William S. Weltman

Biography

As a litigator, Will seeks to use his life experiences to gain the best outcomes for his clients. His training began well before law school, when he watched his father, a seasoned trial attorney, take great joy in litigating his clients’ matters to favorable results. Over the course of his career, Will has been trained by a diverse group of attorneys, who taught him not only the value of providing clients with a desirable end result, but also the importance of saving his clients time and money throughout the litigation process.

Will’s practice focuses on representing private equity firms and their portfolio companies in a diverse array of industries, including companies focused on food, consumer, and industrial product manufacturing and distribution. For many of these companies, Will acts as outside in-house counsel, guiding them through litigation and other risks to avoid litigation and, when necessary, handling litigation for them from inception through trial and appeal.

Because of his varied experiences and adaptability, Will has become a go-to attorney for high-net-worth individuals and family offices involved in trust and estate disputes. Will takes the same approach with his trust and estate clients and aims to focus them on resolving their disputes and issues in an efficient manner and to protect against future problems.

Will also has substantial experience in the hospitality industry. He gained his first experience in the hospitality industry through a client placement at a leading hotel brand, where he acted as an in-house litigator advising internal clients on a variety of commercial disputes and overseeing outside counsel in ongoing litigation and arbitration. This experience resulted in representing the client in a complex international arbitration dispute involving a hotel management agreement.

Will acts for several clients in international matters, including disputes involving distribution and supply agreements, hospitality agreements, and trade secrets. Since his first international arbitration, he has continued to represent clients in cross-border disputes and international litigation involving parties from Asia and the European Union. Will also continues to work in the hospitality industry on a variety of domestic commercial disputes.

Will also recognizes that all businesses have legal needs pertaining to technology. His practice touches many legal disciplines and commercial disputes involving artificial intelligence, transformative and disruptive technologies, technology transactions, and data-related disputes and investigations.

Will is active in pro bono representation in a variety of matters, including civil rights claims to effectuate change in the criminal justice system.

In law school, Will was valedictorian in 2009, on the dean’s List all semesters, and a recipient of the Fred Herzog Scholarship and the Edith and Philip Baim School Scholarship Award. He was editor-in-chief of The John Marshall Law Review from 2008 to 2009.

Outside the Firm

Will lives in the city with his wife, two boys, and two dogs. When he is not working, Will enjoys working out, cooking, traveling, and the occasional cigar. Will is an active volunteer at the local school and currently serves as one of the coaches for the 7/8th grade boys and 5th grade basketball teams.

Experience

Key Trial Highlight

Assisted as an integral member of a trial team that secured a $66 million verdict after a four-week trial.

Class Action and Complex Litigation

Represented the largest mattress retailer in United States in Lanham Act false advertising dispute and forced favorable settlement after successfully excluding $20 million lost profits claim.
Obtained dismissal of nationwide class action complaint for breach of express and implied warranty and Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act claims.
Negotiated favorable buyout for a shareholder in commercial property venture involving allegations of fraud.
Prosecuted trade secret case to successful settlement after multiple-day evidentiary hearing concerning a former employee’s theft of trade secrets.
Tried international arbitration involving complex contractual and insurance dispute for a global hospitality company.
Counseled a battery manufacturer in negotiation of warranty and product quality language.
Successfully recovered attorneys’ fees and costs in several indemnification disputes between a client and its subcontractors and insurers in facilities management services contract disputes.
Obtained judgment in excess of $600,000 for a manufacturing client after obtaining summary judgment on defense and indemnification claim against a property owner.
First-chaired trial between a commercial property owner and a contractor arising out of contractual dispute.
Counseled clients on drafting and negotiating terms for warranty, limitation of liability, and indemnification provisions.
Negotiated voluntary dismissal of several claims after taking “no pay” position on spurious claims against a manufacturer client.

Estate and Trust Disputes

Defended a trustee and certain beneficiaries of several trusts in contentious trust litigation.
Represented co-trustees in litigation against a former executor and trustee of trust for breach of fiduciary duty and other related claims, resulting in favorable settlement.
Provided counsel to trust and estate clients in various ongoing and potential litigation issues.

Hospitality

Counseled a global hospitality company in a variety of commercial disputes.
Represented a global hospitality company in international arbitration involving management agreement dispute.
Served in litigation department for a global hospitality company during four-and-a-half-month secondment and advised internal clients on variety of commercial disputes and ongoing litigation.

International Arbitration and Cross-Border Disputes

Represented a juvenile product manufacturer in variety of commercial disputes with overseas suppliers, involving issues of Chinese and other foreign law.
Defended action to enforce Indian arbitral award against a U.S.-based company and leveraged defenses to force favorable settlement.
Served in litigation department for a global hospitality company during four-and-a-half-month secondment and advised internal clients on variety of commercial disputes and ongoing litigation.