Williams & Connolly

Williams & Connolly LLP is a law firm based in Washington, D.C. In 2019, it was ranked the most selective law firm in the United States.[1] Often, lawyers will complete clerkships with federal judges prior to joining the firm. In 2015, the firm raised starting salaries to $200,000 for first-year associates, the highest base salary in the country.[2]

Williams & Connolly LLP
Headquarters725 Twelfth Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C.
United States
No. of offices1
No. of attorneys300 - 400
Major practice areasLitigation
Date founded1967
Company typeLLP
Websitewww.wc.com

The firm was founded by trial lawyer Edward Bennett Williams in collaboration with Paul Connolly, a former student of his. Williams left the partnership of D.C. firm Hogan & Hartson to launch his own litigation firm. 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 represented Colonel Oliver North during the Iran-Contra Affair and John Hinckley, the would-be assassin of Ronald Reagan.[3][4][5]

Williams & Connolly partner Robert Barnett has represented Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, James Patterson, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Michelle Obama, Laura Bush, Bob Woodward, Sarah Palin, Dick Cheney, Alan Greenspan, Katharine Graham, Ben Bernanke, Paul Ryan, Tim Russert, Barbra Streisand, Jack Welch, Khaled Hosseini, Bill Walton, Mitch McConnell, Jake Tapper, and others.[6] [7]

The firm's corporate clients include Google, Disney, Samsung, Intel, Bank of America, The Carlyle Group, Medtronic, Genentech, Eli Lilly, and 21st Century Fox. [8]

Reputation and Compensation

In 2017, 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 #1 in "Business Outlook."[9] The firm also ranked #2 on Vault's list of "Best Firms to Work For," #2 in "Career Outlook, #2 in "Employee Satisfaction, " In 2015, the firm elevated its starting salary for first-year associates to $200,000, the highest in the country.[10]

With regard to hiring, Williams & Connolly was ranked in 2019 as the most selective law firm in the country.[11] The firm hires only the most academically successful students from the nation's top law schools.[12]

Over the past decade, 45 SCOTUS clerks have been full-time or summer associates with Williams & Connolly.[13][14] Associate Justices Elena Kagan and Brett Kavanaugh are both alumni of the firm.[15]

Williams & Connolly is the subject of Masters of the Game: Inside the World's Most Powerful Law Firm by Kim Eisler.[16]

Prominent alumni of the firm include:

References
  1. http://www.vault.com/company-rankings/law/best-law-firms-to-work-for/?sRankID=35
  2. "2019 Most Selective Law Firms". Vault Rankings. Vault.com. 2019. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  3. Englebert, Stephen (July 6, 1987). "Washington Talk: Profile, North's Attorney; 'Workaholic Is Really Too Bland'". The New York Times. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
  4. Heaves, Dennis (July 29, 2006). Vincent Fuller, 75, Lawyer Who Won Hinckley Case, Dies. The New York Times. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
  5. "Key Players in Microsoft Trial". Edwardsville Intelligencer. Associated Press. October 31, 2002. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
  6. "Robert B. Barnett". wc.com. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  7. "Can Washington's Original Dealmaker Survive Trump?". politico. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  8. "Firm". politico. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
  9. "2017 Best Law Firms for Business Outlook". Vault Rankings. Vault.com. 2017. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  10. David Lat (April 16, 2015). "Nationwide Pay Raise Watch: Who Now Pays A Starting Salary Of $200,000?". Above the Law. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
  11. "Most Selective Law Firms". Vault.com.
  12. "Williams and Connolly LLP".
  13. "Supreme Court Clerk Hiring Watch: Shout-Outs From Justice Kagan, And The Leading 'Feeder Firm'". abovethelaw.com.
  14. "@KannonShanmugan". twitter.com.
  15. "Elena Kagan Sworn in as Solicitor General". doj.gov.
  16. "Masters of the Game".
  17. "Elena Kagan Sworn in as Solicitor General". doj.gov.
  18. "Jeffrey Kindley". tufts.edu.
  19. "Larry Lucchino". mlb.com.
  20. "Amid Mueller Probe, Gregory Craig Retires From Skadden". law.com.
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