Wilkinson Stekloff > Washington DC, United States > Firm Profile

Wilkinson Stekloff > Firm Profile

In just over five years, Wilkinson Stekloff has established itself as the leading trial litigation boutique in the country. Our innovative business model allows us to serve our clients efficiently while maintaining our commitment to developing the next generation of trial lawyers. Our clients have included heavy-hitters in a wide range of industries, including Allergan, Bayer, Facebook, FedEx, Georgia Pacific, Medtronic, Monsanto, the NCAA, the NFL, Pfizer, Altria Group Inc., and Philip Morris USA––all of which have come to rely on Wilkinson Stekloff as a go-to trial firm that can handle some of their toughest matters.

We have achieved successful outcomes for our clients before, during, and after trial in some of the toughest jurisdictions in America, with a growing bench of trial lawyers capable of handling any case. Our attorneys have now tried almost 20 cases to verdict since the firm opened its doors. And, since the firm’s founding, eight partners have had first- or second-chair roles in prominent trials, and many more have achieved significant on-their-feet experience, including through pro bono cases. We know that trials are won by tight-knit teams of smart, innovative, and highly skilled litigators committed to delivering excellent results for their clients. That is who we are. Our attorneys come from the country’s premier large firms, DOJ, the White House, and federal clerkships, including seven former Supreme Court clerks. Our workforce reflects our ongoing commitment to diversity; Chambers has recognized Wilkinson Stekloff as a 2020 “Outstanding Firm for Furthering Diversity and Inclusion.” We view it as critical not just to hire diverse attorneys, but to give them meaningful trial experience and client exposure. As just one example, the vast majority of the firm’s associates have already worked on at least one trial.

Because we believe we can litigate any case, anytime, anywhere, we do not have practice groups or limitations on the types of cases we can handle. But we have developed considerable expertise in antitrust, class actions, products liability and sports-related matters. For example, Wilkinson Stekloff won five bellwether trials in mass tort proceedings involving the blood thinner Xarelto. In the first two federal trials in New Orleans, our firm secured unanimous defense verdicts within two hours of closing arguments. Then, in the first three state-court trials in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, we secured two defense verdicts and a judgment notwithstanding an adverse verdict in a third case. We also won an outright defense verdict after just over an hour of jury deliberation in a multi-state class action trial involving One A Day multivitamins, relying solely on devastating cross-examinations by our lawyers. Wilkinson Stekloff has also handled some of the most significant litigation matters and investigations shaping professional and college sports today. The firm features a deep bench of lawyers with experience in sports litigation, led by Founding Partner Beth Wilkinson, who was recognized as a “Power Player” by Sports Business Daily. We have also quickly become the go-to firm for clients who want to litigate antitrust cases with an eye toward trial rather than settlement, representing clients in civil and criminal matters, in courts and in agency proceedings. And we continue to be a leader in class action defense, currently representing the NFL, NCAA, Altria, and members of the Executive Council of the Habamatolel Pomo of Upper Lake, a sovereign Indian nation, in putative class action lawsuits.

In addition to bet-the-company cases, Wilkinson Walsh has handled almost 50 separate pro bono matters since its founding in 2016, with over 90% of the firm’s attorneys devoting significant time to those matters and the firm’s brightest young talent winning trials in leadership roles. As a trial boutique, we pride ourselves on providing pro bono representation to clients facing trials, which can be particularly confusing or intimidating to individuals unfamiliar with the legal system. But the range of our pro bono litigation practice is unmatched, covering appeals, class actions, and strategic counseling. Recognizing these efforts, Chambers & Partners recently gave us their “Highly Commended Pro Bono Program” award, recognizing us as having one of the two best pro bono programs out of all law firms nationwide.

Clients welcome the certainty provided by Wilkinson Stekloff’s fixed fees, the quality of work ensured by the firm’s commitment to right-sized teams, and the exposure to a broad array of attorneys ready to do whatever it takes to achieve positive results. And the firm has continued to receive accolades for its successes in delivering results to its clients while deepening its diverse bench of go-to litigators. Most importantly, Benchmark Litigation has twice named Wilkinson Walsh “Boutique Firm of the Year,” calling the firm a “litigator’s dream shop,” and provided numerous individual recognitions for our attorneys, including “Trial Lawyer of the Year” (for Beth Wilkinson), “Future Stars” (for Rakesh Kilaru), Top 250 Women in Litigation (for Beth Wilkinson) and the “40 & Under Hot List” (for Rakesh Kilaru and Kosta Stojilkovic).

These accomplishments show that, lawyer for lawyer and matter for matter, Wilkinson Stekloff is a litigation juggernaut that is running in stride.

