Over the past year, Wilkinson Stekloff has continued to reinforce its standing as the leading trial litigation boutique in the country, delivering market-moving results for its clients. The firm’s recent accomplishments include:
- NFL: Wilkinson Stekloff represented the NFL and its 32 member clubs in a class action brought by residential and commercial subscribers of NFL Sunday Ticket in the Central District of California. Plaintiffs sought over $21 billion in damages post-trebling as well as injunctive relief that would undermine the NFL’s entire broadcast model. Wilkinson Stekloff won judgment as a matter of law for the NFL on all claims after trial.
- NCAA: Wilkinson Stekloff represented longtime client the NCAA in a groundbreaking settlement of antitrust claims brought by broad classes of student-athletes seeking greater compensation and benefits. Preliminary approval of the $2.78 billion settlement, one of the largest and most consequential litigation settlements in sports and antitrust history, was granted on October 7, 2024.
- Microsoft: Wilkinson Stekloff continues to represent Microsoft in defense of its $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, both on the Federal Trade Commission’s appeal pending in the Ninth Circuit and in the FTC’s challenge to the merger through an administrative proceeding. In 2023, Wilkinson Stekloff won the second-largest merger trial in American history, and the biggest involving a technology company, by defeating the FTC’s motion for a preliminary injunction to block the acquisition.
- Plaid: Wilkinson Stekloff represented Plaid, a financial services company, against claims that its service infringed trademarks of PNC, one of the country’s largest banks. Plaid prevailed in whole or in part on all four Daubert motions challenging the reliability PNC’s four expert witnesses. The case then settled on the eve of trial, and the parties announced an important forward-looking partnership.
The firm also continued its commitment to pro bono work — building on the more than 100 pro bono matters it has handled since the firm’s founding in 2016. Wilkinson Stekloff attorneys took on matters across areas including family law, immigration, post-conviction representation, appeals, and filing amicus briefs.
In November, Associates Dhruti Patel and Tania Martinez, with assistance from Counsel Sarah Neuman, obtained a decisive victory in an asylum matter for a gay man who had endured a lifetime of discrimination and persecution in his home country of Colombia. The firm also prevailed in two pro bono appeals this fall on behalf of incarcerated individuals seeking the ability to file civil actions without payment of filing fees. Associates Logan Page and Dhruti Patel secured a unanimous precedential decision from the Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit that allowed the client to continue pursuing claims related to the treatment of a serious medical condition. Additionally, Associate Jeremy Shur secured a decision from the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit that preserved the right of the client to seek an exemption from filing fees when pursuing future actions related to the violation of his civil rights.
Wilkinson Stekloff’s 40-lawyer team, led by Beth Wilkinson and Brian Stekloff, has remained committed to recruiting top-tier talent and growing its bench of trial lawyers capable of handling any case for clients. In 2024, the firm welcomed back Counsel Roxy Guidero. Roxy has helped her clients navigate some of their most challenging and complex legal issues in courts from coast to coast, and provided strategic counseling to international clients. She is a Lecturer in Law at the University of Southern California (USC) Gould School of Law, teaching courses on Contracts and Antitrust. Upon her return to the firm, Roxy quickly became an integral member of the trial team that secured a complete victory for the NFL against challenges to the distribution of its Sunday Ticket subscription package. Wilkinson Stekloff also continued its tradition of training the next generation of trial lawyers, selecting a class of 10 associates from top-tier law schools and prestigious clerkships, and accepting four exceptional law students into its summer associate program.
Dedicated to the continued development of high-potential, early-career attorneys from diverse backgrounds, the firm selected Associates Caroline Li and Tania Martinez to participate in the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) Pathfinder Program. Lawyers selected for this program demonstrate leadership skills, a positive impact on their organization, engagement within the community, and a commitment to diversity and inclusion.
The many contributions and achievements of the Wilkinson Stekloff team have led to a bevy of recognitions and accolades this year, including:
- The American Lawyer selected the firm as its “National Boutique / Specialty Litigation Department of the Year” at the 2024 Industry Awards. Beth Wilkinson was named a finalist in the Litigator of the Year category.
- Benchmark Litigation honored Wilkinson Stekloff with its “Trial Firm of the Year” and “Impact Case of the Year” awards at its 12th Annual U.S. Awards Ceremony. The firm was also shortlisted for “Boutique Firm of the Year” and “D.C. Firm of the Year,” Beth Wilkinson was shortlisted for “Trial Lawyer of the Year” and “Antitrust Litigator of the Year,” and Brian Stekloff was shortlisted for “Product Liability Litigator of the Year.”
