WASHINGTON, D.C. – Wilkinson Stekloff has won two major antitrust cases before trial for Georgia Pacific LLC and the National Football League. On August 3, Wilkinson Stekloff won summary judgment for Georgia Pacific LLC in an antitrust class action lawsuit involving over $10 billion in claimed damages. The court’s decision came just one day after it preliminarily approved a settlement in which Georgia Pacific’s co-defendants agreed to pay over $350 million. Plaintiffs in this case were direct purchasers of containerboard products who claimed that Georgia Pacific and several other major containerboard producers conspired to restrict the supply of containerboard, and thus increase its price, between 2004 and 2010. After the district court certified Plaintiffs’ proposed class, Georgia Pacific hired Wilkinson Stekloff to handle all aspects of summary judgment briefing and trial. The Wilkinson Stekloff team, led by Beth Wilkinson, Alexandra Walsh, and Brant Bishop, developed an evidentiary record focused on …
Vault Names Wilkinson Stekloff One Of The Best Midsize Firms To Work For
July 18, 2017
WASHINGTON – Wilkinson Stekloff today was named by Vault as one of the best midsize firms to work for, in the publication’s new 2018 Midsize Quality of Life Rankings and Top 150 Under 150 list. Coming in at #6 overall, Wilkinson Stekloff boasted strong marks in all categories in the review including compensation, diversity, firm culture, quality of life, and overall satisfaction. “We joined together to launch a different kind of firm, one that successfully serves our clients with tight-knit teams of smart, innovative, and highly skilled litigators committed to delivering excellent results,” said founding partner Beth Wilkinson. “Our record in courtrooms across the country speaks for itself and our commitment to training the next generation of trial lawyers by giving them early responsibility will ensure that we continue to excel.” The Midsize Quality of Life rankings are based on the results of a survey distributed to associates at each …
NCAA Taps Beth Wilkinson as Lead Trial Counsel for Jenkins case
June 14, 2017
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 …
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
Beth Wilkinson Honored By Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles
October 17, 2016
On October 20, Wilkinson Stekloff Founding Partner Beth Wilkinson will receive the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles’ (LAFLA) Maynard Toll award, established to honor members of the bar for their commitment to public service. Beth joins a distinguished list of past honorees, including former California Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald M. George, Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Richard A. Paez, former U.S. District Judge Margaret M. Morrow, and former U.S. Secretary of Education Shirley M. Hufstedler. Wilkinson Stekloff is proud to support LAFLA’s mission of achieving equal justice for underserved populations, and congratulates Beth on this well-deserved recognition.
Beth Wilkinson Inducted Into The American College of Trial Lawyers
September 19, 2016
Beth Wilkinson, partner and co-founder of Wilkinson Stekloff LLP, has been inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the premier professional trial organization in North America. The American College of Trial Lawyers is an invitation-only fellowship of exceptional trial lawyers with diverse backgrounds from the United States and Canada. Membership is limited to the top one percent of the total population of lawyers from any state or province. Lawyers must have a minimum of fifteen years trial experience before they can be considered for Fellowship in the College. Only those lawyers who have demonstrated the very highest standards of trial advocacy, ethical conduct, integrity, professionalism and collegiality are considered to be inducted as Fellows. “I could not feel more honored about the American College of Trial Lawyers’ recognition, nor more grateful to our clients for trusting me and Wilkinson Stekloff to handle their important trials,” Wilkinson …