William C. Lawrence

Associate
William Lawrence

William Lawrence is an experienced litigator with a results-driven approach that manages risk, strategically uses resources, and pushes for resolutions that achieve clients’ primary business goals. William practices at the intersection of antitrust, intellectual property (IP), and advertising law, with a focus on complex litigation involving competitors and regulators. William has represented individual and corporate clients in the media, entertainment, retail, telecommunications, bioengineering, finance, pharmaceutical, and legal industries. Prior to joining Venable, he worked as a commercial litigator in the areas of securities fraud, white collar investigations, and legal malpractice.

Experience

Representative Matters

  • Representing a global agricultural bioengineering company in a patent licensing dispute
  • Defended a global luxury fashion retailer against breach of contract claims in JAMS arbitration, leading to denial of all claims in the arbitration decision following a full hearing
  • Secured pretrial settlement of federal false advertising claims, and related claims under New York state law, on behalf of a major telecommunications provider for misrepresentations concerning the availability of 5G technology in a competitor’s products
  • Secured dismissal on summary judgment of patent infringement claims, against a major telecommunications provider, related to voiceover Wi-Fi (VoWi-Fi) technology
  • Defended a pharmaceutical manufacturer against federal false advertising claims and related claims under the Georgia Uniform Deceptive Trade Practices Act, also known as the Fair Business Practices Act (FBPA), leading to dismissal of the plaintiff’s complaints on summary judgment and favorable settlement of the client’s counterclaims
  • Represented a pharmaceutical manufacturer in claims against a telehealth platform for federal false advertising and trademark infringement, and related violations of California consumer protection laws, leading to favorable settlement of the client’s claims
  • Represented a home product manufacturer in bringing federal false advertising claims, and related claims under the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act (FDUTPA), for falsifying reviews on Amazon.com
  • Represented individual owners of e-commerce websites against the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), leading to a favorable settlement
  • Represented a real estate education company in litigation brought by the FTC and the state of Utah, alleging inflated and unsubstantiated earnings claims, leading to a favorable pretrial settlement
  • Settled a matter on behalf of a products manufacturer prosecuting federal trademark and false advertising claims, and defending against antitrust counterclaims of tying, monopolization, and price discrimination

Insights

Credentials
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Education

  • J.D. New York University School of Law 2013
    • Articles editor, NYU Annual Survey of Law Journal
  • B.A. Philosophy magna cum laude Morehouse College 2010
    • President/captain, Morehouse Mock Trial
    • Vice president, Alpha Phi Alpha, Alpha Rho Chapter

Bar Admissions

  • District of Columbia
  • New York

Court Admissions

  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York