Lawdragon has named five Wilkinson Stekloff partners to its 2022 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America. The 500 honorees were selected through submissions, journalistic research, and input from editorial advisors. The annual distinction covers the best of the best in all practice areas. The Wilkinson Stekloff 2022 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers are Beth Wilkinson, Brian Stekloff, Rakesh Kilaru, James Rosenthal, and Kosta Stojilkovic.
Wilkinson Stekloff Lawyers Named to LCLD 2022 Class
March 4, 2022
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
March 2, 2022
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 …
D.C. Court of Appeals Affirms Trial Win for First Wilkinson Stekloff Pro Bono Victory of 2022
February 28, 2022
Cali Cope-Kasten recently won an appeal at the D.C. Court of Appeals affirming her earlier trial win in Brian Macklin v. Janai Johnson, a complex and contentious divorce and child custody case. The appeal followed a five-day trial in D.C. Superior Court at which Cali and the Wilkinson Stekloff team, representing their client pro bono, won primary physical custody of the parties’ five children, tie-breaking authority in legal custody, and a 40% interest in the parties’ marital home. The Court’s 32-page opinion affirmed Ms. Johnson’s victory on all issues and gives hope to other women in Ms. Johnson’s position, “hold[ing] as a matter of first impression that substantial homemaker services can indeed entitle a spouse to an equitable interest in real property purchased by the other spouse before the marriage and used as the family home.” This is the first pro bono victory of 2022 for the Wilkinson Stekloff team and comes on the heels …
Rakesh Kilaru Appears on CNN’s The Lead to Discuss the Vetting Process of Potential Supreme Court Nominees
February 2, 2022
Partner Rakesh Kilaru appeared on CNN’s The Lead to discuss how White House lawyers are likely approaching the vetting process underway for President Biden’s potential Supreme Court nominees. “A president always wants to be ready for a Supreme Court nomination, and so I’m sure lawyers in the White House have taken a close look at a lot of potential candidates,” Rakesh said. “What I imagine is happening now is a lot of fast-moving action to try to figure out who the right person is from a political and from a legal perspective. In particular, by making sure there are no red flags in the background.” Prior to joining Wilkinson Stekloff, Rakesh clerked for Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan and served as Special Assistant to the President and Associate Counsel in the Office of White House Counsel. During his time at the White House, Rakesh played a lead role in the selection process for President …
2021 Year In Review
January 26, 2022
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 …
Wilkinson Stekloff Secures Asylum for Client in Pro Bono Victory
January 6, 2022
Working pro bono on behalf of an immigrant seeking asylum from the ongoing armed conflict in Cameroon, Wilkinson Stekloff associates Sarah Neuman and Alison Zoschak delivered a victory for their client in Arlington Immigration Court in Virginia just before the Christmas holiday. The team — which also included partner James Rosenthal, legal assistant Jack Satti, and case manager Patrick O’Keefe — represented an English-speaking teacher from Cameroon who was repeatedly detained and tortured by the Cameroonian government and also received a death threat from the separatist fighters who oppose that same government. “Our client is passionate about education,” Sarah explained. He was a youth activist, and starting in 2013, he took on a leadership role in an organization focused on youth empowerment. The government mistook the organization’s meetings, which took place in the Anglophone regions of the country, as opposition party meetings. From that time forward, the client was on the …
Wilkinson Stekloff Announces Promotions
January 4, 2022
Wilkinson Stekloff is pleased to announce that Cali Cope-Kasten has been promoted to partner, and Max Warren and Hayter Whitman have been promoted to counsel, effective January 1, 2022. All three attorneys have been with the firm since its founding in 2016. “Cases are won by tight-knit teams of smart, innovative, and highly skilled litigators united by a common commitment to excellence,” said WS Founding Partner Brian Stekloff. “These three lawyers have demonstrated those qualities in numerous, high-stakes trials and other cases throughout their careers. We are proud of the many successes they have achieved on behalf of our clients, and look forward to their continued contributions.” Cali Cope-Kasten has served as a key member of several trial teams, including most recently securing the groundbreaking verdict for Monsanto in Clark v. Monsanto, at which she was trial counsel. She represents corporate clients across a diverse set of industries, from pharmaceuticals …
Crain’s New York Selects Partners Moira Penza and Ralia Polechronis as “Notable Women in Law”
December 21, 2021
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 Welcomes New Class of Associates
December 7, 2021
Wilkinson Stekloff is pleased to announce the addition of eight associates. The new class is the largest and most diverse in the firm’s history. “Cases are won by teams who share different perspectives but are united by a common commitment to excellence. We are proud to have recruited some of the best and brightest young lawyers to form the largest and most diverse class Wilkinson Stekloff has had the privilege of welcoming since our founding in 2016,” said Beth Wilkinson, founding partner, Wilkinson Stekloff. “We are excited to have this talented group join our team,” added Wilkinson Stekloff Founding Partner Brian Stekloff. “Our attorneys appear in front of jury pools that represent all of America and our lawyers need to reflect that. It is critical for us to hire diverse attorneys and give them meaningful trial experience and client exposure.” The WS team reflects the firm’s ongoing commitment to talent …