Biography

J. Craig Williams, a partner in the firm’s Orange County, California office, focuses his practice in the areas of complex business litigation with emphasis on environmental, intellectual property, real estate, technology law and labor matters, and their respective insurance coverage and related tort issues. Mr. Williams also handles white-collar criminal matters in both securities and environmental areas and practices in admiralty and tax courts. In addition, he counsels medical facilities with regards to Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) compliance. His admiralty practice includes international and domestic maritime activities, including vessel arrests, marine liens and mortgages and marine commerce and contracts. Mr. Williams is a Board Certified Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy, an American Bar Association and California State Bar Approved Agency.

Mr. Williams’ experience includes practice at nationally recognized law firms and has appeared as lead litigation counsel in numerous states and federal districts.

Affiliations, Activities and Accomplishments

Mr. Williams is admitted to practice law in California, Iowa, Massachusetts and Washington. He is admitted to practice in all California state courts, the United States District courts - Northern, Central, Eastern and Southern Districts, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth, Ninth and Federal Circuits, the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims and The Armed Forces, the United States Court of Federal Claims, the United States Tax Court, and the United States Court of International Trade. In addition, he is admitted to the United States Supreme Court, sponsored by W. Ward Reynoldson, Chief Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court.

Mr. Williams is currently a member of Avvo.com advisory board, Law Technology News editorial board, Bighorn Institute board of directors, Authors Guild, Legal Writing Institute, Defense Research Institute, Association of Southern California Defense Counsel, Association of Business Trial Lawyers, California Bar Association - Litigation and Insurance Sections, Iowa Bar Association, Washington Bar Association, Massachusetts Bar Association, Orange County (California) Bar Association Sections – Real Estate, Business Litigation, Environmental Law, Intellectual Property & Technology sections, American Bar Association - Environmental Litigation, Probate and Trust, Real Property sections and the Decisions Committee. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Orange County (California) Bar Association.

An accomplished speaker, Mr. Williams has lectured as an adjunct professor at the University of Iowa College of Law on Trial Advocacy, Stanford Law School on Environmental Insurance Coverage, Chapman University School of Law on Legal Writing and Research, the University of California, Irvine on Toxics Law, and the UCI Extension Environmental Management Program on The Regulatory Framework for Hazardous and Toxic Materials.

He has published How to Get Sued: An Instructional Guide, a hardcover book, with Kaplan Publishing, and his second hardcover book from Kaplan, Bad Decisions? 10 Famous Cases That Went Wrong is anticipated to be published in Fall 2009. He also wrote the Foreword for the reissued hardcover book, The Path of the Law by Oliver Wendell Holmes. He was a contributing reporter on environmental litigation of the “ABA Real Estate Quarterly Report,” and is the author of many articles, including “Defense of Environmental Criminal Cases By the Numbers of Science and the Law,” Vol. 22, Issue 10, Andrews Litigation Reporter, White-Collar Crime, Thompson West, July 2008; “The Liabilities of Social Networking Sites,” 50 Orange County Lawyer, June, 2008; Co-Author of “The Practical Implications of the Aerojet Decision, California Environmental Law and Remediation Reporter,” April 1998; and, “Son of the California Environmental Quality Act: A Look at Public Resources Code 21081.6,” 33 Orange County Lawyer 36 (1991). Mr. Williams has participated in numerous appellate court opinions, including the 2006 O'Grady v. Sup.Ct. (Apple Computer) 139 Cal..App.4th 1423.

Mr. Williams was featured in the April 2009 Orange County Lawyer Magazine in their “Who’s Who in the OCBA” article. Additionally, he was honored in OCMetro Magazine’s “O.C.’s Top Lawyers” in the area of litigation. Selections were chosen based on Avvo ratings and peer reviews. He also received a Pro Bono Publico service commendation from the Washington State Bar Association for performing over fifty hours of service for the public good in the past year.

