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 …
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 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 Secures Victory in Pro Bono Custody and Divorce Trial
October 5, 2018
Washington, D.C. — Following a six-day trial, Wilkinson Stekloff associates Cali Cope-Kasten and Hal Brewster secured a favorable judgment in a pro bono custody and divorce case in D.C. Superior Court. The Court awarded Wilkinson Stekloff’s client primary residential custody and joint legal custody, with tiebreaker decision making authority, of her five minor children. The judge also found that Wilkinson Stekloff’s client was entitled to an equitable lien on all major marital assets and awarded her a monetary judgment of more than a quarter-million dollars, along with ongoing child support that will help her establish financial independence in her new life. Wilkinson Stekloff’s client separated from her husband in 2016 after multiple instances of abuse within the family. After she filed for divorce, her estranged husband filed a countersuit in which he sought primary custody of their five children, so this is when she started looking into suitable law firms …
Five Wilkinson Stekloff Associates Honored by DC Volunteer Lawyers Project For Exceptional Advocacy
December 12, 2017
Washington, D.C. – The DC Volunteer Lawyers Project (DCVLP) recently honored five Wilkinson Stekloff associates as DCVLP’s Domestic Relations Branch Volunteers of the Year, recognizing their dedication on behalf of victims of domestic abuse and their children. The DCVLP honorees were Wilkinson Stekloff associates Hal Brewster, Cali Cope-Kasten, Ash Jamali, Meg Loftus, and Kirsten Nelson. Ash, Meg, and Kirsten were honored for a significant trial victory earlier this year. Working with DCVLP and under the supervision of partner Jeremy Barber, they prevailed in securing for their pro bono client full physical and legal custody over her two young children. Wilkinson Stekloff’s client divorced her husband in 2015 after suffering months of domestic abuse. In January 2017, her ex-husband (the plaintiff) filed a lawsuit seeking primary custody of their two children, falsely claiming that she had effectively kidnapped the children when she moved from the District of Columbia to Maryland. At …
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.
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