Michael F. Williams, P.C.
Overview
Mike Williams is a leading trial lawyer who represents individuals, businesses and governments in their most important litigation matters. Described as “the best of a new generation” of trial lawyers, Mike has successfully led the representation of clients across a broad array of subjects, from massive products liability matters, to financial crisis litigation on behalf of governments, and death penalty petitions for individuals on death row. Combining strategic instincts from Asbury Park, New Jersey with legal training that included a clerkship on the Supreme Court, Mike is one of a handful of former clerks who regularly represents major U.S. and multinational corporations in jury trials. Mike has been profiled by the American Lawyer for winning when “[l]esser lawyers might have said the case was hopeless.” He is ranked by Chambers & Partners for Commercial Litigation and recognized in the Legal 500 for Products Liability. In 2015, The National Law Journal recognized Mike as one of its 40 “Rising Stars” among Washington, D.C., lawyers.
One focus of Mike’s practice is providing aggressive advocacy in commercial misconduct disputes. The highlights of this practice include recovering $665 million on behalf of Huntsman Corporation arising from fraud in Huntsman’s acquisition of Rockwood Holdings. Reporting on the case, a Wall Street analyst noted, “when I heard Kirkland & Ellis took on the case on a contingency fee basis, I’m like, ‘Well it’s just a matter of time.’” The American Lawyer reported that the “$200 million fee award shows that Kirkland & Ellis’ strategic decision to ‘double down’ on contingency fee cases is paying off in a big way.”
Another focus of Mike’s practice is providing courtroom representation and strategic counseling in products liability, toxic tort and environmental litigation. The highlights of this practice include serving as national coordinating counsel and lead trial counsel to BASF in its nationwide talc litigation, which once involved approximately 600 cases in state and federal courts across the country. Mike also represented Huntsman Corporation in defending claims that its surfactant products caused cancer, after which plaintiffs’ lawyers were sentenced to prison for their attempted extortion scheme. Mike’s experience in products liability and toxic tort matters also involves providing strategic counsel in all aspects of tort liability management, from transactional due diligence, through restructuring and reorganization.
Mike serves as lead counsel to clients in a wide variety of other high-stakes cases. Mike successfully represented the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico in the wake of its 2017 default in financial crisis litigation against banks, bondholders, creditors and insurers. He represented the governments of Guam and American Samoa in landmark cases involving sovereignty and territorial rights. He also served as lead counsel to Tronox Corporation in defense of a first-of-its-kind effort by the Federal Trade Commission to prevent Tronox’s acquisition of the Saudi National Titanium Dioxide Company. In addition, Mike maintains an active pro bono practice and was named “Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year” by Kirkland & Ellis LLP in 2022 for his leadership in death penalty and civil rights litigation on behalf of needy clients.
Mike received his Juris Doctor, summa cum laude and first in class, from Georgetown University Law Center, where he was a John M. Olin Fellow in Law & Economics and Senior Book Review & Special Projects Editor of The Georgetown Law Journal. He received his Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. At the School of Foreign Service, Mike was a Peter F. Krogh Scholar, received an Advanced Certificate in Asian Studies and was inducted into Phi Theta Alpha, the National Honors Society in History, Pi Sigma Alpha, the National Political Science Honors Society, and Omicron Delta Epsilon, the International Honors Society in Economics. Mike went on to clerk for the Honorable Douglas H. Ginsburg, Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (2001–2002) and the Honorable Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court of the United States (2002–2003). Since 2015, Mike has taught Trial Advocacy at Georgetown University.
Experience
Representative Matters
Antitrust and Competition Law
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Dahl, et. al. v. Bain Capital Partners, et al., No. 07-12388-EFH (D. Mass.). Counsel to Bain Capital in the defense of claims alleging collusion, bid-rigging and other violations of antitrust law arising from multibillion-dollar leveraged buyout transactions by leading private equity firms.
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Bailey, et. al. v. BASF Metals Ltd., et al., No. 15-cv-01712 (S.D.N.Y.). Counsel to a leading multinational corporation in defense of claims alleging collusion in the market for precious metals platinum and palladium.
Appellate Litigation
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Tuaua v. United States, No. 13-5272 (D.C. Cir.). Lead counsel and counsel of record to the American Samoa Government and the Congresswoman from American Samoa in landmark litigation through the Supreme Court concerning the citizenship status of the people of American Samoa.
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Territory of Guam v. Paeste, No. 15-990 (S. Ct.). Counsel of record in the Supreme Court to the Government of Guam in seeking a stay and writ of certiorari from a Ninth Circuit injunction entered under § 1983 requiring Guam to pay income tax refunds within six months of becoming due.
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Daman v. Brooks, No. 11-898 (S. Ct.). Counsel of record in the Supreme Court to civil rights plaintiff Malaika Brooks in excessive force litigation arising from Seattle police using a taser against her when she was seven months pregnant over a contested speeding citation. The petition was recognized as “Brief of the Week” by The National Law Journal on May 15, 2012.
Commercial Litigation
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Ineos Technologies v. BASF Corp., No. 16-CV-01145 (S.D. Tex.). Lead trial counsel to BASF Corporation in successfully defeating an attempt to enjoin BASF’s sale of its polyphenols business to W.R. Grace.
