While it operates from offices in Washington, DC, New York, and Los Angeles, Wilkinson Stekloff remains the essence of “litigation boutique.” More specifically, a litigation boutique with a uniquely pronounced emphasis on high-end trial work. Formed in 2016 by veteran DC trial celebrity Beth Wilkinson upon her departure from Paul Weiss, Wilkinson Stekloff has been arguably the most buzz-worthy of law firms, and the appearance of Wilkinson and other firm partners at the forefront of a series of high-stakes trials has more than justified the hype. Wilkinson’s long-held position in the coveted Top 100 Trial Lawyers list remains secure in this edition of Benchmark; she is referenced by other members of that list as an equal on a near-unanimous basis. The firm is a big hit with the clients it serves. “Wilkinson is a truly elite litigation and trial law firm, capable of handling our most critical disputes, both at the trial and appellate level,” testifies one. “They are a law firm that you go to when you absolutely must win. They are strategic, pragmatic, and incredibly responsive. They are terrific across all dimensions of litigation and trial needs.” Another raves, “Wilkinson is second to none in litigation strategy and trial performance. Their lawyers are brilliant, hard driving, creative and truly excellent in a courtroom. I would probably not hire them for routine or low-value litigation, not because they wouldn't do a terrific job, but it would be overkill, like bringing a nuclear weapon to a knife fight.” While Wilkinson’s celebrity is unquestioned and near unanimous among peers, it is also noted that others at the firm have ascended to esteemed positions of their own. “Beth has set up a very focused system that functions extremely well,” observes one contemporary.
Wilkinson and Rakesh Kilaru acted for Microsoft after the Federal Trade Commission filed an administrative complaint in December 2022 to block Microsoft’s proposed $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the largest acquisition in Microsoft’s history. The deal wound up closing after the Wilkinson team declared victory at trial. This landmark and decisive win, which was celebrated as one of the premier “Impact Cases” at the Benchmark 2024 awards ceremony, is still being challenged by the FTC through administrative proceedings. Kilaru is cheered by a client as an example of the “system” alluded to earlier. “Rakesh is a gifted trial and appellate lawyer and deep thinker. He is strategic, adaptable and invariably provides concise, creative and sound advice. He is one of the smartest lawyers I've ever worked with and is probably my first phone call when I have a challenging question. Rakesh has a multi-tool arsenal, and equally skilled at trial, on appeal, and on challenging economic analysis. He is also one of the nicest and easiest people to work with on a daily basis and through challenging times. He is an excellent mentor to his team and leads by example. Beyond cloning himself, I can't think of anything he could do better.” Kilaru, Wilkinson and Brian Stekloff represent the NFL, its 32 member teams, and NFL Enterprises in a certified class-action lawsuit. Plaintiffs’ antitrust claims challenge the NFL’s multibillion-dollar exclusive distributorship arrangement with DIRECTV for Sunday Ticket and the business arrangements whereby the NFL teams collectively license broadcast rights to NFL games. This same team, along with
Moira Penza, represent Altria Group and certain of its subsidiaries in multiple cases arising out of Altria’s minority investment in vaping entity Juul Labs. Stekloff continues to serve as national trial counsel for Monsanto in federal litigation arising out of claims that its popular herbicide Roundup causes non-Hodgkin lymphoma. “Brian can do some of the best crosses I’ve ever seen,” raves a contemporary. “He’s so talented and so likeable.” In another Monsanto-related matter,
Cali Arat served as trial counsel in a first-of-its-kind case to go to trial, involving claims that both exposure to the herbicide Roundup from at-home use and exposure to PCBs through the food chain independently and together caused the plaintiff’s non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
