Wilkinson Stekloff partner Cali Arat has been named to the Daily Journal’s prestigious “Top 40 Under 40” list for 2025. This distinction honors California’s most accomplished young attorneys, and future leaders, across the legal profession.
Cali has spent her first decade of practice at the center of some of the nation’s highest-stakes and most closely watched litigation. She has already served as counsel in seven jury trials—including two as lead—for major clients spanning the pharmaceutical, medical technology, and sports industries.
In Clark v. Monsanto, Cali served as co-lead trial counsel for Bayer alongside Founding Partner Brian Stekloff, securing the first defense verdict in the Roundup litigation. She argued the general causation Daubert motion and examined multiple experts at trial, focusing the jury on the scientific evidence in order to deliver a complete defense win after only one day of deliberation.
Cali later served as lead trial counsel in Frank v. Monsanto, a first-of-its-kind hybrid case alleging that exposure to Roundup and polychlorinated biphenyls (“PCBs”) caused non-Hodgkin lymphoma. She also argued multiple Daubert motions and then conducted voir dire of nearly 100 jurors and examined key witnesses over the course of the three-week trial. The case, along with over a dozen similar matters, resolved favorably for Bayer just before closing arguments.
In reflecting on her recognition, Cali shared that the “intellectual challenges” drew her to trial work. She credits her mentor, Founding Partner Beth Wilkinson, for shaping her approach to advocacy. “The thing that stands out to me most is the importance of authenticity,” Cali said. “As lawyers, authenticity is our currency with the court and with juries.”
Speaking about overcoming obstacles in the courtroom, she emphasized that, especially for the defense, “it is essential to build credibility with the jury over the course of a trial so that they trust your presentation,” allowing you to help them “focus on the evidence in the case, rather than deciding the outcome based on emotion.”
From her early days as a key member of multiple bellwether trial teams to her work as lead counsel on historic, complex, nationwide litigation, Cali has earned a reputation for exceptional presence in the courtroom. Her talent for developing holistic trial strategies, examining expert witnesses, and deftly navigating the most difficult issues in front of a jury has rightfully distinguished her as one of the leading young trial lawyers in the country.