Jurisdictions:
Biography
Ralia Polechronis is a Partner at Wilkinson Stekloff and serves as the co-chair of the firm’s DEI Committee. She is a trusted advisor and experienced litigator who counsels Fortune 100 companies on complex, high-stakes civil matters in all phases of litigation. Ralia has defended clients in antitrust, products liability, breach of contract, fraud, and trademark infringement cases, in addition to high-profile investigations by federal regulators. In recognition of her professional accomplishments, Ralia has been named a “Litigation Star” by Benchmark Litigation. She has also been recognized among Crain’s New York Business “Notable Women in Law” four consecutive times, as well as their 2026 “Notable Leaders in Accounting, Consulting and Law,” and is one of Lawdragon’s “500 Leading Litigators in America.”
Ralia currently represents Valve Corporation, the leading online digital distribution and gaming platform, and TKO Group Holdings, Inc., a sports and entertainment company whose businesses include MMA promotor UFC, in class action antitrust litigation. She also serves as trial counsel to Meta in the California state coordinated proceedings relating to the alleged mental health harms caused by social media platforms.
Previously, Ralia served as a member of the trial team for Altria Group, Inc. in an administrative proceeding before the FTC related to its $12.6 billion minority investment in JUUL Labs, Inc. The team won a full dismissal of claims against Altria. She also represented a major chemical manufacturer in a sprawling products liability multidistrict litigation involving alleged PFAS groundwater contamination. Ralia was set to serve as a member of the trial team in the first bellwether trial before it was halted on the eve of trial after a settlement was reached to end all water-provider claims brought against the manufacturer.
Ralia also maintains an active pro bono practice in the areas of education and reproductive rights. She represents children with disabilities and advocates for their right to a free and appropriate public education. In addition, following the Supreme Court of the United States’ decision in Dobbs v. Jackson, Ralia led the firm’s team in a federal district court case successfully preliminarily enjoining a 2021 law granting “personhood” rights to fetuses, embryos, and fertilized eggs from being used to prohibit abortion care in Arizona.
Before joining the firm, Ralia was the Executive Director and General Counsel of the nonprofit Partnership for Educational Justice (PEJ), where she led the organization’s national impact litigation strategy. Prior to her work at PEJ, she practiced at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP for eight years where she worked on a wide range of commercial matters.
In 2022, New York Governor Kathy Hochul appointed Ralia to serve on the College Council of the State University of New York in Farmingdale, a position she continues to hold. Ralia clerked for Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye on the New York State Court of Appeals.
Ralia currently represents Valve Corporation, the leading online digital distribution and gaming platform, and TKO Group Holdings, Inc., a sports and entertainment company whose businesses include MMA promotor UFC, in class action antitrust litigation. She also serves as trial counsel to Meta in the California state coordinated proceedings relating to the alleged mental health harms caused by social media platforms.
Previously, Ralia served as a member of the trial team for Altria Group, Inc. in an administrative proceeding before the FTC related to its $12.6 billion minority investment in JUUL Labs, Inc. The team won a full dismissal of claims against Altria. She also represented a major chemical manufacturer in a sprawling products liability multidistrict litigation involving alleged PFAS groundwater contamination. Ralia was set to serve as a member of the trial team in the first bellwether trial before it was halted on the eve of trial after a settlement was reached to end all water-provider claims brought against the manufacturer.
Ralia also maintains an active pro bono practice in the areas of education and reproductive rights. She represents children with disabilities and advocates for their right to a free and appropriate public education. In addition, following the Supreme Court of the United States’ decision in Dobbs v. Jackson, Ralia led the firm’s team in a federal district court case successfully preliminarily enjoining a 2021 law granting “personhood” rights to fetuses, embryos, and fertilized eggs from being used to prohibit abortion care in Arizona.
Before joining the firm, Ralia was the Executive Director and General Counsel of the nonprofit Partnership for Educational Justice (PEJ), where she led the organization’s national impact litigation strategy. Prior to her work at PEJ, she practiced at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP for eight years where she worked on a wide range of commercial matters.
In 2022, New York Governor Kathy Hochul appointed Ralia to serve on the College Council of the State University of New York in Farmingdale, a position she continues to hold. Ralia clerked for Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye on the New York State Court of Appeals.
Recent matter / case highlights
- Member of the team that defended Plaid, a financial services company, against claims that its service infringed trademarks of PNC, one of the country’s largest banks. Delivered oral arguments on summary judgment and Daubert, resulting in the court excluding in whole or in part the testimony of PNC’s four expert witnesses. The case settled on the eve of trial and the parties announced a forward-looking partnership.
- Defended products liability litigation in Northrup v. Covidien, where a U.S. District Court Judge handed down a decisive pretrial victory based on key admissions from plaintiff’s expert that were quoted extensively in the Court’s opinion dismissing the case.
- Member of senior team defending the NFL in its landmark concussion litigation class action settlement and in related cases for the Kansas City Chiefs and Arizona Cardinals.
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