Wilkinson Stekloff partner Rakesh Kilaru has been named for the first time to Benchmark Litigation’s Top 100 Trial Lawyers—a select group of attorneys venerated by clients and peers alike for their mastery in the courtroom. He joins Founding Partners Beth Wilkinson and Brian Stekloff, both staples on the prestigious list, rivaling the representation of Big Law firms. Beth Wilkinson, one of the nation’s pre-eminent trial lawyers, continues to receive widespread acclaim for her unmatched ability to deliver when the stakes are highest. In recent years, she has led Microsoft, the NFL, and Altria to billion-dollar courtroom victories. She was recently set to serve as lead trial counsel to HPE in defending its $14 billion acquisition of Juniper Networks against a federal court challenge from the DOJ, until the case resolved favorably for HPE on the doorstep of trial, allowing the deal to close. Beth is widely revered for her ability …
Benchmark Litigation Again Names Wilkinson Stekloff as a Top 20 Trial Law Firm, Recognizing Eight Partners
October 29, 2025
Wilkinson Stekloff has been named a “Top 20 Trial Law Firm” for the fourth year in a row by Benchmark Litigation—one of the premier guides to leading law firms and legal practitioners—in their 2026 US edition. This elite distinction follows the firm winning “Trial Firm of the Year” in back-to-back years at Benchmark’s annual US Awards ceremony. The firm also earned a “Tier 1” ranking in Competition/Antitrust—its first appearance in the category—owing to a string of high-profile wins in bet-the-company antitrust matters. In recent years, Wilkinson Stekloff secured major victories for Microsoft in its $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, winning the second-biggest merger trial in American history; for the NFL, by winning judgment as a matter of law on multibillion-dollar class-action claims challenging their Sunday Ticket subscription model; and for Hewlett Packard Enterprise, positioning the company to close its $14 billion acquisition of Juniper Networks after a federal court …
Eleven Wilkinson Stekloff Partners Named among the 2026 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America
September 10, 2025
Eleven Wilkinson Stekloff partners have been recognized among the 2026 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America. This achievement marks the fourth consecutive year that the firm has placed at least nine partners in this prestigious guide—dating back to its inaugural release in 2022—underscoring the strength and depth of Wilkinson Stekloff’s litigation bench. Honorees from the firm’s Washington, DC and New York offices are recognized across a wide range of practice areas, including Trials, Antitrust, Product Liability, Mass Tort, Environmental, White Collar, Investigations, and Class Actions. This breadth of recognition reflects Wilkinson Stekloff’s generalist approach, allowing the firm to take on clients’ most complex and high-stakes disputes, regardless of the subject matter. The Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America is an annual guide acknowledging the nation’s most accomplished courtroom advocates, selected through a rigorous process of independent research, submissions, and vetting with both peers and adversaries. These outstanding attorneys distinguish themselves …
NCAA NIL Settlement Validates Wilkinson Stekloff Partner Rakesh Kilaru as a Leading Sports & Entertainment Lawyer
June 23, 2025
Wilkinson Stekloff Partner Rakesh Kilaru has received no shortage of recognition recently, including last year being named a Law360 Sports & Betting MVP and sharing the National Law Journal’s Winning Litigators Award with Founding Partner Beth Wilkinson based on major victories for the NFL and Microsoft. This year he has secured a position alongside Beth on the inaugural list of Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Global Entertainment, Sports & Media Lawyers, a guide that honors attorneys who accumulate wins for lucrative clients across these high-visibility industries through rigorous journalistic research. Rakesh’s latest achievement: obtaining final approval of the groundbreaking $2.8 billion settlement for the NCAA in their name, image, and likeness (NIL) litigation on June 6, 2025. The settlement is widely expected to change the landscape of collegiate athletics, allowing schools for the first time to directly compensate students for their athletic participation, and resolving antitrust claims brought by multiple plaintiff classes …
Wilkinson Stekloff Again Recognized by Chambers Among Trial Elite; Seven Partners Receive Individual Rankings
June 5, 2025
Chambers and Partners again ranked Wilkinson Stekloff as an elite law firm across multiple practice areas in its newly released USA 2025 Guide. The leading legal industry research outlet continues to recognize the firm’s work on the most significant trials and consequential litigation in the country across the antitrust, products liability, and sports landscape. Wilkinson Stekloff has maintained its reputation as a national litigation powerhouse despite its boutique moniker and modest 40-attorney roster, taking nearly two dozen bet-the-company, multi-billion-dollar cases to trial since the firm’s inception, stacking up win after win. Most recently, the firm scored a complete victory for the NFL and its 32 member teams after post-trial briefing in a class action lawsuit challenging the NFL’s “Sunday Ticket” subscription package distribution model. In acknowledgement of these continued successes, Chambers has raised Wilkinson Stekloff’s rankings nearly across the board and vaulted the firm into an additional nationwide category, Antitrust …
