Williams & Connolly

Williams & Connolly LLP (often abbreviated to W&C) is an American law firm based in Washington, D.C. known for its specialization in white-collar crime defense. The firm was co-founded by Edward Bennett Williams and Paul Connolly in 1967. Williams had left the partnership of D.C. firm Hogan & Hartson to launch his own litigation firm.

Williams & Connolly LLP

Headquarters	680 Maine Avenue, S.W. Washington, D.C. United States[1]
No. of offices	1
No. of attorneys	300–400
Major practice areas	Litigation
Date founded	1967
Founder	Edward Bennett Williams Paul Connolly
Company type	LLP
Website	wc.com

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 represented Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North during the Iran-Contra Affair and John Hinckley, the would-be assassin of Ronald Reagan.^[2][3][4]

Clientele

Williams & Connolly partner Robert Barnett has represented Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, James Patterson, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Michelle Obama, Laura Bush, Bob Woodward, Sarah Palin, Dick Cheney, Alan Greenspan, Katharine Graham, Ben Bernanke, Paul Ryan, Tim Russert, Barbra Streisand, Jack Welch, Khaled Hosseini, Bill Walton, Mitch McConnell, Jake Tapper, and others.^[5][6]

The firm's corporate clients include Google, Disney, Samsung, Intel, Bank of America, The Carlyle Group, Medtronic, Genentech, Eli Lilly, Halkbank, and 21st Century Fox.^[7] The firm represented Elizabeth Holmes in her Theranos criminal trial.^[8]

In 2023, the University of Michigan retained Williams & Connolly to consult the University in connection with the alleged opponents’ play signal decoding scandal involving the Michigan football program.^[9] In 2024, the University of Virginia retained W&C to investigate allegations against Melina Kibbe following an open letter signed by 128 faculty members declaring no confidence in her.^[10]

In 2025, Perkins Coie hired Williams & Connolly to defend itself after being targeted in an executive order by President Donald Trump.^[11] W&C filed suit against the order in federal court winning a restraining order.^[12] W&C was described as "a very brave law firm" by the U.S. district judge in the case, given that the Trump administration was determined to punish and terrorize law firms that provided services to Trump's perceived opponents.^[13]

Recognition

Williams & Connolly is notable for having a reputation for being the most aggressive and skilled firm in cases against the Department of Justice, known for a scorched-earth approach.^[11][14][15]

In 2025, Vault.com ranked Williams & Connolly as the #1 firm for White Collar Defense and Internal Investigation in the United States, and the #2 law firm in Washington, DC.^[16] Williams & Connolly was ranked in 2025 as the second most selective law firm in the country, after law firm boutique Munger, Tolles & Olsen.^[17] Williams & Connolly is the subject of the 2010 book Masters of the Game: Inside the World's Most Powerful Law Firm by Kim Eisler.^[18]

As of 2024, no woman had made as many United States Supreme Court appearances as Williams & Connolly partner Lisa Blatt, who has advocated in front of the Supreme Court over 50 times.^[19][20]

Alumni

Prominent alumni of the firm include:

• Edward Bennett Williams, high-profile founder of the firm, Washington Redskins and Baltimore Orioles team owner, and political power broker^[21]
• Elena Kagan, associate justice of the United States Supreme Court^[22]
• Jeff Kindler, former CEO of Pfizer^[23][24]
• Larry Lucchino, president and CEO emeritus of the Boston Red Sox^[25]
• Gregory Craig, former White House Counsel under President Barack Obama^[26]
• Mike Pompeo, 70th United States Secretary of State^[27]
• Laurie S. Fulton, former United States Ambassador to Germany under President Barack Obama^[28]
• Amul Thapar, judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit^[29]
• Allison Jones Rushing, judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit^[30]
• Scott Matheson Jr., judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit^[31]
• Ana C. Reyes, judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia^[32]
• Embry Kidd, judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit^[33]

Over the past decade, 45 Supreme Court clerks have been full-time or summer associates with Williams & Connolly.^[34][35] Sarah M. Harris, appointed by President Donald J. Trump to serve as acting solicitor general in early 2025, is a partner.^[36]

Brett Kavanaugh, associate justice of the United States Supreme Court, worked at Williams & Connolly for one summer as a summer associate.^[37]