Apellate Court Opinions

Mr. Williams has participated in the following appellate court opinions:

• O'Grady v. Sup.Ct. (Apple Computer) (2006) 139 Cal.App.4th 1423
• Saba v. Crater (1998) 62 Cal.App.4th 150 
• Fonovisa v. Cherry Auction, 76 F.3d 259 (9th Cir. 1996)
• Bither v. Martin (1992) 1992 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14358
• New Davidson Brick Co. v. County of Riverside (1990) 217 Cal.App.3d 1146
• Hajek v. Iowa Parole Board, 414 N.W.2d 122 (Iowa S.Ct. 1987) (while in law school)

Presentations

Mr. Williams has presented numerous seminars over the years. The following are some of his presentations since 2000:

• “E-Discovery & Technology,” OCBA 18th Annual Last Dash & Trade Show, Whittier Law School, Costa Mesa, California, January 16, 2010
• “Trial Advocacy,” University of Iowa College of Law, Iowa City, Iowa, January 3-8, 2010
• “We Didn’t Start The Fire,” James Madison University, Commencement Speech, Harrisonburg, Virginia, December 12, 2009
• “Greening Your Career,” Law.com Legal Tech West, Los Angeles, California, June 25th, 2009
• “Avvo Marketing Seminar Series: Tips From the Experts,” Avvo.com Law Firm Marketing Seminars, Los Angeles, Irvine, California, June 18, 2009
• “E-Discovery and Forensic Examination on Computers,” Southwest Association of Forensic Document Examiners Annual Conference, Los Angeles, California, April, 2009
• “Social Networks: How to Maximize Business Benefits and Limit Liability,” Center for Competitive Management Audio Conference, February, 2009
• “E-Discovery from A-Z,” Orange County Bar Association's 17th Annual Last Dash Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Credit seminar, January 17, 2009, Whittier Law School, Costa Mesa, California
• “Litigating to Win Through Advanced Trial Advocacy” Training Seminar, and three individual presentations on “Using Demonstrative Evidence to Enhance Juror Understanding,” and “Comprehensive Cross-examination and Ethical Considerations,” for the National Business Institute, Irvine, California, September 24, 2008
• Footnote, Ebru TV interview on How to Get Sued, September 2008
• “The Latest and Greatest In Technology for the Legal Profession,” National Association of Legal Assistants annual meeting, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, August 8, 2008
• "Ethics in Environmental Law,” Climate Change Conference, CLE International, San Francisco, California, August 4-5, 2008
• “Applying Technology and Law in a Multi-jurisdictional Practice,” LegalTech, Los Angeles, California, June 27, 2008
• “The Paperless Office,” Long Beach Legal Secretary's Association, Long Beach, California, June 12, 2008
•  How to Get Sued book signing at Book Expo America, Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, California, June 1, 2008
• KUCI radio interview on How to Get Sued, June 2008
• “Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, E-Discovery and Technology Law,” Callahan & Blaine law firm, South Coast Metro, California, May 2, 2008
• “The Perils E-Discovery,” Orange County Bar Association, Orange, California, May 1, 2008
• Law.com Legal Channels interview on How to Get Sued, May 2008
• “Technology – Its Impact on the Media, Courts, and Attorneys,” Orange County Superior Court, Santa Ana, California, April 25, 2008
• “Technology Law, E-discovery and Technology on Your Desktop and In the Courtroom,” Orange County (California) Bar Association, Prague, Czech Republic, April 8, 2008
• “How Technology Has Changed the Law and Journalism,” Orange County, California Superior Court Bench & Bar Seminar, March 28, 2008
• “Sports and Entertainment Law,” University of California, Irvine Pre-Law Society, March 5, 2008
• “Carbon Credits,” Climate Change Law Conference, CLE International, Los Angeles, California, February 28-29, 2008
• “Ethical Considerations for the Environmental Practitioner,” Green Building Conference, CLE International, San Francisco, California, February 21-22, 2008
• “Technology and the Law: Update 2008,” Orange County (California) Bar Association Last Dash seminar, January 19, 2008
• Adjunct Professor, Trial Advocacy, University of Iowa College of Law, Iowa City, Iowa, January 2008
• “The Future of Technology,” New York State Bar Association Trusts and Estates Section annual meeting, Coronado, San Diego, California, October 2007
• “The Legal and Business Approach to Law Firm Blogs: Is Your Firm Making the Most of Blogging Opportunities?” American Lawyer Media Webinar, September 2007
