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 …
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 …
Wilkinson Stekloff Partners Named to Benchmark Litigation’s 2023 40 & Under List
August 1, 2023
Wilkinson Stekloff Partners Cali Arat (née Cope-Kasten), Rakesh Kilaru, and Moira Penza were named to the 2023 Benchmark Litigation 40 & Under List, the guide to the nation’s most notable up-and-coming litigation attorneys. This is Cali’s first appearance on the list and Moira’s third. Rakesh has secured a spot each year since 2018. Since joining the firm at its founding in 2016, Cali has served as a key member of more than half of the firm’s trial teams, including most recently leading the representation of Monsanto in the first hybrid trial involving claims that exposure to PCBs and Roundup-branded products, both manufactured by Monsanto, cause Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. Cali has helped to develop and execute successful trial strategies for corporate clients across a diverse set of industries, from pharmaceuticals to sports to social media. Her experience includes seven jury trials, three of which were federal multi-district litigation bellwether cases, two of which …
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 …
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 …
Three Wilkinson Stekloff Partners Recognized in the National Law Journal Legal Awards 2022
September 9, 2022
The National Law Journal has recognized three Wilkinson Stekloff partners in its 2022 Legal Awards. The prestigious annual series highlights the top litigation and appellate work of law firms and attorneys from the previous year. Wilkinson Stekloff had more individuals distinguished than any other firm. Partners Cali Cope-Kasten and Rakesh Kilaru were both named Rising Stars, while Founding Partner Brian Stekloff is a finalist in the “Winning Litigators” category. The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., on October 20. Cali made partner in early 2022, fresh off acting as trial counsel to help secure the first win for Monsanto in the Roundup mass tort litigation. She has played a critical role in six jury trials, three of which were federal multi-district litigation bellwether cases, and two bench trials. She has argued numerous motions in state and federal courts at the trial and appellate level and is serving as trial counsel for Monsanto in …
Wilkinson Stekloff Partner Cali Cope-Kasten Featured in Law.com’s “How I Made Partner” Series
July 19, 2022
For its series asking top-tier lawyers about their path to promotion, Law.com recently featured Wilkinson Stekloff partner Cali Cope-Kasten. Cali reflects on the key to successful business development — “doing excellent work” — and the impact founding partner Beth Wilkinson has made on her development as a trial attorney: “She has been a champion for me and for so many young women at our firm. She helped me develop a reputation with our clients by giving me opportunities early in my career to have a seat at the table in client meetings and encouraging me to stand up and speak up to present my work every chance I got. And watching her engage with judges and juries has been an incredible learning experience that has provided me with inspiration to develop my own style.” Cali made partner in early 2022 following the critical role she played in Clark v. Monsanto …
Business Insider Names Cali Cope-Kasten 2022 Rising Star of the Courtroom
June 22, 2022
Cali Cope-Kasten has been named a 2022 Rising Star of the Courtroom by Business Insider. The prestigious list profiles 15 up-and-coming litigators who have represented clients in blockbuster trials and class actions around the country. An embodiment of Wilkinson Stekloff’s mission to develop the next generation of trial lawyers, Cali has earned this recognition at the age of 33, years before most of her fellow recipients. Late last year, Cali played a critical role examining several witnesses in Clark v. Monsanto, the first case involving a child plaintiff in the litigation over whether the herbicide Roundup causes Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. After a single day of deliberation, a jury delivered the first-ever verdict for Monsanto. Describing her experience with Business Insider, Cali shared that “jurors told her afterward that her questioning of a weed scientist about how often Roundup was typically used was key to their understanding of the case.” Brian Stekloff, who has known Cali …
D.C. Court of Appeals Affirms Trial Win for First Wilkinson Stekloff Pro Bono Victory of 2022
February 28, 2022
Cali Cope-Kasten recently won an appeal at the D.C. Court of Appeals affirming her earlier trial win in Brian Macklin v. Janai Johnson, a complex and contentious divorce and child custody case. The appeal followed a five-day trial in D.C. Superior Court at which Cali and the Wilkinson Stekloff team, representing their client pro bono, won primary physical custody of the parties’ five children, tie-breaking authority in legal custody, and a 40% interest in the parties’ marital home. The Court’s 32-page opinion affirmed Ms. Johnson’s victory on all issues and gives hope to other women in Ms. Johnson’s position, “hold[ing] as a matter of first impression that substantial homemaker services can indeed entitle a spouse to an equitable interest in real property purchased by the other spouse before the marriage and used as the family home.” This is the first pro bono victory of 2022 for the Wilkinson Stekloff team and comes on the heels …
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 …
- Page 1 of 2
- 1
- 2