Beth Wilkinson

Beth Wilkinson, a founding partner of Wilkinson Stekloff, is a trial lawyer whose cases have ranged from criminal prosecutions to civil disputes in state and federal courts. Before helping establish the firm, she served in the U.S. Army, worked as a federal prosecutor and held litigation partnerships at two law firms. Her government career included the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and the Department of Justice, where she helped lead the prosecution of the Oklahoma City bombers.

For Microsoft, Wilkinson led the trial defense against the Federal Trade Commission’s effort to block the Activision acquisition. Her involvement in litigation strategy began when the transaction was announced in January 2022. The preliminary-injunction trial lasted five days and began less than two weeks after the agency filed its federal complaint; the FTC’s request was denied.

Another assignment put her in court for the NFL and its member teams over Sunday Ticket distribution and the league’s media agreements. Wilkinson gave the opening and closing statements. Among the witnesses she examined were NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, and she also cross-examined a plaintiffs’ expert.

Across her career, Wilkinson has been first-chair counsel in more than 60 jury trials. Her education includes a B.A. magna cum laude from Princeton and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law.