Moira Penza has been recognized among the New York Law Journal’s 2023 Rising Stars. This award honors the Empire State’s most promising lawyers who are 40 and under, based on a wide range of factors including the significance and complexity of work. Moira is first and foremost a trial lawyer with a record of success leading and winning high-stakes civil and criminal cases. She recently served as trial counsel defending Altria Group, Inc. and certain of its subsidiaries in the first government entity bellwether trial, brought by the San Francisco Unified School District, in multi-district litigation arising out of Altria’s minority investment in JUUL Labs, Inc. Just one day after Moira and the Wilkinson Stekloff team completed cross-examinations in the plaintiff’s case and the defense case was about to begin, the plaintiffs agreed to a global settlement with Altria that resolved the personal injury, consumer class action, and government entity …
Wilkinson Stekloff Partners Named to Benchmark Litigation’s 2023 Top 250 Women in Litigation; Beth Wilkinson Recognized Among Top 10
August 3, 2023
For the third consecutive year, Beth Wilkinson was named to Benchmark Litigation’s prestigious Top 10 Women in Litigation, an elite subset of the Top 250 Women in Litigation that celebrates recipients of the most robust and vocal “best-in-class” nominations throughout Benchmark`s research cycle. In addition, Cali Arat (née Cope-Kasten), Keri Arnold, and Moira Penza were also selected to the Top 250 Women in Litigation Guide, which honors women who have participated in some of the most impactful litigation matters in recent history, and earned the hard-won respect of their peers and clients as top players in their respective fields. Beth has served as lead counsel in over 50 jury trials, including numerous bet-the company, multibillion-dollar cases. She has developed an unrivaled record of victories in federal and state courts throughout the country. Most recently, Beth was lead trial counsel for Microsoft in the FTC’s challenge to Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition …
Wilkinson Stekloff Partners Named to Benchmark Litigation’s 2023 40 & Under List
August 1, 2023
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
July 17, 2023
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 $69 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 …
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 …
Wilkinson Stekloff Ranked Among 2023 Trial Elite
June 14, 2023
In recognition of Wilkinson Stekloff’s work on some of the most consequential trials across the antitrust, product liability, and sports landscape, legal industry research outlets Chambers and Partners and The Legal 500 have ranked the firm among the trial elite in their recently released 2023 editions. Chambers has maintained Wilkinson Stekloff’s position as one of the country’s most highly sought litigation boutiques, ranking it for General Commercial Litigation (DC) — The Elite (Band 3) and Product Liability & Mass Torts (USA-Nationwide) – The Elite (Band 4). Chambers also recognized Partners Beth Wilkinson (Star Individual in Trial Lawyers USA-Nationwide, Product Liability & Mass Torts Nationwide, General Commercial, DC, and Sports Law Nationwide, Band 4) and Brian Stekloff (Product Liability & Mass Torts Nationwide, Band 5). Wilkinson Stekloff is also newly noted as a “Firm to Watch” in Antitrust — Civil Litigation/Class Action Defense by The Legal 500, and is newly ranked …
Wilkinson Stekloff, Brian Stekloff Shortlisted in Four 2023 Benchmark Litigation Awards Categories
January 18, 2023
Benchmark Litigation has announced shortlists for its 2023 U.S. awards, naming Wilkinson Stekloff a finalist in two firm categories and Founding Partner Brian Stekloff a finalist in two individual categories. The firm has been shortlisted for Trial Firm of the Year as well as top D.C. firm in Benchmark’s state-by-state recognitions, while Brian has been shortlisted for Trial Lawyer of the Year and top Product Liability Litigator in the practice-area awards given to individual attorneys. The winners will be announced at a Wednesday, March 15, event in New York City. The past year has cemented Wilkinson Stekloff’s position as the leading trial boutique in the country. In 2022, the firm represented Bayer in national products liability litigation concerning Roundup and PCBs; 3M in national products liability litigation about PFAS groundwater levels; Microsoft in the FTC’s challenge to its proposed $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard; and Altria in a range of high-profile cases related …
Wilkinson Stekloff Celebrates 2022 Achievements
January 9, 2023
The past twelve months have cemented Wilkinson Stekloff’s position as the leading trial boutique in the country. On the heels of two high-profile trial wins and other significant victories in 2021, 2022 saw the firm take on a litigation docket unlike any other, including representing: In each of these and other “bet-the-company” cases, clients turn to Wilkinson Stekloff for leadership, strategic guidance, and execution, from the boardroom to the courtroom. The firm’s ongoing matters also include high-stakes disputes and governmental investigations that have not become public or advanced to litigation. To meet these challenges, the 35-lawyer team led by Beth Wilkinson and Brian Stekloff has remained committed to exclusively recruiting top-tier talent and growing its bench of trial lawyers capable of handling any case for clients. This past year, the firm welcomed two new partners — Keri Arnold and Grace Hill — recently mentioned in Bloomberg Law as two of ten high-profile “gets” by boutique firms in 2022. With over 20 years’ …
The Washingtonian Honors Beth Wilkinson with Top Lawyers Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award
September 21, 2022
Beth Wilkinson has been honored by the Washingtonian with the Top Lawyers Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award. This recognition is reserved for Washington, D.C.-based lawyers noted as a Top Lawyer by the publication for at least 10 of the past 15 years. The annual Top Lawyers list is put together strictly through a peer voting process where hundreds of local lawyers are asked whom they would trust if they needed legal counsel themselves. The names included on this “Lifetime Achievement” honor roll are noted as the best among their peers. Among her many accolades, Beth is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, a member of the American Law Institute (ALI), and a Legal 500 Leading Trial Lawyer. She has been named a Litigator of the Year by The American Lawyer, a Law360 Trial Ace and Trial MVP, and a National Law Journal Winning Litigator. Chambers and Partners …
Three Wilkinson Stekloff Partners Recognized in the National Law Journal Legal Awards 2022
September 9, 2022
The National Law Journal has recognized three Wilkinson Stekloff partners in its 2022 Legal Awards. The prestigious annual series highlights the top litigation and appellate work of law firms and attorneys from the previous year. Wilkinson Stekloff had more individuals distinguished than any other firm. Partners Cali Cope-Kasten and Rakesh Kilaru were both named Rising Stars, while Founding Partner Brian Stekloff is a finalist in the “Winning Litigators” category. The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., on October 20. Cali made partner in early 2022, fresh off acting as trial counsel to help secure the first win for Monsanto in the Roundup mass tort litigation. She has played a critical role in six jury trials, three of which were federal multi-district litigation bellwether cases, and two bench trials. She has argued numerous motions in state and federal courts at the trial and appellate level and is serving as trial counsel for Monsanto in …