Wilkinson Stekloff is pleased to announce that Grace Hill has joined the firm as a partner. Grace most recently served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA) in the Financial Crimes and Public Corruption Unit. During her time with EDVA, Grace tried six complex criminal cases to a jury and argued a Fourth Circuit appeal. She has prosecuted a wide range of white-collar cases, including offenses involving bribery and public corruption, CIPA equities, government contract fraud, FCPA, investment fraud, securities fraud, insider trading, bank fraud, and tax fraud. “Grace is a talented lawyer with considerable experience on a number of high-profile cases,” said Wilkinson Stekloff Founding Partner Beth Wilkinson. “She is a wonderful addition to the firm as we remain focused on growing our bench of trial lawyers capable of handling any case for our clients.” “Grace will be an asset to our team in …
Five Wilkinson Stekloff Partners Included in 2022 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America
March 9, 2022
Lawdragon has named five Wilkinson Stekloff partners to its 2022 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America. The 500 honorees were selected through submissions, journalistic research, and input from editorial advisors. The annual distinction covers the best of the best in all practice areas. The Wilkinson Stekloff 2022 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers are Beth Wilkinson, Brian Stekloff, Rakesh Kilaru, James Rosenthal, and Kosta Stojilkovic.
2021 Year In Review
January 26, 2022
WASHINGTON — In 2021, despite ongoing pandemic-related delays and challenges, the Wilkinson Stekloff team continued to litigate with the intensity and success that has cemented our reputation as the leading trial boutique in the country. In a year where trials remained scarce, WS tried two high-profile cases in 2021: WS served as lead trial counsel for Altria Group, Inc. in an adversarial administrative proceeding before the FTC. The FTC alleged that Altria and JLI violated antitrust laws through Altria’s purchase of a minority interest in JLI. At trial, Founding Partner Beth Wilkinson handled opening statements and examined multiple high-profile witnesses, including Altria’s current and former CEO, Altria’s general counsel, and both sides’ economic experts. WS Partner Moira Penza examined Altria’s scientists, and WS Partner James Rosenthal played a central role in strategy and legal briefing. After a single day of deliberation in October 2021, a jury delivered the first-ever verdict for Monsanto in litigation over whether the herbicide Roundup causes …
Wilkinson Stekloff Announces Promotions
January 4, 2022
Wilkinson Stekloff is pleased to announce that Cali Cope-Kasten has been promoted to partner, and Max Warren and Hayter Whitman have been promoted to counsel, effective January 1, 2022. All three attorneys have been with the firm since its founding in 2016. “Cases are won by tight-knit teams of smart, innovative, and highly skilled litigators united by a common commitment to excellence,” said WS Founding Partner Brian Stekloff. “These three lawyers have demonstrated those qualities in numerous, high-stakes trials and other cases throughout their careers. We are proud of the many successes they have achieved on behalf of our clients, and look forward to their continued contributions.” Cali Cope-Kasten has served as a key member of several trial teams, including most recently securing the groundbreaking verdict for Monsanto in Clark v. Monsanto, at which she was trial counsel. She represents corporate clients across a diverse set of industries, from pharmaceuticals …
Law360 Publishes “Pandemic-Era Lessons in Jury Selection, Court Dynamics” by Brian Stekloff
December 14, 2021
In an Expert Analysis article published by Law 360, Wilkinson Stekloff founding partner Brian Stekloff examines how the pandemic and the necessary use of transmission mitigation measures continue to impact jury selection and courtroom dynamics during in-person trials. Throughout a recent high-stakes product liability trial, Brian and his team adapted their approach in several ways and he shares his “lessons learned” here, including allocating more time for voir dire, interpreting prospective jurors’ questionnaire answers through the lens of the pandemic, and reassessing the physical setup of the courtroom to ensure all parties can hear and evaluate witness testimony despite masks and alternate seating arrangements. Read Brian’s article on Law360.com.
