Trial Law Firm, Honors Eight Partners
October 19, 2023
Wilkinson Stekloff has been named a Top 20 Trial Law Firm in the 2024 Benchmark Litigation guide. Along with this prestigious recognition, the firm is also ranked as Tier 1 for Commercial Litigation and Highly Recommended for Dispute Resolution, and is recognized as a Top Boutique. Considered the definitive guide to the world’s leading litigation firms and lawyers, Benchmark Litigation rankings are determined by six months of extensive research, which includes interviews with peers and clients. In addition to the firm’s rankings, Wilkinson Stekloff Founding Partners Beth Wilkinson and Brian Stekloff were recognized among the Top 100 Trial Lawyers, an elite group selected by peers and clients as the best of the best in the practice of trial law, with the representative work to exemplify this status. This recognition comes on the heels of Beth being named a Top 10 Female Litigator by Benchmark Litigation for the third year in a row. Benchmark Litigation also …
10 Wilkinson Stekloff Partners Recognized in 2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America
September 15, 2023
Lawdragon has recognized 10 Wilkinson Stekloff partners in the second edition of its 500 Leading Litigators in America. This guide spotlights attorneys who excel in representing corporations and other market-leading entities in their most significant legal battles. Lawdragon’s selection process involves extensive independent research into the attorneys making a significant impact on the legal field, with an emphasis on recent matters handled. Those selected for the guide typically have decades of experience in leading roles in state or federal courts, or before government agencies and international adjudicatory entities. They are also chosen for their intellect, wisdom, conduct, and leadership. The Wilkinson Stekloff partners recognized include: Beth Wilkinson Brian Stekloff Keri Arnold Jeremy Barber Kieran Gostin Rakesh Kilaru Moira Penza Ralia Polechronis James Rosenthal Kosta Stojilkovic
Bloomberg and Law360 Feature Wilkinson Stekloff’s Game-Changing Approach to High-Stakes Litigation
September 5, 2023
Demonstrating the firm’s standing as the leading trial litigation boutique in the country, recent press coverage chronicled Wilkinson Stekloff’s innovative trial strategies in articles examining the firm’s latest groundbreaking victories. In “Microsoft Lawyer’s 10-Day Race to Save the Biggest Gaming Deal,” Bloomberg recounts Founding Partner Beth Wilkinson’s successful defense of Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the second-biggest merger trial — and largest ever involving a technology company — in American history. Law360’s “How Monsanto Attys Turned Roundup Trial Losses Into Wins” details how Founding Partner Brian Stekloff’s pivotal trial strategy led to a string of victories on behalf of client Monsanto in high-stakes multidistrict litigation after three earlier trials had resulted in plaintiff verdicts ranging from $81 million to over $2 billion. Bloomberg outlines how Beth’s team defeated the FTC’s motion for a preliminary injunction just four weeks after the FTC filed its federal court complaint aimed at …
Wilkinson Stekloff Partners Named to Benchmark Litigation’s 2023 Top 250 Women in Litigation; Beth Wilkinson Recognized Among Top 10
August 3, 2023
For the third consecutive year, Beth Wilkinson was named to Benchmark Litigation’s prestigious Top 10 Women in Litigation, an elite subset of the Top 250 Women in Litigation that celebrates recipients of the most robust and vocal “best-in-class” nominations throughout Benchmark`s research cycle. In addition, Cali Arat (née Cope-Kasten), Keri Arnold, and Moira Penza were also selected to the Top 250 Women in Litigation Guide, which honors women who have participated in some of the most impactful litigation matters in recent history, and earned the hard-won respect of their peers and clients as top players in their respective fields. Beth has served as lead counsel in over 50 jury trials, including numerous bet-the company, multibillion-dollar cases. She has developed an unrivaled record of victories in federal and state courts throughout the country. Most recently, Beth was lead trial counsel for Microsoft in the FTC’s challenge to Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition …
Beth Wilkinson Named “Litigator of the Week” for Leading Microsoft’s Defense of Activision Deal
July 17, 2023
