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.

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