Washington, D.C. – Wilkinson Stekloff has been recognized as a Law360 2020 Sports and Betting Practice Group of the Year. Law360 focused its recognition on the law firms “behind the litigation wins and major deals that resonated throughout the legal industry in the past year” with “an eye toward landmark matters and general excellence.” Out of all firms nationwide, Law360 singled out Wilkinson Stekloff as one of just four firms handling the most significant litigation matters and investigations shaping professional and college sports today. “I am honored that Law360 recognized Wilkinson Stekloff for the unique strength of our sports practice,” said Brian Stekloff. “We’re pleased to have a deep bench of talented litigators with expertise in handling sports matters for a variety of different clients, both at trial and in other contexts.” In just over four years, Wilkinson Stekloff has handled a variety of significant sports-related litigation matters. Wilkinson Stekloff …
Wilkinson Stekloff Named Top Litigation Boutique by Vault for Third Consecutive Year
September 24, 2020
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Vault named Wilkinson Stekloff the sixth best Litigation Boutique Law Firm for the third consecutive year in its “2021 Best Law Firm by Practice Area” rankings. Among all midsize firms in the country, Wilkinson Stekloff ranked as the third best firm for compensation and selectivity and fifth best firm for diversity and pro bono work. Wilkinson Stekloff is the top ranked DC-based firm by Vault in the compensation and selectivity categories. “We are honored to be selected again as one of Vault’s top Litigation Boutique Firms, and particularly proud of our rankings on diversity and pro bono,” said Wilkinson Stekloff Partner Brian Stekloff. “Those have been among our central priorities since our founding and we are always pushing to improve.” Vault previously recognized Wilkinson Stekloff’s excellence in several other categories including selecting Wilkinson Stekloff for its “Top 150 Under 150” list, which recognizes “outstanding law firms with fewer attorneys, but no less expertise, than the global megafirms that often dominate …
National Law Journal Recognizes Wilkinson Stekloff’s Industry-Leading Products Liability/Mass Tort Trial Practice
May 28, 2020
WASHINGTON – The National Law Journal selected Wilkinson Stekloff as one of its Washington D.C. Litigation Departments of the Year in Products Liability/Mass Torts. NLJ’s selection was based on Wilkinson Stekloff’s string of trial victories in high-profile products liability cases. Most recently, the firm, led by Alex Walsh, Kieran Gostin, and James Rosenthal, won a decisive victory in Bayer v. Farar, a certified consumer class action trial involving $600 million in claimed damages. Previously, the firm reeled off five straight victories in the Xarelto products liability litigation, with Beth Wilkinson, Alex Walsh, Brian Stekloff, Jeremy Barber, Tamarra Matthews Johnson, and Rakesh Kilaru serving in lead roles. NLJ’s profile on the firm highlights commentary from Beth, Alex, and Brian on their strategy and approach to litigation. “We believe that at the heart of every case is a simple compelling narrative, a narrative that shows the jury why our side should prevail,” …
Wilkinson Stekloff Continues Its Ascent in Chambers and Partners
April 24, 2020
Firm and Attorneys Moved Up the Ranks in 2020 WASHINGTON — Continuing its rapid rise, Wilkinson Stekloff made a strong showing in the 2020 Chambers and Partners rankings. Chambers recognized the firm as a litigation and products liability powerhouse, and also spotlighted three of the firm’s founding partners. In recognition of the firm’s track record of success in bet-the-company cases, Chambers moved Wilkinson Stekloff up to Band 2 for General Litigation. Additionally, for the first time, Wilkinson Stekloff received recognition for success in Product Liability & Mass Torts. Chambers and Partners described Wilkinson Stekloff 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, with a substantial market share in the pharmaceutical industry.” Chambers also praised Wilkinson Stekloff’s “enviable bench,” including “several leading practitioners with significant federal prosecutorial and public defense experience,” as well as the …
Wilkinson Stekloff Lawyers Named to Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America List
April 6, 2020
Washington – For the second year in a row, Partners Beth Wilkinson, Alexandra Walsh, Brian Stekloff, and Kosta Stojilkovic were named to Lawdragon 500’s list of the 500 Leading Lawyers in America. In its 15th year, the Lawdragon 500 comprises the top legal talent across the profession. Over the last year, all four attorneys have received accolades for their industry-leading accomplishments. For example, Alexandra was named a Law360 Trials MVP of the Year, Beth Wilkinson has received the Chambers USA Lifetime Achievement Award, Brian was named to Washingtonian Magazine’s top lawyers list, and Kosta was named to Benchmark Litigation’s 40 and Under Hot List. Founded in February 2016, Wilkinson Stekloff has grown to nearly 45 lawyers and has quickly established itself as the leading boutique trial firm in the country. The firm has tried over a dozen cases to verdict across the country, winning the vast majority, and won several …
Wilkinson Stekloff Celebrates Another Outstanding Year of High Stakes Trials and Accolades for the Next Generation of Trial Lawyers
December 30, 2019
WASHINGTON –Wilkinson Stekloff enters its fifth year having cemented its status as the premier trial litigation boutique in the country. 2019 featured three high-stakes, high-pressure trials, in which different partners served as lead trial counsel and eight partners in total had stand-up roles. The firm continued to receive accolades for its successes in delivering results to its clients while deepening its diverse bench of go-to litigators.
