J. William (Will) Piereson
Associate
J. William Piereson (Will) first joined Ropes & Gray’s litigation and enforcement practice group as an associate in 2017. He returned to Ropes & Gray in 2021 after completing a clerkship with the Honorable Loretta A. Preska of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Will’s practice covers a wide range of civil litigation in both federal and state courts—including complex commercial disputes, securities litigation, shareholder and corporate governance disputes, and deal-related litigation—as well as government investigations and enforcement matters. Across those matters, Will represents sophisticated clients such as financial institutions, private equity firms, investment advisers, public companies, and individual officers and directors. Will also maintains an active pro bono practice, representing asylum-seekers in proceedings before immigration courts as well as criminal defendants in trial court proceedings, appellate matters, and in connection with petitions for post-conviction relief.
During law school, Will served for two years as an executive editor of the Harvard National Security Journal. 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
- Representing solar energy company in federal securities litigation and related derivative litigation involving allegations of misleading public statements about company’s exposure to COVID-related supply chain disruptions and commodity price spikes.
- Defending biotechnology company in federal securities litigation and related derivative litigation involving allegations of misleading public statements about the testing and manufacture of company’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate.
- Representing national pharmacy companies in fraud and consumer fraud lawsuits concerning retail pharmaceutical drug pricing and reimbursements.
- Defended private equity firm in federal securities litigation arising from its investment in a publicly-traded medical device company, securing complete dismissal of claims brought against the client.
- Advised large, publicly traded company in multi-year SEC investigation involving allegations of misleading public statements and accounting fraud, and successfully represented company before the SEC, securing termination of the matter without action.
- Represented former director of public company in SEC enforcement proceedings related to alleged insider trading, civil litigation stemming from alleged breaches of fiduciary duty to former company, and advancement proceedings in the Delaware Court of Chancery.
- Represented mutual fund investment advisers against claims of excessive fees under Section 36(b) of the Investment Company Act of 1940.
Pro Bono
- Representing criminal defendant in federal habeas corpus proceedings concerning his conviction and sentence.
- Defended criminal defendant against federal indictment for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
- Represented criminal defendant in appeal of his conviction and sentence to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
- Represented Indonesian Christians in both reopening and asylum proceedings, securing reopening of clients’ case from the Board of Immigration Appeals and an eventual grant of asylum after a hearing before the Boston Immigration Court.
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)
Education
- JD, cum laude, Harvard Law School, 2017; Executive Editor, Harvard National Security Journal
- BA (Political Science, History, and Leadership Studies), cum laude, Williams College, 2011; Honors Thesis Student in Political Science; Recipient, C. David Harris Award for Best Essay in Political Theory, 2009
Admissions / Qualifications
Qualifications
- Massachusetts, 2017
- New York, 2020
Court Admissions
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, 2018
- U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, 2021