In recognition of Wilkinson Stekloff’s work on some of the most consequential trials across the country, The American Lawyer selected the firm among its finalists for the 2024 Industry Awards National Boutique / Specialty Litigation Department of the Year. In addition, Founding Partner Beth Wilkinson was named a finalist in the Litigator of the Year category. This annual awards series celebrates the “most impactful, innovative, and otherwise excellent legal work” from the previous year.
Over the past year, Wilkinson Stekloff has achieved extraordinary results in some of the most complex cases for major clients including Altria, Microsoft, the NCAA, and the NFL. The firm’s most recent accomplishments include winning the second-largest merger trial in American history and the biggest involving a technology company, defeating the Federal Trade Commission’s motion for a preliminary injunction to block Microsoft’s proposed $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, and serving as lead defense negotiator for the groundbreaking, widely publicized $2.77 billion settlement for the NCAA of both backward-looking and forward-looking antitrust claims by broad classes of student-athletes seeking greater compensation and benefits.
Beth’s selection as a Litigator of the Year finalist follows another remarkable year in her storied career as a top trial lawyer. Beth has served as lead counsel in over 50 jury trials, including numerous bet-the company, multibillion-dollar cases, developing an unrivaled record of victories in federal and state courts throughout the country. Most recently, she achieved a major victory for the NFL and its 32 member teams when a California federal judge granted the firm’s post-trial motion for judgment as a matter of law, overturning a jury’s earlier verdict in the class action lawsuit that had challenged the League’s collective licensing of broadcast rights to NFL games, including the exclusive distributorship arrangement with DIRECTV for its Sunday Ticket subscription.
Read the complete list of American Lawyer Industry Awards 2024 finalists here. The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in New York City on November 13.