Connor Houghton and Philip Eklem Named Rising Stars by The National Law Journal and Law.com

Reichman Jorgensen Lehman & Feldberg partners Connor Houghton and Philip Eklem have been named winners of The National Law Journal and Law.com’s 2026 Elite Trial Lawyers "Rising Stars of the Plaintiffs Bar" award. The honor recognizes the top trial lawyers under 40 who are already delivering outsized results for clients in high-stakes litigation.

Connor, a partner in the firm's Washington, D.C. office, most recently obtained a preliminary injunction for Australian cycling innovator JetBlack, compelling competitor Wahoo Fitness to withdraw an ITC complaint within weeks of filing. He also played a key role in securing a $236 million jury verdict for Cirba against VMware, recognized in The National Law Journal’s Verdicts Hall of Fame, as well as an $84 million willful infringement verdict in a subsequent case against VMware, which was named among the Top 100 Verdicts of 2023.

Phil, also based in the firm's D.C. office, played a central role in the firm's $673 million patent infringement win for Kove IO against Amazon Web Services, the largest standing patent verdict of 2024 and the 9th highest of the decade. Phil also helped secure the $84 million Cirba verdict against VMware and a $27 million patent verdict for tech startup Droplets against Yahoo, after which RJLF secured a favorable settlement in a co-pending case against Nordstrom.

Winners will be celebrated at an awards ceremony on July 23, 2026 at the JW Marriott Essex House in New York City. View the full list of winners here.