William L. Carr

Commercial Disputes

William represents a variety of clients in commercial litigation matters, including owners and contractors in construction-related disputes and land use and real estate matters. He also has represented clients as plaintiffs and defendants in complex business disputes pending in state and federal courts, including a case involving the civil provisions of RICO. In these representations, William has first-chaired a nonjury trial and an arbitration proceeding.

Product Liability Litigation

William represents manufacturers and owners of various products in connection with a variety of product-related claims, including product liability, breach of warranty, common law fraud, Medicaid fraud and violations of state deceptive trade practices acts. He currently represents a major pharmaceutical manufacturer in a state court mass tort proceeding involving thousands of personal injury product liability actions.

Representative Experience

• Defending a pharmaceutical manufacturer in various state court actions alleging product liability, breach of warranty, common law fraud, Medicaid fraud, and violations of state deceptive trade practices acts
• Defending class action civil Racketeer Influenced & Corrupt Organization (RICO) Act suit brought by third-party payors against a pharmaceutical manufacturer
• Representing the prior owner of a facility in connection with product liability claims arising from the use of manufacturing equipment installed during his client’s ownership of the manufacturing facility

Securities Litigation and Accountants’ Defense

William represents individuals charged with workplace misconduct, particularly as it relates to public accounting rules and commodity trading regulations. He provides clients with reports, discussions and analyses on noteworthy trends in enforcement and regulatory activity of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and other agencies, such as the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), on the firm’s SECurities Law Perspectives blog.

Representative Experience

• Representing an office managing partner of a national accounting firm who served as the concurring partner on a purportedly deficient audit in a Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) investigation that concerned alleged workpaper violations under both PCAOB standards and generally accepted auditing standards (GAAS). No charges or claims were brought against the client.
• Representing a former director of a publicly traded international health care financing company in a shareholder and bondholder class action lawsuit alleging securities fraud and related claims under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Exchange Act involving numerous alleged accounting irregularities, as well as related investigations brought by the SEC and the U.S. Attorney’s Office (USOA). No charges or claims have been brought against the client in either the SEC or USAO proceedings.
• Representing a futures trader in a CFTC investigation concerning alleged attempted market manipulation in violation of Sections 6(c), 6(d), and 9(a)(2) of the Commodity Exchange Act.

Internal Investigations and White Collar Criminal Defense

Clients with corporate fiduciary responsibilities engage William when they need to investigate and act on allegations of insider trading, workplace misconduct, and other threats to public and private companies. He is known for conducting fair and balanced assessments of executive conduct and advises governing boards on the law and on their fiduciary duties to shareholders.

Representative Experience

• Representing a Special Committee of the Board of Directors of a Fortune 500 company in connection with an investigation of alleged insider trading involving senior-level executives of the company
• Assisting in a document-intensive investigation for a major health care company that involved unique and complex issues
• Representing a Special Committee of the Board of Trustees of a major university in connection with an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct by a professor
• Representing a corporate manager in connection with a federal grand jury investigation into alleged violations of the federal Clean Air Act
• In these engagements and others, William was responsible for managing various projects, including the retrieval, organization, review, and production of electronic data in response to civil, regulatory, and grand jury requests

Prior to entering private practice, William served as a law clerk to the Honorable Joseph J. Rodriguez, U.S.D.J., in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey.