Youlin Yuan is an associate at Williams & Connolly and focuses his practice on complex civil litigation and international arbitration. In his litigation practice, Youlin has experience representing leading U.S. and Chinese technology and telecom companies in litigations and government investigations, including recently serving on the trial defense team in the monopolization case brought against Google by the United States Department of Justice and several state attorneys general. In his arbitration practice, Youlin has represented a sovereign state in multiple investment treaty disputes before ICSID and multinational corporations in diverse commercial disputes before the leading arbitral institutions (ICC, LCIA, HKIAC).
In 2022, Youlin was recognized as a Rising Star by CPR, one of the leading institutions in international arbitration. In 2021 and 2022, Who’s Who Legal: Commercial Litigation recognized Youlin as a Future Leader. According to that publication, Youlin is a “highly respected and hardworking advocate who excels at representing US technology companies in litigations.” In 2022, Youlin was one of only three attorneys in the United States to receive the honor in the non-partner category. Youlin is a member of CPR’s Arbitration Committee and serves as Assistant Editor for East and Central Asia at Kluwer Arbitration Blog, a preeminent professional blog focusing on international arbitration.
Originally from Shanghai, China, Youlin received his Juris Doctor from Yale Law School and his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE), First Class Honors, from University of Oxford. While in law school, Youlin served as Articles and Essays Editor of the Yale Law Journal, Managing Editor of the Yale Journal of International Law, and Student Fellow at Yale China Center.
Representative Experience
Though all cases vary and none is predictive, Youlin’s experience includes:
- Representing a sovereign state in five investment treaty arbitrations (including one annulment proceeding) before ICSID
- Representing a leading technology company in government antitrust lawsuits and private class action lawsuits in the District of Columbia and Northern District of California
- Secured dismissals in several actions against YouTube and Google for removal of content on their platforms based on content policies; dismissals affirmed in the Fourth, Ninth, and D.C. Circuits
- Representing a leading technology company in antitrust investigations by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) and foreign antitrust regulators
- Represented a leading Chinese telecommunications company in national security-related investigations by the U.S. federal government
- Represented a leading investment bank in a civil action arising out of the 2007 – 2008 Financial Crisis brought by the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”)
- Represented, as trial counsel, a multinational corporation in a construction arbitration against an Australian developer before HKIAC
- Advised a multinational chemical company in contemplated arbitration against a rival chemical company before the International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution (“CPR”)
- Secured dismissal of a petition to enforce an arbitral award in the District of Columbia against a sovereign state
- Secured dismissal of a false advertising class action in the Central District of California against a leading confectionery and food product company
- Representing British Petroleum in multi-district litigation proceedings and Fifth and Eleventh Circuits appellate proceedings arising out of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
- Represented, including as trial counsel, two pharmaceutical companies in Hatch-Waxman litigations challenging patent validity
- Represented, as second chair trial counsel, a Honduran political activist in securing asylum in the United States
- Represented, as lead counsel, an attempted murder suspect in state court appellate proceedings