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Breed Technologies v. Honeywell, No. 99-2478 (Polk Cty. Fla. Cir. Ct.). Trial counsel for Honeywell in a civil fraud case in Polk County, Florida. After a seven-week jury trial seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in damages, the jury returned a complete defense verdict. This case was named to The National Law Journal’s 2006 “Defense Hot List” and was featured in the article “Big Suits” in the June 2006 edition of The American Lawyer.
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Deutsche Lufthansa AG v. Boeing, No. 06-CV-7667-LBS (S.D.N.Y.). Counsel for Boeing in successfully defeating efforts by Lufthansa to enjoin Boeing’s termination of Lufthansa’s in-flight Internet service and dismissal of claims against Boeing.
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BizProLink v. AOL-Time Warner, Inc., No. 04-206-A (E.D. Va.). Counsel for AOL and Time Warner in securing dismissal for discovery sanctions against fraud and breach of contract claims asserted by an online content provider.
Copyright Law
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Fairey v. Associated Press, 09-1123-AKH (S.D.N.Y.). Counsel to the Associated Press in defense of declaratory judgment claims by artist Shepherd Fairey concerning unlicensed use of a photograph to create the Obama “Hope” Poster.
Environmental Law
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Allen v. Boeing, No. C14-596-RSM (W.D. Wash.). Lead counsel for Boeing in defense of claims of property damage arising from alleged groundwater contamination, including federal appeals concerning removal jurisdiction.
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Brottem v. Crescent Resources, No. 05-CA-1637-11-K (Seminole Cty. Fla. Cir. Ct.). Counsel for Siemens Technology in consolidated cases raising claims of personal injury arising from alleged groundwater contamination.
Labor & Employment Law
- Allen v. Honeywell Retirement Plan, et al., No. 04-424-ROS (D. Ariz.). Counsel to Honeywell in complex ERISA action alleging unlawful cutbacks and reductions of benefits in claims valued more than $390 million.
Government Investigations
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CompuCredit Corporation. Counsel to credit card issuer CompuCredit in connection with investigations by the Federal Trade Commission, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and state attorneys general concerning financial products developed by CompuCredit, along with related civil litigation.
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Verizon E911 Investigations. Counsel to Verizon in connection with investigations and related litigation concerning Verizon’s compliance with E911 fee collection obligations, along with related civil litigation.
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Aon Corp. Investigations. Counsel to Aon in connection with investigations by the New York Attorney General, the United States Department of Justice, and the Securities and Exchange Commission into alleged Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations in the insurance brokerage industry.
Clerk & Government Experience
Law ClerkHonorable Douglas H. Ginsburg, Chief JudgeUnited States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit2001–2002
Law ClerkHonorable Anthony M. Kennedy, Associate JusticeSupreme Court of the United States2002–2003
More
Thought Leadership
Seminars
Panelist, Defending Class Actions, Corporate Disputes Magazine
Adjunct Professor of Trial Advocacy, Georgetown University
First-Year Practical Skills Instructor, Georgetown University
Panelist, Symposium of Civil Justice Issues, George Mason University
Instructor, D.C. Bar Pre-Trial Skills Series: Taking & Defending Depositions
Instructor, D.C. Bar CLE: Advanced Deposition Strategies
Instructor, D.C. Bar CLE: Dealing with Abusive Discovery Tactics
Instructor, D.C. Bar Trial Skills Series: Opening Statements & Closing Arguments
Recognition
Named as a “Litigation Star” by Benchmark Litigation, 2023–2025
Recognized in Chambers USA for Litigation: General Commercial, 2021–2024
Recognized in The American Lawyer Litigation Daily as “Litigator of the Week,” 2021
Recognized in The Legal 500 U.S.
- Product Liability, Mass Tort and Class Action: Automotive/Transport, 2021
- Product Liability, Mass Tort and Class Action: Toxic Tort - Defense, 2015, 2018–2019
- General Commercial Disputes, 2020
Memberships & Affiliations
Criminal Justice Act Panel Committee, United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
Judicial Clerkship Advisory Board, Georgetown University Law Center
Section on Litigation, American Bar Association
The Federalist Society
Credentials
Admissions & Qualifications
- 2021Virginia
- 2004District of Columbia
- 2002New Jersey
Courts
- Supreme Court of New Jersey
- United States Court of International Trade
- United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
- United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
Education
- Georgetown University Law CenterJ.D.summa cum laude2001
First in class
Order of the Coif
Francis E. Lucey, S.J. Award (conferred upon the graduating student who earned the highest academic average in his or her law school career)
George Brent Mickum III Prize (awarded to the first-year student who earned the highest academic average in his or her first-year law school class)
Numerous Computer Assisted Learning Instruction (CALI) Awards for having earned the highest grade in individual law school courses
John M. Olin Fellowship in Law & Economics
John M. Olin Prize for Outstanding Written Work in Law & Economics
Senior Book Reviews & Special Projects Editor, Georgetown Law Journal
- Georgetown University Walsh School of Foreign ServiceB.S.F.S.1998
Peter F. Krogh Scholar
Advanced Certificate in Asian Studies
Phi Alpha Theta, the National Honors Society in History
Pi Sigma Alpha, the National Political Science Honors Society
Omicron Delta Epsilon, the International Honors Society in Economics