Wilkinson Stekloff Welcomes New Class of Associates
December 7, 2021
Wilkinson Stekloff is pleased to announce the addition of eight associates. The new class is the largest and most diverse in the firm’s history. “Cases are won by teams who share different perspectives but are united by a common commitment to excellence. We are proud to have recruited some of the best and brightest young lawyers to form the largest and most diverse class Wilkinson Stekloff has had the privilege of welcoming since our founding in 2016,” said Beth Wilkinson, founding partner, Wilkinson Stekloff. “We are excited to have this talented group join our team,” added Wilkinson Stekloff Founding Partner Brian Stekloff. “Our attorneys appear in front of jury pools that represent all of America and our lawyers need to reflect that. It is critical for us to hire diverse attorneys and give them meaningful trial experience and client exposure.” The WS team reflects the firm’s ongoing commitment to talent …
Wilkinson Stekloff Delivers Pre-Trial Win for Medtronic and Covidien in Hernia Mesh Litigation
November 30, 2021
A U.S. District Court Judge handed down a decisive victory for Medtronic and Covidien in litigation arising from claims that one of their hernia mesh products has design and manufacturing defects, and that the company provided inadequate warnings about the risks of the hernia mesh. Wilkinson Stekloff Founding Partner Brian Stekloff led the victory in Northrup v. Covidien (C.D. Cal.) by obtaining key admissions from Plaintiff’s expert that were quoted extensively in the Court’s opinion dismissing the case. Brian Stekloff also led oral argument before Judge Dean Pregerson on Defendants’ motions to exclude the opinions of Plaintiff’s expert and for summary judgment. Judge Pregerson agreed with Defendants’ arguments, and, on November 24, ruled that all of Plaintiff’s expert’s opinions were inadmissible under Daubert and that Plaintiff’s claims could not proceed in the absence of admissible expert support. Judge Pregerson dismissed the case in its entirety. Northrup v. Covidien had been set to go to trial …
Wilkinson Stekloff Wins First-Ever Jury Verdict for Monsanto in Roundup Mass Tort Litigation
October 6, 2021
After a single day of deliberation, a jury delivered the first-ever verdict for Monsanto yesterday in Clark v. Monsanto, a trial involving claims that the herbicide Roundup causes Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. Wilkinson Stekloff Founding Partner Brian Stekloff first-chaired the trial; Associate Cali Cope-Kasten handled several witnesses, and Partner Kieran Gostin advised on all aspects of trial strategy. Clark was the fourth case in this mass tort to go to trial; the three previous trials resulted in verdicts against Monsanto ranging from $81 million to over $2 billion. Clark was also the first case involving a child plaintiff. The victory was the product of a comprehensive trial strategy. Shortly after being retained as lead trial counsel, Brian convinced the judge to “reverse bifurcate” the case into a first phase focused on causation and a second phase focused on liability and damages. The ruling marked the first time a state court judge has …
Wilkinson Stekloff Recognized in Several Categories for Latest Rankings by Chambers and Partners
May 24, 2021
Washington, D.C. – Chambers and Partners, an independent research company that ranks the nation’s top law firms, highlighted Wilkinson Stekloff as the top litigation boutique in DC and as a products liability powerhouse. Chambers also recognized the firm’s two name partners, Beth Wilkinson and Brian Stekloff, for their excellence. Chambers utilizes a tiered “band” system to recognize firms. Wilkinson Stekloff was honored within Band 3 for “Products Liability and Mass Torts Nationwide” (the only DC boutique firm recognized) and within Band 3 for “Litigation: General Commercial: The Elite in DC” (one of just two DC boutiques recognized). Chambers described the firm as an “impressive litigation boutique, noted for its expert handling of complex, bet-the-company cases for leading corporate clients across a wide range of sectors,” particularly in pharmaceutical, antitrust, trade secrets, and consumer class action cases. Commentators described lauded Wilkinson Stekloff’s “fantastic trial lawyers,” calling it a “fabulous firm” with …
Wilkinson Stekloff Lawyers Named to Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America List
January 28, 2021
Washington, D.C. – For the third consecutive year, Wilkinson Stekloff partners have been named to the Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America list. This year Lawdragon recognized Beth Wilkinson, Brian Stekloff, Kosta Stojilkovic, and Tamarra Matthews Johnson. All four partners have received accolades for their industry-leading accomplishments. Beth has repeatedly been named a Chambers Star Trial Lawyer and Brian was selected as one of Chambers’ “up and coming” trial lawyers. Kosta was named a Law360 Rising Star for Trials and to Benchmark Litigation’s 40 and Under Hot List. And Tamarra was recently selected as a Benchmark Future Star Litigator. “We are thrilled to again have four partners named to the Lawdragon 500 leading lawyers in America list,” said Rakesh Kilaru. “We pride ourselves on handling our clients’ most challenging cases from inception through verdict and beyond. We could not do that work without our bench of dynamic trial lawyers and …