J. William (Will) Piereson
Associate
J. William Piereson (Will) is an associate in Ropes & Gray’s litigation and enforcement practice group. Will’s practice covers a wide range of civil litigation, including complex commercial disputes, government investigations, and federal securities litigation. Will also has experience advising clients on matters relating to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and other anti-corruption laws. Will represents a wide array of clients, including private equity firms, investment advisers, public utilities, and directors and officers of public companies.
Will also maintains an active pro bono practice, representing asylum-seekers and criminal defendants in appellate matters.
During law school, Will served for two years as an executive editor of the Harvard National Security Journal and was a member of the Federalist Society. He also interned on Capitol Hill as a law clerk for two United States senators. Prior to attending law school, Will worked at a leading consulting firm in Washington, DC, where he primarily assisted clients in the United States intelligence community in analyzing state and non-state actor use of social media platforms and other emerging technologies.
Experience
- Represented private equity firm in high-stakes litigation under the Securities and Exchange Acts, securing complete dismissal of federal securities claims brought against the client.
- Represented mutual fund investment advisers against claims of excessive fees under Section 36(b) of the Investment Company Act of 1940.
- Advises public utility in connection with government investigation involving allegations of misleading public statements and accounting fraud.
Publications
- Co-author, “The Antisocial Effects of Social Media and How Colleges and Universities Can Manage Related Litigation Risks,” Pittsburgh Journal of Technology Law & Policy (December 2017)