Williams & Connolly LLP‘s expansive commercial litigation team is capable of handling cases ranging from traditional breach of contract actions to real estate and construction disputes, as well as breach of fiduciary duty claims, unfair competition litigation, employment disputes, and restrictive covenant and non-compete agreements, among many others. Washington DC-based trio Dane Butswinkas, Robert Van Kirk and Edward Bennett collectively spearhead the department. Experienced defense attorney Butswinkas is a core name for trial and arbitration work, particularly as it relates to financial services, securities, and product liability. Van Kirk represents both corporate and individual clients in complex commercial litigation, internal and government investigations, and congressional inquiries. Bennett is well known in the market for civil litigation, primarily in relation to matters concerning corporate governance, banking and financial services, antitrust and trade practices, and IP matters. Trial lawyer Enu Mainigi has deep experience handling disputes in the health care, pharmaceuticals, and financial services sector and is also a key contact for litigation related to the False Claims Act. Sarah Kirkpatrick focuses her practice on complex antitrust, securities, and director liability matters. Luke McCloud left the firm in January 2023.
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Expertise and credibility in government relations and high profile matters. Expensive, but very high value. ’
‘Steve Cady is an excellent lawyer. He has the rare and critical combination of expertise, practical business judgment and responsiveness. He was an invaluable resource when the company was really in an existential crisis. Highly recommend the firm and Steve.’
Key clients
- Fifth Third Bank
- The Carlyle Group, Inc.
- Space Adventures
- Coventry Group LLC
- United Therapeutics Corp.
- Cardinal Health
- W. W. Grainger, Inc.
- Brown University
- University of Notre Dame
- The Carlyle Group, Inc.
- Co-Founder of ZocDoc
- Platinum Equity Advisors
Work highlights
- Acted for Fifth Third Bank in defending against a certified class action concerning one of the bank’s consumer products, where plaintiffs alleged $444m in damages in their breach of contract claim against the bank.
- Represented The Carlyle Group, Inc. and various affiliated entities, along with former directors of Authentix, Inc., in a case brought by minority shareholders alleging breaches of the stockholder agreement, including breaches of fiduciary duty and other claims related to the 2017 sale of Authentix.
- Represented Brown University in one of several dozen putative class actions filed across the country against colleges and universities alleging breach of contract and other claims in connection with the transition to remote and online classes when the Covid-19 pandemic arose in the Spring 2020 semester.
Lawyers
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Dane Butswinkas, Robert Van Kirk, Edward Bennett