William McDaniels has been actively engaged in civil and criminal trial work for more than forty years. Mr. McDaniels began his career as a public defender in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as part of a post-graduate program in criminal law and litigation at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. In 1968, he joined Williams & Connolly, where he has had the privilege of maintaining a nation-wide practice in complex civil and criminal litigation.
Mr. McDaniels' civil practice areas have included First Amendment and media work, contract, products liability, medical malpractice, intellectual property, employment, administrative law, antitrust, business torts, general commercial litigation, and Qui Tam defense. Mr. McDaniels has been the lead counsel in trials for, among others, The Washington Post Company, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Fox Television, and United States Surgical Corporation. His civil practice has included numerous cases involving challenges under the Administrative Procedure Act to actions of various federal agencies, including successfully arguing before the Supreme Court in the matter of Seatrain Shipbuilding Corp., v. Shell Oil Co., 444 U.S. 572 (1980).
Mr. McDaniels' criminal practice has ranged from the defense of homicide cases to a focus on white-collar criminal defense. In the latter area, Mr. McDaniels has successfully defended cases involving allegations of bank fraud, healthcare fraud, sports bribery, gambling offenses, money laundering, environmental crimes, and the Economic Espionage Act.
Mr. McDaniels has taught as an adjunct professor at the Georgetown University Law Center in Evidence, Criminal Law and Advanced Criminal Procedure. He is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.