Lawyer Profiles

Photo	Name	Position	Profile
	Cali Arat		View Profile
	Kieran Gostin		View Profile
	Grace Hill		View Profile
	Rakesh Kilaru		View Profile
	Tamarra Matthews Johnson		View Profile
	James Rosenthal		View Profile
	Brian Stekloff		View Profile
	Kosta Stojilkovic		View Profile
	Beth Wilkinson		View Profile

Wilkinson Stekloff > Firm Profile

In just over five years, Wilkinson Stekloff has established itself as the leading trial litigation boutique in the country. Our innovative business model allows us to serve our clients efficiently while maintaining our commitment to developing the next generation of trial lawyers. Our clients have included heavy-hitters in a wide range of industries, including Allergan, Bayer, Facebook, FedEx, Georgia Pacific, Medtronic, Monsanto, the NCAA, the NFL, Pfizer, Altria Group Inc., and Philip Morris USA––all of which have come to rely on Wilkinson Stekloff as a go-to trial firm that can handle some of their toughest matters.

We have achieved successful outcomes for our clients before, during, and after trial in some of the toughest jurisdictions in America, with a growing bench of trial lawyers capable of handling any case. Our attorneys have now tried almost 20 cases to verdict since the firm opened its doors. And, since the firm’s founding, eight partners have had first- or second-chair roles in prominent trials, and many more have achieved significant on-their-feet experience, including through pro bono cases. We know that trials are won by tight-knit teams of smart, innovative, and highly skilled litigators committed to delivering excellent results for their clients. That is who we are. Our attorneys come from the country’s premier large firms, DOJ, the White House, and federal clerkships, including seven former Supreme Court clerks. Our workforce reflects our ongoing commitment to diversity; Chambers has recognized Wilkinson Stekloff as a 2020 “Outstanding Firm for Furthering Diversity and Inclusion.” We view it as critical not just to hire diverse attorneys, but to give them meaningful trial experience and client exposure. As just one example, the vast majority of the firm’s associates have already worked on at least one trial.

Because we believe we can litigate any case, anytime, anywhere, we do not have practice groups or limitations on the types of cases we can handle. But we have developed considerable expertise in antitrust, class actions, products liability and sports-related matters. For example, Wilkinson Stekloff won five bellwether trials in mass tort proceedings involving the blood thinner Xarelto. In the first two federal trials in New Orleans, our firm secured unanimous defense verdicts within two hours of closing arguments. Then, in the first three state-court trials in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, we secured two defense verdicts and a judgment notwithstanding an adverse verdict in a third case. We also won an outright defense verdict after just over an hour of jury deliberation in a multi-state class action trial involving One A Day multivitamins, relying solely on devastating cross-examinations by our lawyers. Wilkinson Stekloff has also handled some of the most significant litigation matters and investigations shaping professional and college sports today. The firm features a deep bench of lawyers with experience in sports litigation, led by Founding Partner Beth Wilkinson, who was recognized as a “Power Player” by Sports Business Daily. We have also quickly become the go-to firm for clients who want to litigate antitrust cases with an eye toward trial rather than settlement, representing clients in civil and criminal matters, in courts and in agency proceedings. And we continue to be a leader in class action defense, currently representing the NFL, NCAA, Altria, and members of the Executive Council of the Habamatolel Pomo of Upper Lake, a sovereign Indian nation, in putative class action lawsuits.

In addition to bet-the-company cases, Wilkinson Walsh has handled almost 50 separate pro bono matters since its founding in 2016, with over 90% of the firm’s attorneys devoting significant time to those matters and the firm’s brightest young talent winning trials in leadership roles. As a trial boutique, we pride ourselves on providing pro bono representation to clients facing trials, which can be particularly confusing or intimidating to individuals unfamiliar with the legal system. But the range of our pro bono litigation practice is unmatched, covering appeals, class actions, and strategic counseling. Recognizing these efforts, Chambers & Partners recently gave us their “Highly Commended Pro Bono Program” award, recognizing us as having one of the two best pro bono programs out of all law firms nationwide.

Clients welcome the certainty provided by Wilkinson Stekloff’s fixed fees, the quality of work ensured by the firm’s commitment to right-sized teams, and the exposure to a broad array of attorneys ready to do whatever it takes to achieve positive results. And the firm has continued to receive accolades for its successes in delivering results to its clients while deepening its diverse bench of go-to litigators. Most importantly, Benchmark Litigation has twice named Wilkinson Walsh “Boutique Firm of the Year,” calling the firm a “litigator’s dream shop,” and provided numerous individual recognitions for our attorneys, including “Trial Lawyer of the Year” (for Beth Wilkinson), “Future Stars” (for Rakesh Kilaru), Top 250 Women in Litigation (for Beth Wilkinson) and the “40 & Under Hot List” (for Rakesh Kilaru and Kosta Stojilkovic).

These accomplishments show that, lawyer for lawyer and matter for matter, Wilkinson Stekloff is a litigation juggernaut that is running in stride.