Bloomberg Law featured Wilkinson Stekloff Partner Rakesh Kilaru’s leading role in negotiating a groundbreaking and highly-publicized settlement to major antitrust lawsuits filed against the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and its five major athletic conferences by current and former student-athletes. Wilkinson Stekloff, led by Rakesh and Partner Cali Arat, has served as lead counsel for the NCAA in the series of overlapping class action lawsuits brought under the Sherman Act. Seeking to revolutionize college sports, plaintiffs challenged NCAA rules that limit student-athlete compensation and benefits, including rules restricting student-athletes from the commercial use of their name, image, and likeness (“NIL”), as well as rules prohibiting professional-style revenue sharing. From the moment each case was filed, Wilkinson Stekloff played a key role in coordinating and executing the overall defense strategy. In its article detailing the dozens of legal minds responsible for advising both the defendants and plaintiffs, Bloomberg Law highlighted Rakesh’s …
Tamarra Matthews Johnson Reflects on Clerking for Justice O’Connor in Bloomberg Law Feature
December 8, 2023
In a recent article for Bloomberg Law, Wilkinson Stekloff Partner Tamarra Matthews Johnson joined fellow former clerks of the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor in reflecting on the justice’s pragmatic view of the law, and her lessons on excellence, strength, and kindness. Making history as the first female justice, O’Connor was appointed to the court by President Ronald Reagan in 1981 and served until 2006. “O’Connor gave me and my co-clerks the opportunity to serve the court and our country for the October 2000 term. She taught and tested us with her sharp intellect, incisive questions, sheer speed, and dedication to the court’s work,” Tamarra told Bloomberg Law. “Yet she still found time to make us lunch on Saturdays, to take us to see the azaleas bloom at the National Arboretum and the cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin, and yes, to enjoy weekly aerobics sessions.” An …
Bloomberg Law Recognizes Partners Moira Penza and Rakesh Kilaru in They’ve Got Next: The 40 Under 40
July 15, 2021
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following a nationwide competition, Bloomberg Law honored Wilkinson Stekloff partners Moira Penza and Rakesh Kilaru in its inaugural edition of They’ve Got Next: The 40 Under 40, recognizing them as “stellar young lawyers” who “represent the best of the future of the legal profession.” In choosing whom to honor, Bloomberg Law spent months reviewing nominees’ records of success for their clients, as well as leadership contributions to their firms and communities, their thoughts on what they’re most proud of as attorneys, lessons learned as first-year attorneys, how they define success, their most influential mentors, and feedback from clients. Moira and Rakesh stood out as top-notch litigators, “innovators and pro bono advocates.” The group of honorees was also recognized for their diversity and inclusion efforts, investing “time into making the legal profession a better reflection of our world.” Moira Penza was recognized for her trial work at Wilkinson …