WilmerHale routinely handles commercial litigation at all levels of the state and federal court systems. Sector expertise across finance, tech, and life sciences is a defining characteristic of the team’s ‘deep bench of super smart, experienced, and highly respected litigators’, who have also carved out a niche in credit reporting litigation. Boston’s John Butts chairs the group and devotes much of his practice to cases involving business torts, trade secret, and contract disputes as well as consumer and securities class actions. In New York, Hallie Levin is known for her work in antitrust cases, business torts, trade secrets cases, and government investigations, while Noah Levine is a key contact for class actions. Boston-based Felicia Ellsworth is highly experienced in government-facing investigations, including those brought by state Attorneys General, and appears in high-profile cases before the Supreme Court. From the Palo Alto office, ’master strategist’ Sonal Mehta is in-demand for patent and technology disputes. Andrew Rhys Davies joined the practice from A&O Shearman in March 2023 and is praised as ‘a tremendous appellate advocate’.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘Andrew Rhys Davies is a great C-suite adviser - technical excellence with a true understanding of the commercial environment.’

  • ‘Wilmer is high quality top to bottom. They take on the hardest cases and get terrific results.’

  • ‘Andrew Rhys Davies is one of the best. He is smart, strategic and straightforward. He is also a tremendous appellate advocate.’

  • ‘Wilmer has an incredibly deep bench of super smart, experienced, and highly respected litigators. They're able to staff a matter leanly and then beef up the team as needed for key moments, such as preparation of summary judgment motions, etc. Everyone I've dealt with over the years at Wilmer is of the highest caliber in every way. I can't say enough good things about them, their teamwork, and their ability to work strategically to get the best possible result for the client.’

  • ‘Alan Schoenfeld and Andrew Dulberg stand out as superb litigators and people. They are a pleasure to work with in every way. They are brilliant legal thinkers and strategists who work well with teams from other law firms. They move the ball down the field in the the most advantageous way for their clients. They are among the best litigators I've encountered in my career. ’

  • ‘Wilmer Hale handles some of our largest and highest profile commercial litigation. ’

  • ‘Sonal Mehta - She is simply a master strategist and one of the best lawyers we work with.’

Key clients

  • EXACT Sciences
  • DISH Network
  • Intuit Inc.
  • Diamond Sports Group, LLC
  • Cigna
  • KBR, Inc.
  • Walmart
  • Shell Oil Company
  • Apple, Inc.
  • The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • Pan American Health Organization
  • Helmerich & Payne, Inc.
  • Genentech, Inc.
  • Gilead Sciences, Inc.
  • Harvard University
  • Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
  • JPMorgan Chase & Co.
  • City of Kansas City, Missouri
  • Warehouse Solutions, Inc.
  • Ari Haseotes, Byron Haseotes
  • Alexandria Real Estate Equities
  • Meta Platforms, Inc.
  • Aligos Therapeutics, Inc.
  • Vanguard Logistics Services (USA), Inc.
  • Tetra Tech, Inc.
  • Bank of America
  • Google, Inc.
  • Campari America, LLC
  • Reckitt Benckiser Group plc
  • CytoDyn, Inc.
  • April Walker
  • T-Mobile USA, Inc.
  • Board Members of Alphonso
  • State Street Global Advisors, et al.
  • UBS Financial Services Inc.
  • Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated
  • Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC
  • Imperial Brands PLC
  • Brooks Brothers
  • London Stock Exchange Group
  • TD Bank, N.A
  • TD Bank Group

Lawyers

Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

John Butts

Other key lawyers

Howard Shapiro, Noah Levine, Hallie Levin, Felicia Ellsworth, Sonal Mehta, David W. Ogden, Christopher Casamassima, Ross E. Firsenbaum, Andrew Dulberg, Alan Schoenfeld, David W. Bowker, Jonathan E. Paikin, Andrew Rhys Davies