GREGORY WILLIAMS, a co-leader of the firm’s Global Arbitration, Trade and Advocacy practice and a member of the Litigation group, was named “International Arbitration Litigator of the Year” in 2023 by Benchmark Litigation. His practice focuses on complex commercial litigation and arbitration and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). His diverse experience includes serving as lead counsel in high-stakes arbitration and litigation matters involving a wide range of claims cutting across several industries, including construction, energy, aerospace, defense and government contracts, mining, infrastructure, life sciences, technology, crypto, financial services, and more.
Greg’s matters are frequently multifaceted, with parallel or related proceedings in multiple forums. For example, Greg represents a global defense contractor in a dispute with the South Korean government relating to an upgrade of Korea’s fleet of F-16 fighter jets. He obtained summary judgment in a U.S. suit declaring that Korea’s claims impermissibly undermined U.S. national security interests. In so doing, he obtained the first-ever foreign anti-suit injunction against a foreign sovereign in the history of U.S. jurisprudence. Further, he convinced the Fourth Circuit to affirm the district court’s decision, despite an amicus brief by the Executive Branch challenging a global defense contractor’s national security arguments. Greg advised the contractor with respect to the parallel Korean suit. The Korean Supreme Court recently affirmed the global defense contractor’s victory in that action as well.
Greg successfully represented a publicly traded, clean energy company in a wide-ranging dispute with an international energy company concerning exclusive rights and over US$1 billion in claims and counterclaims. The dispute featured parallel arbitrations seated in London and Singapore, three arbitrations seated in Korea, a books-and-records demand in Delaware Chancery Court, and a securities claim in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. After a bench trial, he obtained a landmark decision for a publicly traded fuel cell company in the Delaware action. Since then, the parties have entered into a settlement agreement, including a multi-million dollar order for its modules, confirming the fuel cell company’s exclusive rights to market its technology in Asia. All claims against the fuel cell company were dismissed with prejudice and without compensation.
Further in the energy space, Greg has served as lead counsel in a number of international arbitration and international litigation matters. He represented a consortium of U.S. and international oil and gas companies in a US$2 billion dispute related to off-shore oil leases. He represented a Swiss drilling company in connection with a dispute stemming from an acquisition related to hundreds of millions of dollars in customs duties for a Brazilian oil rig. In both matters, Greg’s clients prevailed.
His practice spans the world. In addition to the Asian, European, African, and Middle Eastern matters noted above, Greg represented an Argentine pharmaceuticals company against a major U.S. branded pharmaceutical company in an international arbitration seated in Geneva relating to distribution rights to a blockbuster drug through South America. The Argentine pharmaceutical company prevailed.
Greg’s FCPA experience runs the gamut, from managing world-wide internal investigations; to conducting due diligence on international agents, joint venture partners, and other third parties; to designing corporate anti-corruption compliance and training programs.
Greg has been recognized by Chambers USA for Nationwide International Arbitration: Counsel (2024), where he is described by clients as “first class,” “smart, strategic, and collaborative,” and “a very good oral advocate.” Greg is also named in the 2024 Lawdragon “500 Leading Global Litigators.”