Wilkinson Stekloff Recognized Again by Law360 and the American Lawyer for 9th Circuit Victory on Behalf of Microsoft
May 12, 2025
For a second consecutive week, Law360 and the American Lawyer have recognized Wilkinson Stekloff in their weekly features. Law360’s Legal Lions of the Week and AmLaw’s Litigator’s of the Week Runners-Up and Shout-Outs acknowledge the Ninth Circuit’s decision affirming Wilkinson Stekloff’s victory at trial defending Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Wilkinson Stekloff’s appellate team was headed by Rakesh Kilaru — who led the briefing effort and argued the appeal for Microsoft before the Ninth Circuit in December 2023 — and Beth Wilkinson — whom the American Lawyer previously recognized as Litigator of the Week for the trial court win — and also included partners Kieran Gostin and Sarah Neuman, and associate Jenna Pavelec. A Sidley Austin team led by Will Levi, along with Rick Beckner and Daniel Hay, was also essential to Microsoft’s success before the court of appeals. In July 2023, Wilkinson Stekloff secured a groundbreaking victory on behalf …
Wilkinson Stekloff Recognized by Law360 and the American Lawyer for NCAA Victory Against Past NIL Claims
May 6, 2025
On May 2, Law360 recognized Wilkinson Stekloff in its Legal Lions of the Week feature for winning dismissal of all claims in Chalmers, et al. v. NCAA, et al., in the Southern District of New York. In addition, the American Lawyer acknowledged the victory by the NCAA and major athletic conferences in their Litigator’s of the Week Runners-Up and Shout-Outs. The Wilkinson Stekloff team was led by Rakesh Kilaru, and included Cali Arat, Tamarra Matthews Johnson, Daniel Epps, and Matthew Skanchy. Chalmers—who famously made a game-tying three-point shot at the end of regulation in the 2008 men’s basketball national championship game—filed his complaint against the NCAA and six major athletic conferences, seeking to represent a sprawling nationwide class of former student-athletes dating back more than 40 years. Chalmers claimed the class members’ NIL had been used improperly by the NCAA in advertising “March Madness” and its other championships. Rakesh led …
The 2024 Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll Recognized 16 Wilkinson Stekloff Attorneys
May 2, 2025
The District of Columbia Courts, in partnership with the D.C. Access to Justice Commission and the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center, recognized 16 Wilkinson Stekloff attorneys on its 2024 Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll. Established in 2011, the Honor Roll recognizes attorneys who have dedicated 50 or more hours to pro bono service, with those performing 100 or more hours receiving High Honors distinction. These honorees make a significant impact by providing critical legal assistance to indigent individuals, under-resourced small businesses, and vital community-based nonprofits. The Wilkinson Stekloff attorneys recognized include: Tania Martinez, Associate (High Honors)Mikaela Meyer, Associate (High Honors)Logan Page, Associate (High Honors)Dhruti Patel, Associate (High Honors)Jenna Pavelec, Associate (High Honors)Quinton Weinstein, Associate (High Honors)Jeremy Barber, PartnerKieran Gostin, PartnerRakesh Kilaru, PartnerSarah Neuman, PartnerMatthew Skanchy, CounselAnthony Ferrara, AssociateElizabeth Keys, AssociateKellen McCoy, AssociateDeon McCray, AssociateJasper Primack, Associate Pro bono representation is woven into the fabric of Wilkinson Stekloff. Since its founding …
Ten Wilkinson Stekloff Partners Selected to the 2025 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America
April 8, 2025
For a tenth consecutive year – each year since the founding of the firm – Wilkinson Stekloff partners have been honored on the Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America list. After founding partner Beth Wilkinson was inducted into Lawdragon’s Hall of Fame in 2024, the firm has placed ten partners on the publication’s 20th edition of their flagship guide. The 500 Leading Lawyers in America is an annual guide that recognizes the most influential attorneys in the nation. The lawyers chosen for this list lead matters across the country in a variety of jurisdictions but have one thing in common – they achieve success for their clients. The honorees are identified through a nomination process and rigorous independent research, including vetting with peers and competitors to ensure those selected are truly at the top of the legal field. The ten Wilkinson Stekloff partners honored as Leading Lawyers are: Brian L. …
Keri Arnold Recognized by Crain’s New York Business Among Notable Litigators & Trial Lawyers
March 27, 2025
Wilkinson Stekloff Partner Keri Arnold has been recognized by Crain’s New York Business among the 2025 Notable Litigators & Trial Lawyers. This honor celebrates experienced leaders in the industry who serve in senior roles, exemplifying mentorship and inclusivity in the workplace and community. The attorneys selected demonstrate expertise in the courtroom, taking the country’s most significant matters to trial. Keri has defended Fortune 500 corporations in high-stakes litigation for over twenty years. A true trial attorney, she has served as first-chair counsel in over a dozen cases tried to verdict. Keri was recently a member of the team that secured a groundbreaking victory for Microsoft, defeating the FTC’s efforts to enjoin its $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard and winning the second-biggest merger trial in American history. Keri is currently representing major chemical manufacturing corporation 3M in the multidistrict AFFF Products Liability Litigation. She will be part of the trial …