Wilkinson Stekloff Recognized at 2024 Global Competition Review Awards

At their 14th annual awards ceremony held in Washington, D.C. on April 9, Global Competition Review (GCR) recognized Wilkinson Stekloff for its work as lead trial counsel for Microsoft in the FTC’s challenge to Microsoft’s $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard Inc. — the second-largest merger trial in American history and the biggest involving a technology company.  The transaction was selected for “Matter of the Year,” which honors “creative, strategic, and innovative work by teams of in-house and external lawyers and economists” across all competition matters worldwide, as well as “Control Matter of the Year: Americas.” The go-to firm for clients who want to litigate cases with an eye toward trial rather than settlement, Wilkinson Stekloff has served as litigation counsel for Microsoft since the day after the acquisition was announced in January 2022. Led by Founding Partner Beth Wilkinson and Partner Rakesh Kilaru, the firm’s team positioned the case …

Wilkinson Stekloff Honored at 2024 Benchmark Litigation U.S. Awards

On March 13, 2024, Benchmark Litigation honored Wilkinson Stekloff at their 12th annual U.S. Awards in New York City in celebration of “the country’s most distinguished litigators and their firms for their exemplary work over the past twelve months.”  Wilkinson Stekloff was awarded “Trial Firm of the Year” for serving as lead trial counsel in several major litigations, which culminated in significant activity and favorable results within only a three-month span. During that period, the firm took on a litigation docket unlike any other, including representing Microsoft in the FTC’s challenge to its proposed $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Altria in a range of high-profile cases related to its $12.8 billion purchase of a minority interest in JUUL Labs, and a major chemical manufacturer in the first bellwether trial in the most significant PFAS products liability MDL in the country.    In addition, Wilkinson Stekloff received the “Impact Case …

Law360 Features Beth Wilkinson and Rakesh Kilaru on the Firm’s Competition Practice Group of the Year Award

Law360 recently featured Founding Partner Beth Wilkinson and Partner Rakesh Kilaru in an article chronicling the groundbreaking trial victories that led to the firm’s Competition Practice Group of the Year recognition. In 2023 alone, Wilkinson Stekloff solidified its standing as the go-to firm for clients who want to litigate cases with an eye toward trial rather than settlement, serving as lead counsel in numerous bet-the-company cases for major clients including Microsoft, Altria, NCAA, NFL, and Cargill. When asked about what has driven their success, Beth and Rakesh said the answer goes well beyond just having expertise in competition law. The firm has been, and continues to be, focused on trial work. “And one thing that I think has become clear over the last two years in particular is that antitrust is where a lot of the trials are,” Rakesh noted. “It has to do with trial work, getting down to …

Renowned Litigator and Legal Scholar Daniel Epps Joins Wilkinson Stekloff

Wilkinson Stekloff is pleased to welcome Daniel Epps, a renowned legal scholar and law professor, to the firm as Of Counsel. Dan is an experienced appellate litigator and is nationally recognized for his expertise on constitutional law, federal courts, criminal law and procedure, and the U.S. Supreme Court. “Dan has cultivated an illustrious career as both a legal scholar and litigator,” said Partner Rakesh Kilaru. “We are excited to welcome him to the firm and add yet another experienced brief writer and appellate strategist to our team.” An experienced Supreme Court practitioner, Dan’s notable matters include serving as co-counsel for the defendant in Ocasio v. United States and drafting the successful petition for certiorari and merits briefing in Walden v. Fiore. He has also drafted a number of Supreme Court certiorari petitions and amicus briefs, as well as numerous briefs in the federal and state appellate courts. Dan is an …

Benchmark Litigation Names Wilkinson Stekloff a Top 20 Trial Law Firm, Honors Eight Partners

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 …

10 Wilkinson Stekloff Partners Recognized in 2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America

Lawdragon has recognized 10 Wilkinson Stekloff partners in the second edition of its 500 Leading Litigators in America. This guide spotlights attorneys who excel in representing corporations and other market-leading entities in their most significant legal battles.  Lawdragon’s selection process involves extensive independent research into the attorneys making a significant impact on the legal field, with an emphasis on recent matters handled. Those selected for the guide typically have decades of experience in leading roles in state or federal courts, or before government agencies and international adjudicatory entities. They are also chosen for their intellect, wisdom, conduct, and leadership.  The Wilkinson Stekloff partners recognized include: Beth Wilkinson Brian Stekloff Keri Arnold Jeremy Barber Kieran Gostin Rakesh Kilaru Moira Penza Ralia Polechronis James Rosenthal Kosta Stojilkovic

15 Wilkinson Stekloff Attorneys Recognized in 2022 D.C. Pro Bono Honor Roll

D.C. Courts, in partnership with the D.C. Access to Justice Commission and the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center, honored 15 Wilkinson Stekloff attorneys in its 2022 Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll. The Honor Roll, which is jointly sponsored by the District of Columbia Court of Appeals and the Superior Court of D.C., recognizes attorneys who provide 50 or more hours of pro bono services or 100 or more hours of service for the High Honors category. These honorees played a vital role in providing desperately needed legal representation to those living in poverty and/or to disadvantaged small businesses and community-based nonprofits that are critical to the economic well-being of our community. The Wilkinson Stekloff attorneys recognized include: Anastasia Pastan, Counsel (High Honors) Matthew Skanchy, Counsel (High Honors) Tania Martinez, Associate (High Honors) Brian Stekloff, Founding Partner Jeremy Barber, Partner Kieran Gostin, Partner Rakesh Kilaru, Partner Sarah Neuman, Counsel Alison Zoschak, …

Wilkinson Stekloff Partners Named to Benchmark Litigation’s 2023 40 & Under List

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 …

Beth Wilkinson Named “Litigator of the Week” for Leading Microsoft’s Defense of Activision Deal

On July 14, the American Lawyer named Beth Wilkinson its “Litigator of the Week,” and described Wilkinson Stekloff as “the legal equivalent of an elite special ops unit,” for leading Microsoft’s successful defense of its $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. This intensely competitive recognition highlights the entire Wilkinson Stekloff team — including, in addition to Beth, Rakesh Kilaru, Kieran Gostin, Grace Hill, Anastasia Pastan, and Sarah Neuman — for its representation of Microsoft in a five-day evidentiary hearing in late June related to the Federal Trade Commission’s attempt to block Microsoft’s largest-ever acquisition. On July 10, U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley of the Northern District of California denied the FTC’s bid for an injunction to block the deal, finding the agency hadn’t proven that Microsoft was likely to pull the game “Call of Duty” from Sony’s PlayStation “or that its ownership of Activision content will substantially lessen competition in the video …

Wilkinson Stekloff Secures Denial of FTC Motion to Block Microsoft-Activision Blizzard Deal

Wilkinson Stekloff, led by Beth Wilkinson and Rakesh Kilaru, secured a groundbreaking victory for Microsoft, winning the second-biggest merger trial in American history.   On June 12, 2023, the FTC filed a federal lawsuit to enjoin Microsoft’s $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Just four weeks later, Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley denied the FTC’s motion for a preliminary injunction, finding that the Federal Trade Commission failed to make its case that the acquisition would substantially lessen competition in the gaming industry.   Wilkinson Stekloff has served as litigation counsel for Microsoft since the day after the acquisition was announced, in January 2022. Over the following 18 months, the WS team led all aspects of litigation strategy, including developing the factual record and handling more than 40 depositions of company witnesses and experts.   Just weeks before the transaction’s outside closing date of July 18, 2023, the FTC filed suit in the Northern District of California to enjoin the merger. Beth …