Michael F Williams

Mike Williams is a trial lawyer who leads the representation of businesses, individuals, and governments in high-stakes litigation. Since joining Kirkland & Ellis after a clerkship on the Supreme Court, Mike’s practice focuses on clients who need aggressive courtroom advocacy and creative strategic judgment. As lead counsel in plaintiff-side matters, Mike has secured hundreds of millions of dollars of recoveries on behalf of his clients, in addition to hundreds of millions of dollars of contingent fee awards. As lead counsel in defense-side matters, Mike has successfully represented clients in landmark financial-crisis litigation, antitrust merger challenges, mass-tort liability matters, and other enterprise-risk level disputes. In his pro bono work, Mike has achieved victories on behalf of tens of thousands of clients in matters ranging from death-penalty actual-innocence cases, immigration class actions, and civil rights litigation. Mike is an adjunct professor of trial advocacy at Georgetown University Law Center and devotes a significant part of his time to teaching, sponsoring, and mentoring lawyers, with a particular focus on first-generation lawyers and college students.