Lawdragon Once Again Recognizes Wilkinson Stekloff Partners Among Its 2025 500 Leading Litigators in America

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

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

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

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

Wilkinson Stekloff Helps Secure Win Blocking Arizona “Fetal Personhood” Law

A federal district court has granted a preliminary injunction preventing a 2021 law that grants “personhood” rights to fetuses, embryos, and fertilized eggs from being used to prohibit abortion care in Arizona. The emergency motion for an injunction was filed by the Center for Reproductive Rights, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), ACLU of Arizona, and Wilkinson Stekloff LLP on behalf of the Arizona Medical Association, the Arizona National Council of Jewish Women, Arizona NOW, and two abortion providers, Dr. Paul Isaacson and Dr. Eric Reuss. “The district court decision blocking the enforcement of Arizona’s personhood law helps protect Arizonans from civil and criminal penalties stemming from the provision of abortion care,” said Wilkinson Stekloff partner Ralia Polechronis. “Before this significant ruling, confusion and fear created by this vague provision were resulting in Arizonans being deprived of access to essential and time-sensitive healthcare. We are proud to have achieved this meaningful victory …

Wilkinson Stekloff Lawyers Named to LCLD 2022 Class

Wilkinson Stekloff is pleased to announce its selection of three rising leaders to participate in the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) Fellows and Pathfinder Programs. LCLD prepares future generations of diverse talent for the highest positions of leadership, and their programs are a premier professional development platform designed for diverse, high-potential attorneys. This year, Wilkinson Stekloff is sponsoring Partner Ralia Polechronis as a Fellow and Associates Julian Jiggetts and Anastasia Pastan as Pathfinders.   Lawyers selected for the LCLD programs demonstrate leadership skills, impact in their organization, engagement within the community, and commitment to diversity and inclusion. Participants will receive professional and personal development opportunities, leadership training, and relationship-building opportunities, including access to LCLD members and alumni throughout the year-long program.  Ralia is an experienced litigator who represents Fortune 500 companies in bet-the-company litigation ranging from antitrust, products liability, contract disputes and general commercial litigation.  Before joining Wilkinson Stekloff, she served as the Executive Director and General Counsel of …

Wilkinson Stekloff Secures Dismissal of FTC Antitrust Complaint Against Altria Group 

Wilkinson Stekloff served as lead trial counsel for Altria Group, Inc. in an adversarial administrative proceeding before the FTC. The FTC alleged that Altria and JUUL Labs, Inc. (JLI) violated the antitrust laws through Altria’s purchase of a minority interest in JLI and was seeking to require Altria to divest.    On February 24, 2022, a ruling by Chief Administrative Law Judge D. Michael Chappell dismissed in their entirety claims by the FTC that Altria and JLI violated antitrust laws through Altria’s $12.8 billion purchase of a 35% interest in JLI. The FTC sought to require Altria to divest its interest in JLI in a three-week-long adversarial administrative proceeding last summer. At trial, 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. Moira Penza led the presentation of the scientific evidence and examined Altria’s scientists. The Wilkinson Stekloff trial team also …

2021 Year In Review

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 …

Crain’s New York Selects Partners Moira Penza and Ralia Polechronis as “Notable Women in Law”

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Wilkinson Stekloff is pleased to congratulate Partners Moira Penza and Ralia Polechronis on being named 2022 Notable Women in Law by Crain’s New York Business. The elite list of 119 lawyers includes women in all areas of law in New York City and surrounding counties who have been practicing for at least ten years and have attained a leadership role at their firms. Crain’s writes that honorees were chosen “not only for their skills and accomplishments in the courtroom, but for their leadership outside of it.” Moira Penza is an accomplished litigator with a record of success winning high-stakes civil and criminal trials. Her work has been recognized through industry accolades such as Bloomberg Law’s 2021 They’ve Got Next: The 40 Under 40; Benchmark Litigation’s 2021 40 and Under Hot List; and Law 360’s list of 2020 Rising Stars in the prestigious “Trials” category. Moira is a lifelong …

Wilkinson Stekloff Delivers Pre-Trial Win for Medtronic and Covidien in Hernia Mesh Litigation

A U.S. District Court Judge handed down a decisive victory for Medtronic and Covidien in litigation arising from claims that one of their hernia mesh products has design and manufacturing defects, and that the company provided inadequate warnings about the risks of the hernia mesh. Wilkinson Stekloff Founding Partner Brian Stekloff led the victory in Northrup v. Covidien (C.D. Cal.) by obtaining key admissions from Plaintiff’s expert that were quoted extensively in the Court’s opinion dismissing the case. Brian Stekloff also led oral argument before Judge Dean Pregerson on Defendants’ motions to exclude the opinions of Plaintiff’s expert and for summary judgment. Judge Pregerson agreed with Defendants’ arguments, and, on November 24, ruled that all of Plaintiff’s expert’s opinions were inadmissible under Daubert and that Plaintiff’s claims could not proceed in the absence of admissible expert support. Judge Pregerson dismissed the case in its entirety. Northrup v. Covidien had been set to go to trial …