Bart Williams is a highly sought-after trial lawyer renowned for his strategic acumen, meticulous approach, and persuasive advocacy. With extensive experience in commercial litigation, white collar criminal defense and corporate investigations, Bart excels in guiding clients through complex litigation crises and trying their most important cases before juries and judges. Known for his ability to deliver the win, Bart is often called upon just months or weeks before a trial.
A longtime fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, Bart boasts an impressive track record of victories in both jury and bench trials nationwide. His legal prowess has made him the trusted trial counsel for numerous Fortune 500 companies across a wide array of industries, providing invaluable litigation and counseling services in high stakes matters. Bart’s achievements have garnered recognition in reputable publications such as Law360, The American Lawyer, and the Daily Journal, which has consistently ranked him among the top lawyers in California. He has also repeatedly been honored as a Top Minority Leader of Influence and Leader of Influence: Litigators & Trial Attorneys by the Los Angeles Business Journal, one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers by the Daily Journal, and a 2023 Visionary by the Los Angeles Times’ Business of Law.
Earlier in his career, Bart served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Central District of California where he concentrated on complex criminal prosecutions involving allegations of fraud or other business crimes, racketeering and money laundering and obtained convictions in 11 out of 11 jury trials. He received several special commendations during his tenure, including one from the former director of the FBI.
Representative Matters:
- Lead trial counsel for Gilead Sciences in securing a decisive victory in a $3.6 billion antitrust case on allegations that the pharmaceutical company struck an anticompetitive “pay-for-delay” patent settlement related to two HIV medications. A jury in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California delivered a full defense verdict following a six-week trial. The verdict affirms that a 2014 patent settlement between Gilead and Teva did not violate antitrust law and was not a reverse payment.
- Trial counsel for Gilead Sciences in thousands of California state and federal product liability actions brought by approximately 20,000 plaintiffs related to Gilead’s life-saving HIV prevention and treatment drugs. The cases allege that Gilead was negligent in its development of tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) HIV drugs and that its tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) HIV drugs were defectively designed and failed adequately to warn about the increased risk of potential kidney disease and bone injury that could result from use of its highly effective and FDA-approved HIV medications.
- Co-lead counsel for the National Football League in actions filed by apparel distributors and NFL merchandise purchasers in federal court in New York alleging that the NFL’s agreements with Fanatics, Inc., a manufacturer, supplier and distributor of licensed sportswear and merchandise, violate state and federal antitrust laws.
- Lead counsel to Miramax in a groundbreaking lawsuit against director Quentin Tarantino, involving allegations of intellectual property infringement and breach of contract related to the offering of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) for the film Pulp Fiction. Bart’s leadership led to a pioneering copyright settlement, marking the first of its kind involving NFTs.
Updated Sep 2023
