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 the nonprofit Partnership for Educational Justice (PEJ) where she led the organization’s national impact litigation strategy. Prior to her work at PEJ, she practiced at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP for nearly eight years, during which she represented a wide range of clients while also maintaining a robust pro bono practice in education matters and advocating for women’s reproductive rights.
Julian has represented corporate clients in internal investigations, products liability, consumer class action, and antitrust civil and criminal matters. He also maintains an active pro bono practice, representing clients in custody and divorce proceedings. Before joining Wilkinson Stekloff, he was an associate at Skadden Arps where he focused on securities litigation. Julian graduated from Harvard Law School where he was a member of the Black Law Students Association as well as a member of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau and the Harvard Defenders.
Anastasia has represented clients in a variety of areas including product liability, environmental, and contract matters. She maintains an active pro bono practice, representing clients in trial and post-conviction matters. Recently, she represented a class of plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the Missouri Department of Corrections and its private medical provider. During law school, Anastasia interned for the Federal Defenders of New York and for the judges of the Suffolk County Juvenile Court.