No. of offices 1 Company type LLP Founded 1967 No. of attorneys 200+ Number of offices 1 | Date founded 1967 Founder Edward Bennett Williams Number of attorneys 200 Major practice areas Litigation | |
Headquarters Washington, D.C., United States Profiles | ||
Williams & Connolly LLP is a prominent litigation firm based in Washington, D.C., United States. It is consistently ranked among the top law firms in Washington, D.C., leads the country in starting salaries for first-year associates, and is among the most difficult law firms to be hired at in the United States.
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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 boutique. Recent 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 has also represented Colonel Oliver North during the Iran-Contra Affair and John Hinckley, the would-be assassin of President Reagan. In addition, the firm represented Fred Smith, the CEO of FedEx, in his challenge of the University of Virginia's policy of student self-governance.
Williams & Connolly is the subject of Masters of the Game: Inside the World's Most Powerful Law Firm by Kim Eisler.
Reputation and Compensation
In 2011, 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 the 8th most prestigious firm in the United States. The firm also ranked #2 on Vault's list of "Best Firms to Work For," #2 in "Career Outlook, #2 in "Employee Satisfaction, and #1 in "Business Outlook." In 2015, the firm elevated its starting salary for first year associates to $200,000, the highest in the country.
With regard to hiring, Williams & Connolly was ranked in 2017 as the second most selective law firm in the country. The firm has a reputation for hiring only the most academically successful students from the nation's top law schools, with preference given to law review editors.