Williams & Connolly
Headquarters |
725 Twelfth Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. United States |
---|---|
No. of offices | 1 |
No. of attorneys | 200+ |
Major practice areas | Litigation |
Date founded | 1967 |
Company type | LLP |
Website | |
www |
Williams & Connolly LLP is a prominent litigation firm based in Washington, D.C., United States. It is ranked as the top law firm in Washington, D.C., leads the country in starting salaries for first-year associates, and is the most difficult law firm to be hired at in the United States.[1]
The firm was founded by trial lawyer Edward Bennett Williams, who left the partnership of D.C. firm Hogan & Hartson to launch his own litigation boutique. Recent high-profile cases include the successful defense of U.S. President Clinton's impeachment, representation of Enron's law firm Vinson & Elkins, representation of the motion picture studios in the Kazaa/Grokster file-trading litigation, defense of the Vioxx cases, and counsel for the plaintiff states in the United States v. Microsoft antitrust remedy trial. The firm has also represented Colonel Oliver North during the Iran-Contra Affair and John Hinckley, the would-be assassin of President Reagan. In addition, the firm represented Fred Smith, the CEO of FedEx, in his challenge of the University of Virginia's policy of student self-governance.
Williams & Connolly is the subject of Masters of the Game: Inside the World's Most Powerful Law Firm by Kim Eisler.[2]
Reputation and Compensation
In 2011, the Vault Guide ranked Williams & Connolly as the #1 firm for White Collar Defense and Internal Investigation in the United States, the #1 law firm in Washington, DC, and the 8th most prestigious firm in the United States. The firm also ranked #2 on Vault's list of "Best Firms to Work For," #1 in "Career Outlook, #1 "Business Outlook," and #1 in "Employee Satisfaction." The firm recently elevated its starting salary for first year associates to $200,000, the highest in the country.[3]
With regard to hiring, Williams & Connolly was ranked in 2014 as the most selective law firm in the country.[4] The firm has a reputation for hiring only the most academically successful students from the nation's top law schools, with preference given to law review editors.[5]
Notable Partners
- Brendan Sullivan
- Robert Barnett
- David Kendall
- F. Whitten Peters
- Emmet Flood
- Vincent J. Fuller
- Kannon Shanmugam
Notable Former Attorneys
- Elena Kagan (Supreme Court Justice)
- Robert Post (Current Dean of Yale Law School)
- Greg Craig (Former White House Counsel)
- Amul Thapar (Federal Judge)
- Larry Lucchino (President of the Boston Red Sox)
- Jason Levien (Co-Owner of D.C. United and Former CEO of Memphis Grizzlies)
- Rachel Paulose (First Indian-American to serve as a U.S. Attorney)
References
- ↑ Vault Rankings 2011, "Williams & Connolly LLP Rankings", Vault.com. Retrieved April 23, 2011
- ↑ http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/masters_of_the_game
- ↑ Above the Law, , AboveTheLaw.com'. Retrieved April 19, 2015
- ↑
- ↑
External links
- Williams & Connolly Official website
- Robert B. Barnett profile mentioning the Clintons and other notable persons as clients
- Washingtonpost.com Special Report: Clinton Accused: Defense Who's Who, with lawyers Gregory B. Craig, David E. Kendall and Nicole K. Seligman connected to Williams & Connolly profiled
- The Defense: Clinton's Team, similar profile at CNN
- "Former Clinton lawyer joins Patton team". The Kentucky Post (Associated Press). E. W. Scripps Company. 2002-10-16. Archived from the original on 2005-03-15. Article on the defense of Kentucky governor Paul E. Patton.