Wilkinson Stekloff Celebrates Banner Year of High Stakes Trial Wins By Next Generation Of Trial Lawyers
January 7, 2019
WASHINGTON – Wilkinson Stekloff is racing into its fourth year after notching a series of high-profile victories, led by a large and diverse group of partners. In 2018, all of Wilkinson Stekloff’s partners participated in trials and case-dispositive hearings, and several other attorneys achieved significant on-their-feet experience, including through pro bono cases. The firm earned repeated recognition for the depth and successes of its bench and added a new crop of talented litigators to its roster. Wilkinson Stekloff won three trials in 2018, each of which was first-chaired by a different partner: On April 27, 2018, Wilkinson Stekloff, led by Brian Stekloff, Jeremy Barber, and Lori McGill, won a unanimous defense verdict for Bayer and Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals in Russell v. Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the second state-court Xarelto bellwether trial in the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas. On May 21, 2018, Wilkinson Stekloff, led by Kosta Stojilkovic …
Wilkinson Stekloff Wins Another Decisive Victory for Bayer in Xarelto Trial
April 27, 2018
Wilkinson Stekloff’s Brian Stekloff Led the Team to Its Fourth Xarelto Win Washington, D.C. – Wilkinson Stekloff, led by Founding Partner Brian Stekloff, won the second state-court bellwether trial over the blood-thinner Xarelto when the jury rejected claims against Bayer AG and Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals. Wilkinson Stekloff Partners Lori Alvino McGill and Jeremy Barber also served as counsel for Bayer in the trial. The plaintiff in the Russell case alleged that Bayer and Janssen were liable for claims that the Xarelto label did not adequately instruct doctors on the risks of bleeding associated with the anticoagulant Xarelto. According to Law360, the Philadelphia jury “rejected claims that warnings labels for the … drug left out key information about the increased risk the drug posed when combined with antiplatelet medications.” Previously, Wilkinson Stekloff secured two full defense verdicts for Bayer in similar cases in the federal multi-district litigation in …
Wilkinson Stekloff Wins Victory for Bayer in First State-Court Xarelto Trial
January 10, 2018
WASHINGTON – On January 9, 2018, Wilkinson Stekloff, led by Founding Partners Beth Wilkinson and Alexandra Walsh, won the first state-court bellwether trial over the blood-thinner Xarelto when the trial court entered judgment for Bayer and Janssen notwithstanding a jury verdict in favor of the plaintiff. Wilkinson and Wilkinson Stekloff had previously secured two full defense verdicts for Bayer in similar cases in the federal multi-district litigation in Louisiana. In December 2017, a jury in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas awarded nearly $28 million to plaintiff Lynn Hartman in a lawsuit that alleged that Bayer and Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals were liable for claims that the Xarelto label did not adequately instruct doctors on the risks of bleeding associated with the anticoagulant Xarelto. Bayer and Janssen then filed motions for judgment notwithstanding the verdict and a new trial. The motions raised two key points (among many others). …
Pro Bono Asylum Victory for Wilkinson Stekloff
September 21, 2016
Wilkinson Stekloff celebrates an asylum victory today for a sixteen-year old client fleeing persecution in Honduras. Our client suffered persecution in Honduras after his father, a member of a local taxi driver’s cooperative, defied a powerful international gang by refusing to make extortion payments. The gang stalked, threatened, and attempted to kidnap our client from school. Associate Max Warren led the case under the supervision of partner Brian Stekloff. Associates Norman Pentelovitch, Cali Cope-Kasten, and Meg Loftus, paralegal Youlan Xiu, and assistant Kat Phillips assisted with the case. The team worked in collaboration Human Rights First, a non-profit international human rights organization. We are proud of our client for the enormous bravery he has demonstrated in the face of adversity, and know he will be a model citizen in the United States.