For a second consecutive year, Williams & Connolly’s Securities practice group has been selected as one of Law360's “Securities Practice Groups of the Year” for 2016.  This annual series recognizes “the law firms that racked up victories in litigation and closed the big deals to make their mark among clients and throughout the legal industry.”

We are regularly selected for cases that shape the securities laws.  On top of its work in traditional securities litigation, Williams & Connolly this year won two cases that helped shape the legal landscape of the 2007–2008 financial crisis.

• First, Williams & Connolly briefed, argued, and won the most prominent case brought by the government arising out of the 2007–2008 financial crisis for Bank of America, avoiding an approximately $1.3 billion penalty in the process. The Second Circuit’s decision was ground-breaking in delineating the limited circumstances in which alleged breaches of contract can be the basis for fraud claims under federal statutes—an issue that frequently arises in securities cases, especially those regarding mortgage-backed securities or private securities transactions.
• Second, the firm briefed, argued, and won the only criminal prosecution arising out of the TARP program, created by the government in the wake of the financial crisis, convincing the same court to reverse a fraud conviction and vacate a securities fraud conviction.

Click here to view the full list of winners.

Click here to read the profile on Williams & Connolly.