- January 28, 2025
William O. Williams, III
Partner
Biography
BIOGRAPHY
Will is a trusted legal advisor to leading global insurance companies, navigating complex commercial litigation in state and federal courts with a focus on insurance and reinsurance coverage disputes. His practice includes advising clients on high-exposure coverage matters, often involving multi-jurisdictional litigation and novel liability issues.
Will’s experience spans a wide range of complex, high-exposure insurance coverage matters, including:
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Bad Faith
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Construction Defect
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Directors’ and Officers’ Liability
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Primary and Excess General Liability
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Data Breach Liability
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Mass Tort
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Personal Injury
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White Collar Crime
Will combines legal acumen with leadership, having played a key role in establishing his firm’s Denver office. As the first attorney to relocate to Denver, he spearheaded the office’s launch, managing its operations and growth during its critical early stages.
Before Nicolaides
While in law school, Will served as Managing Editor of Lead Articles and contributed as a writer for the DePaul Business and Commercial Law Journal. He was also a recipient of the Merit and Lex Legio scholarships. Will externed for the Honorable Robert E. Senechalle, Jr, in the Chancery Division of the Cook County Circuit Court and gained additional valuable experience clerking for a law firm.Outside Nicolaides
An avid sports fan, Will attends sporting events at different venues across the country. He also enjoys trying new foods and restaurants, reading, watching movies, and spending time with his family.-
Represented a global property-casualty network and its subsidiaries in a high-stakes lawsuit seeking a declaration of rights for defense and indemnity obligations in thousands of U.S. and Canadian cases alleging bodily injury from herbicide exposure. Responsibilities included managing litigation activities, advising on strategy, drafting motions, conducting discovery, and attending depositions.
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Advised a global insurer on coverage issues in lawsuits against the NCAA involving decades of policies and allegations of CTE and neurodegenerative injuries from college football. Responsibilities included assessing coverage impact, navigating complex liability and excess policy issues, and managing day-to-day activities.
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Advised major national insurers on coverage and liability issues in lawsuits by municipalities and foreign governments against gun industry entities, involving claims of public nuisance linked to gun violence and illegal trafficking, with claims totaling millions of dollars.
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Successfully represented a global insurer in multi-million-dollar litigation over locomotive engine damage by allocating damages across multiple policy periods, saving the client millions of dollars.
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Successfully achieved summary judgment on behalf of one of the largest global property and casualty insurers, convincing the court that a claim for alleged mental and emotional distress did not involve bodily injury or an occurrence under Illinois law.