Wilkinson Stekloff Partners Rakesh Kilaru, Kosta Stojilkovic Again Named to Benchmark Litigation’s “40 & Under Hot List”

WASHINGTON – For the second consecutive year, Wilkinson Stekloff partners Rakesh Kilaru and Kosta Stojilkovic have been selected as leading litigation attorneys in Benchmark Litigation’s 2019 “40 & Under Hot List.” The annual ranking recognizes the “best and brightest law firm partners who stand out in their practices throughout the US” and who are “among the top young talent in their respective litigation communities.”

“Rakesh and Kosta continue to demonstrate what it means to be stellar attorneys and exemplary role models,” said Wilkinson Stekloff Founding Partner Beth Wilkinson. “Their back-to-back recognitions from Benchmark validate the unparalleled performance that we see on a daily basis in the office and in the courtroom. On behalf of the entire firm, we are so proud of their accomplishments and look forward to their continued success.”

Kosta and Rakesh joined Wilkinson Stekloff from the federal government. Kosta was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia, where he tried financial crime and public corruption cases. Rakesh served as a Special Assistant to the President and Associate Counsel in the Office of White House Counsel.

In 2019, Kosta served as trial counsel for pharmaceutical founder and philanthropist Dr. John Kapoor in a four-month jury trial in federal court in Boston.  After 15 days of deliberation, the jury returned a verdict for the government.  Kosta is now leading Dr. Kapoor’s post-trial efforts.

Rakesh began the year serving as trial counsel for Monsanto in the first-ever federal court trial over allegations that the company’s popular herbicide Roundup causes Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.  Rakesh is also helping lead the development and implementation of Monsanto’s strategy for further proceedings in the MDL. 

Kosta and Rakesh currently represent the members of the Executive Council of the Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake, a federally-recognized sovereign Indian nation, in a putative class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, regarding the Tribe’s online lending business.

Benchmark selected Kilaru and Stojilkovic based on their recent case work, peer reviews, and feedback from clients. This honor is the latest in a number of firm-wide rankings and individual attorney recognitions by Benchmark, which has deemed Wilkinson Stekloff a “litigator’s dream shop” that is “making waves in the legal industry.”

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