Wilkinson Stekloff is proud to announce that Partners Keri Arnold, Moira Penza, and Ralia Polechronis have been recognized by Crain’s New York Business among its Notable Women in Law. This honor from one of New York’s premier business publications celebrates women leaders in the legal profession who demonstrate excellence in their practice while serving as role models and mentors for the next generation of attorneys. Keri Arnold is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers with more than twenty years of experience defending Fortune 500 corporations in high-stakes litigation. A true trial attorney, she has served as first-chair counsel in over a dozen cases tried to verdict on behalf of major pharmaceutical, tobacco, and energy companies. Keri currently represents a 3M Company in the sprawling AFFF multidistrict products liability litigation—the most significant PFAS matter in the country—and Exxon Mobil in its massive climate change litigation. She also serves …
Wilkinson Stekloff Celebrates 10 Years with a Look Back at 2025 Achievements
February 2, 2026
As we celebrate our 10th anniversary, we remember our beloved colleagues and friends Elizabeth Keys and Sarah Lee Best, whose lives were among those tragically lost in the airplane crash above Reagan National Airport a year ago. Liz and Sarah left an enduring mark on our firm and on all of us as individuals. We have kept them in our hearts and minds and always will. To honor their memories, we endowed scholarships in their names at their law school alma maters, Georgetown and Pennsylvania. With the support of our clients and colleagues, those scholarships have been fully funded and will aid new generations of lawyers in carrying on Liz’s and Sarah’s legacies. Continuing our tradition of excellence, in 2025 Wilkinson Stekloff again achieved landmark results spanning a variety of high-stakes matters, further entrenching the firm as the premier trial litigation boutique in the nation. Our recent successes include: As …
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 …
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 …
Wilkinson Stekloff Named Trial Firm of the Year by Benchmark Litigation For Second Straight Year
March 12, 2025
Benchmark Litigation honored Wilkinson Stekloff as the “Trial Firm of the Year” at their 2025 U.S. Awards on March 7, the second year in a row that the firm has received that recognition. Benchmark’s recognition stems from another outstanding year of high-profile trials for Wilkinson Stekloff. Led by founding partners Beth Wilkinson and Brian Stekloff, and partner Rakesh Kilaru, the firm led the NFL’s defense of their “Sunday Ticket” subscription package, scoring a total victory for the NFL. Devastating cross-examinations of Plaintiffs’ experts by Beth and Brian led to the Judge granting post-trial Daubert motions and judgment as a matter of law, wiping out a $4.7 billion verdict prior to trebling. The firm also was shortlisted for “Boutique Firm of the Year” and “D.C. Firm of the Year,” while Beth and Brian were named for the second year in a row as finalists for “Trial Lawyer of the Year” and …
Lawdragon Once Again Recognizes Wilkinson Stekloff Partners Among Its 2025 500 Leading Litigators in America
September 12, 2024
Lawdragon once again recognized Wilkinson Stekloff partners in the third 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, emphasizing 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 ten 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
10 Wilkinson Stekloff Partners Recognized in 2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America
September 15, 2023
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
Ralia Polechronis Named 2023 Notable Woman in Law by Crain’s New York Business
June 20, 2023
Ralia Polechronis has been named a 2023 Notable Woman in Law by Crain’s New York Business. This annual list recognizes exemplary women in the legal profession for their outstanding professional achievements, pro bono work, and involvement with industry and community organizations. Ralia is a highly skilled litigator representing Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies in complex commercial actions including antitrust, products liability, breach of contract, and other matters. Most recently, Ralia represented a chemical manufacturer in a bellwether trial that was recently continued and related to alleged contamination in a public water supply. In addition, following the Supreme Court of the United States’ decision in Dobbs v. Jackson, Ralia led Wilkinson Stekloff’s team in helping to convince a federal district court judge to grant a preliminary injunction preventing a 2021 law granting “personhood” rights to fetuses, embryos, and fertilized eggs from being used to prohibit abortion care in Arizona. She …
Nine Wilkinson Stekloff Partners Recognized in 2022 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America
October 31, 2022
Lawdragon has honored nine Wilkinson Stekloff partners in its inaugural 500 Leading Litigators in America guide dedicated to those attorneys who excel representing principally corporations and other organizations in litigating claims. Honorees were selected from a record number of submissions and independent research focused on recent cases and defense verdicts or settlements, as well as attorneys whose sustained excellence in trials is nothing short of remarkable. The Wilkinson Stekloff partners recognized include: Beth Wilkinson Brian Stekloff Jeremy Barber Kieran Gostin Rakesh Kilaru Moira Penza Ralia Polechronis James Rosenthal Kosta Stojilkovic