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 …
Wilkinson Stekloff Founding Partner Beth Wilkinson Recognized as 2021 Power Player by Sports Business Journal
October 26, 2021
Founding Partner Beth Wilkinson has been recognized as a 2021 Power Player by Sports Business Journal. Beth has been lead counsel in over 50 jury trials, including numerous bet-the-company, multibillion-dollar cases. Her work on high-stakes, headline-making sports matters is particularly well known . Beth has handled some of the most significant litigation shaping professional and college sports today, including serving as lead trial counsel for the NCAA in antitrust lawsuits brought by current and former student-athletes challenging NCAA rules limiting the compensation student-athletes may receive. In addition, Beth was lead counsel for the NFL, its 32 member teams, and NFL Enterprises in a putative class action lawsuit challenging the NFL’s multibillion-dollar exclusive distributorship arrangement with DIRECTV for Sunday Ticket and the business arrangements whereby the NFL teams collectively license the broadcast rights to NFL Games.
Wilkinson Stekloff Wins First-Ever Jury Verdict for Monsanto in Roundup Mass Tort Litigation
October 6, 2021
After a single day of deliberation, a jury delivered the first-ever verdict for Monsanto yesterday in Clark v. Monsanto, a trial involving claims that the herbicide Roundup causes Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. Wilkinson Stekloff Founding Partner Brian Stekloff first-chaired the trial; Associate Cali Cope-Kasten handled several witnesses, and Partner Kieran Gostin advised on all aspects of trial strategy. Clark was the fourth case in this mass tort to go to trial; the three previous trials resulted in verdicts against Monsanto ranging from $81 million to over $2 billion. Clark was also the first case involving a child plaintiff. The victory was the product of a comprehensive trial strategy. Shortly after being retained as lead trial counsel, Brian convinced the judge to “reverse bifurcate” the case into a first phase focused on causation and a second phase focused on liability and damages. The ruling marked the first time a state court judge has …
Wilkinson Stekloff Partner Moira Penza Quoted in Coverage of High-Profile Trials
October 1, 2021
Journalists regularly call on Wilkinson Stekloff Partner Moira Penza to serve as a source for their reporting. Moira’s extensive experience on cases receiving intense media attention, and her knowledge of trial strategy, enable her to provide context and insight that helps reporters accurately communicate important nuances of trials to their readers. Over the past two months, Moria has provided substantive commentary on strategy in the R. Kelly trial to outlets including NPR, The Daily Beast, CNN, and, most recently, The New York Times, in which she provided analysis of the defense’s cross-examination technique. Moira brings this same deep experience in courtroom strategy to her work on behalf of Wilkinson Stekloff clients, and the firm is fortunate to have her on the team.
Wilkinson Stekloff Wins Landmark Immigration Appeal
August 26, 2021
Washington, D.C. — Wilkinson Stekloff associates Chanakya Sethi and Alison Zoschak have secured a major pro bono win in the Ninth Circuit, convincing the court that non-citizens facing reinstatement of prior deportation orders have a right to counsel in their removal proceedings. Chan was appointed to represent Walter Orozco-Lopez as a member of the Ninth Circuit’s pro bono panel and argued the case in April 2021. The precedential decision could affect thousands of individuals in the Ninth Circuit each year. The federal government has for the last decade deported upwards of 100,000 people annually under an expedited procedure that allows for reinstatement of earlier deportation orders. Unlike non-citizens in ordinary removal proceedings, these individuals have been denied the right to an attorney when they have challenged their deportation on the grounds that they fear return to their native countries. Chan and Alison argued that the Immigration and Nationality Act codifies …
Wilkinson Stekloff Partner Kieran Gostin Featured in Law.com’s “How I Made Partner” Series
August 16, 2021
For its series asking top-tier lawyers about their rise, and the advice they would offer up-and-coming lawyers, Law.com recently featured Wilkinson Stekloff partner Kieran Gostin. Kieran on the biggest surprise about becoming a partner: “…I came to realize that, in many ways, making partner is just the start of your career, and definitely not the culminating event that it can seem like when you are just starting out.” Kieran’s advice to young associates who want to make partner: “We are in a client-service business, and it is never too early to really start putting yourself in that mindset every day and focusing on how you can help your clients succeed. COVID-19 has not changed that advice.” Kieran was also recently featured on Benchmark Litigation’s 40 & Under Hot List for the second year in a row, and was named a 2020 National Law Journal D.C. Rising Star. He was recently part …