On July 14, the American Lawyer named Beth Wilkinson its “Litigator of the Week,” and described Wilkinson Stekloff as “the legal equivalent of an elite special ops unit,” for leading Microsoft’s successful defense of its $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. This intensely competitive recognition highlights the entire Wilkinson Stekloff team — including, in addition to Beth, Rakesh Kilaru, Kieran Gostin, Grace Hill, Anastasia Pastan, and Sarah Neuman — for its representation of Microsoft in a five-day evidentiary hearing in late June related to the Federal Trade Commission’s attempt to block Microsoft’s largest-ever acquisition. On July 10, U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley of the Northern District of California denied the FTC’s bid for an injunction to block the deal, finding the agency hadn’t proven that Microsoft was likely to pull the game “Call of Duty” from Sony’s PlayStation “or that its ownership of Activision content will substantially lessen competition in the video …
Wilkinson Stekloff Secures Denial of FTC Motion to Block Microsoft-Activision Blizzard Deal
July 10, 2023
Wilkinson Stekloff, led by Beth Wilkinson and Rakesh Kilaru, secured a groundbreaking victory for Microsoft, winning the second-biggest merger trial in American history. On June 12, 2023, the FTC filed a federal lawsuit to enjoin Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Just four weeks later, Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley denied the FTC’s motion for a preliminary injunction, finding that the Federal Trade Commission failed to make its case that the acquisition would substantially lessen competition in the gaming industry. Wilkinson Stekloff has served as litigation counsel for Microsoft since the day after the acquisition was announced, in January 2022. Over the following 18 months, the WS team led all aspects of litigation strategy, including developing the factual record and handling more than 40 depositions of company witnesses and experts. Just weeks before the transaction’s outside closing date of July 18, 2023, the FTC filed suit in the Northern District of California to enjoin the …
Wilkinson Stekloff Ranked Among 2023 Trial Elite
June 14, 2023
In recognition of Wilkinson Stekloff’s work on some of the most consequential trials across the antitrust, product liability, and sports landscape, legal industry research outlets Chambers and Partners and The Legal 500 have ranked the firm among the trial elite in their recently released 2023 editions. Chambers has maintained Wilkinson Stekloff’s position as one of the country’s most highly sought litigation boutiques, ranking it for General Commercial Litigation (DC) — The Elite (Band 3) and Product Liability & Mass Torts (USA-Nationwide) – The Elite (Band 4). Chambers also recognized Partners Beth Wilkinson (Star Individual in Trial Lawyers USA-Nationwide, Product Liability & Mass Torts Nationwide, General Commercial, DC, and Sports Law Nationwide, Band 4) and Brian Stekloff (Product Liability & Mass Torts Nationwide, Band 5). Wilkinson Stekloff is also newly noted as a “Firm to Watch” in Antitrust — Civil Litigation/Class Action Defense by The Legal 500, and is newly ranked …
Nine Wilkinson Stekloff Partners Recognized in 2022 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America
October 31, 2022
Lawdragon has honored nine Wilkinson Stekloff partners in its inaugural 500 Leading Litigators in America guide dedicated to those attorneys who excel representing principally corporations and other organizations in litigating claims. Honorees were selected from a record number of submissions and independent research focused on recent cases and defense verdicts or settlements, as well as attorneys whose sustained excellence in trials is nothing short of remarkable. The Wilkinson Stekloff partners recognized include: Beth Wilkinson Brian Stekloff Jeremy Barber Kieran Gostin Rakesh Kilaru Moira Penza Ralia Polechronis James Rosenthal Kosta Stojilkovic
Benchmark Litigation Selects Wilkinson Stekloff as Top 20 Trial Law Firm, and Honors Six Partners
October 12, 2022
Wilkinson Stekloff has been named a Top 20 Trial Law Firm in the highly anticipated 2023 Benchmark Litigation guide. Along with this prestigious recognition, the firm is also ranked as Tier 1 for General Commercial Litigation and recognized as a Top Boutique and Highly Recommended firm. Benchmark Litigation is considered the definitive guide to the world’s leading litigation firms and lawyers. The rankings are determined through six months of research, which includes extensive interviews with clients. In addition to top-tier firm rankings, Wilkinson Stekloff founding partner Beth Wilkinson was named a Top 100 Trial Lawyer. This elite group consists of partners who have been selected by peers and clients as the best of the best in the practice of trial law, with the representative work to exemplify this status. This recognition comes on the heels of Beth being named a Top 10 Female Litigator by Benchmark Litigation for the second …