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Biography
William B. Adams is a partner in the firm’s New York office and a member of its appellate practice. William specializes in brief-writing and oral argument in both appellate and trial courts. He has argued appeals before the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and the New York Appellate Division, First Department. William has briefed dozens of other cases, with particularly substantial experience in the Second and Ninth Circuits. William also has experience in the Supreme Court of the United States, where he has drafted several successful petitions for certiorari.
Before joining the firm, William served as a law clerk for Judge Judith W. Rogers of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
Representative Clients American International Group CNA Entergy Corporation MBIA Insurance Corporation PG&E Samsung Shell Oil Company
Notable Representations
Obtained a 6-2 victory in the U.S. Supreme Court for Wyeth, a division of Pfizer, in Bruesewitz v. Wyeth (No. 09-152), a decision holding that the Vaccine Act expressly preempts state-law design-defect claims against manufacturers of childhood vaccines.
Obtained an 8-1 win for Shell Oil Company in the U.S. Supreme Court in Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway v. United States; Shell Oil Co. v. United States, 127 S. Ct. 1870 (2009), which held that a shipper of useful products may not be held liable under CERCLA as an “arranger” for the disposal of hazardous waste.
Obtained a unanimous win for Allegheny Energy, Inc. in the Second Circuit, which overturned a $158 million contract judgment and reinstated all counterclaims in a dispute over a complex contract to sell an energy trading desk.
Obtained a unanimous win for AIG subsidiaries in the Second Circuit, which rejected a jury verdict finding that a fraud claim had been brought within the statute of limitations and reversed a $34 million judgment.
Obtained a unanimous win for PG&E in the Ninth Circuit in a decision upholding the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s environmental assessment of a nuclear spent fuel storage facility.
Obtained a unanimous win for OneBeacon America Insurance Company in the Ninth Circuit, which vacated a multi-million judgment in an insurance coverage dispute.
Obtained a unanimous win for a CNA subsidiary in the Wisconsin Court of Appeals, which reversed a $8 million judgment in a bad-faith insurance dispute.
Obtained reversal or vacatur of convictions in the Second Circuit for violating Iranian trade embargo and operating an unlicensed money transmitting business
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