- The American Lawyer recognized Wilkinson Stekloff’s major victory on behalf of the NFL and its 32 member teams, naming Beth Wilkinson, Brian Stekloff, and Rakesh Kilaru its “Litigators of the Week.”
- Global Competition Review recognized Wilkinson Stekloff at its 14th annual awards ceremony for its work as lead trial counsel for Microsoft in the FTC’s challenge to Microsoft’s $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard Inc. The transaction was selected for “Matter of the Year,” and “Control Matter of the Year: Americas.”
- Beth Wilkinson was selected as the Chambers and Partners’ national “Outstanding Individual.” Chambers and Partners’ 2024 guide for the U.S. ranked Wilkinson Stekloff in the District of Columbia for General Commercial Litigation — The Elite (Band 2) and Antitrust (Band 5); nationwide for Product Liability & Mass Torts — The Elite (Band 4); and nationwide for Sports Law (Band 4). In addition, Beth Wilkinson, Brian Stekloff, Keri Arnold, and Rakesh Kilaru received individual recognitions.
- Law360 recognized Rakesh Kilaru as an “MVP for Sports & Betting,” and included the firm among its “Competition Practice Groups of the Year.” Law360 also recognized our trial team representing the NFL and its member teams as “Legal Lions of the Week.”
- The 2025 Benchmark Litigation Guide recognized Wilkinson Stekloff as a “Top 20 Trial Firm,” as well as “Tier 1” for Commercial Litigation, a “Top Boutique,” and “Highly Recommended” for Dispute Resolution in D.C. In addition, Beth Wilkinson and Brian Stekloff were recognized as “Top 100 Trial Lawyers”; Cali Arat, Keri Arnold, Rakesh Kilaru, Moira Penza, and Kosta Stojilkovic were recognized as “Litigation Stars”; and Kieran Gostin was recognized as a “Future Star.” Benchmark Litigation also named Beth Wilkinson to its prestigious “Top 10 Women in Litigation” list for the fourth year in a row, and Cali Arat, Keri Arnold, and Moira Penza were recognized among the “Top 250 Women in Litigation.” Cali Arat, Rakesh Kilaru, and Moira Penza were also named to the “2024 Benchmark Litigation 40 & Under” list.
- The Legal 500 guide for the U.S. maintained Wilkinson Stekloff’s top-tier status in the prestigious Leading Trial Lawyers category for Dispute Resolution and its Tier 4 ranking in Sports. The firm improved its rankings in Product Liability, Mass Tort, and Class Action Defense for Toxic Tort (Tier 2) and Consumer Products Including Tobacco (Tier 3), and was newly ranked in Antitrust Civil Litigation/Class Action Defense (Tier 5) and Product Liability, Mass Tort, and Class Action Defense for Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices (Tier 3). In addition, Beth Wilkinson, Brian Stekloff, Cali Arat, Keri Arnold, Kieran Gostin, Rakesh Kilaru, James Rosenthal, and Kosta Stojilkovic received individual recognitions.
- Crain’s New York Business recognized Jeremy Barber as a “Notable Leader in Law.”
- Beth Wilkinson and Rakesh Kilaru were named joint “Winning Litigators” at the 2024 National Law Journal Legal Awards. Sarah Neuman was recognized by this outlet as a “Rising Star.”
- Beth Wilkinson was also recognized in the Hollywood Reporter’s “Power Lawyers,” named a “Leading Commercial Litigator” by the Daily Journal, and inducted into Lawdragon’s “Hall of Fame.”
- Lawdragon recognized 10 Wilkinson Stekloff partners in its “500 Leading Litigators in America”: Beth Wilkinson, Brian Stekloff, Keri Arnold, Jeremy Barber, Kieran Gostin, Rakesh Kilaru, Moira Penza, Ralia Polechronis, James Rosenthal, and Kosta Stojilkovic.
- Vault recognized Wilkinson Stekloff among the best “Litigation Specialty” law firms, as voted by associates at peer firms, as well as the “Top 150 Under 150.” The firm was also recognized among Vault’s “Best Midsize Law Firms to Work For” in 13 categories.
- Wilkinson Stekloff placed among the top five firms with fewer than 100 attorneys in the 2024 Law360 Pulse pro bono ranking, and 11 of the firm’s attorneys were honored in the 2023 Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll, which was published in 2024.
- Legal Aid DC recognized Wilkinson Stekloff among the top fundraisers for its 2024 Making Justice Real Campaign. With 100% participation among attorneys for the fourth year running, the firm raised the most money in its category of firms with 25 to 49 attorneys, as well as firms with 50 to 74 attorneys and 75 to 99 attorneys.
Wilkinson Stekloff is immensely proud to reflect on our 2024 accomplishments and eager to tackle the challenges to come in 2025, delivering excellent service and wins to our clients.