• “Ethics Issues in Environmental Law,” CLE International, California Climate Change Law seminar, San Francisco, California, August 2007
• “The Paperless Office,” Managing Partners Roundtable, Westwood, Los Angeles, California, March 2007
• “2007 Real Estate Law Update,” Lambda Alpha International, Newport Beach California, January 2007
• “What's New In Technology For Solos and Small Firms,” The Solo and Small Firm Section of the State Bar of California, Costa Mesa, California, December 2006
• “Rainmaking 101: Marketing Yourself and Your Practice,” Irvine, California, Orange County (California) Bar Association Solo and Small Firm Section, November 2006
• “Fear Factor: Why Lawyers are Afraid of Technology, and How to Get Over It,” Annual Meeting of the California State Bar Association, Monterey, California, October 2006
• “Who's Watching and Listening? How to Protect Your Office and Clients From Inadvertent Disclosure of Private Information,” Orange County (California) Bar Association, Costa Mesa, California, September 2006
• “Technology & Disaster Recovery,” Small Firm Business Forum, West Hollywood, California, June 2006
• “Technology and Internet use in the Courtroom and your Practice,” Orange County (California) Hispanic Bar Association, San Juan, Puerto Rico, May 2006
• “Use of Legal Technology In The Courtroom,” Orange County (California) Celtic Bar Association Scotland Seminar, April 2006
• “Rule 1-400 and the Appellate Practitioner: The Ethics of Marketing and Solicitation,” Orange County (California) Bar Association Appellate Section, Costa Mesa, California, February 2006
• “Technology and Its Effect On The Practice of Law,” Orange County Paralegal Association, Newport Beach, California, January 2006
• “Legal Technology,” Orange County (California) Bar Association, Whittier Law School, Costa Mesa, California, January 2006
• “Legal Ethics and Ethical Overview,” Chapman University, Wilkinson College of Letters and Sciences guest lecturer, Orange, California, September 2005 and February 2006
• “From Blawgs to Instant Messaging: Proactive Legal Communication Evolves!” Legal Tech 2005, Los Angeles, California, June 2005
• “Legal Writing Skills,” National Business Institute, Costa Mesa, California, May 2005
• “Legal Ethics, Elimination of Bias and Substance Abuse,” Orange County (California) Hispanic Bar Association, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, May 2005
• “New Developments in Courtroom Technology,” International Business Law Consortium, Whistler, British Columbia, Canada, April 2005
• “Civil Procedure on Motions for Relief,” Orange County (California) Celtic Bar Association, Madrid, Spain, September 2004
• “The Ethical Construct of Professional, Institutional and Service Sectors, Religion and Values,” Guest Lecturer Chapman University, Orange, California, Fall Semester 2004 - 2007
• “New Developments in Criminal Environmental Law,” Orange County (California) Hispanic Bar Association, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, May 2004
• “Emerging Practice Area of Environmental Crimes,” Orange County (California) Celtic Bar Association, Adare, Ireland, 2002
• “Legal Research & Writing,” Adjunct Professor, Chapman University School of Law, Orange, California, 2002–2003
• “Commercial Lending,” Real Estate Section of Orange County (California) Bar Association, Costa Mesa, California, January 2002
• “Environmental Insurance Coverage Fundamentals,” Orange County (California) Bar Association, Oranjestad, Aruba, November 2000
• “Commercial Real Estate Lending and Lender Liability,” Orange County Bankers Association, Newport Beach, California, December 2000

Publications

Mr. Williams’ publications since 2000 include:

• “Dropping A Summons And Complaint Outside A Door Makes Good Service,” Pursuit Magazine, The Journal of Professional Excellence for Investigators, January 13, 2009
• Bad Decisions? 10 Famous Cases That Went Wrong^© (hardcover book) Kaplan Publishing, New York City, New York, anticipated Summer 2010
• “Insuring Your Company’s Future,” The Scotsman Guide and scotsmanguide.com, August 2008
• How To Get Sued An Instructional Guide^© (hardcover book), Kaplan Publishing, New York City, New York, June 3, 2008
• “The Liabilities of Social Networking Sites,” 50 Orange County Lawyer, June, 2008
• “Internet Frontiers: Build Your Own Blog,” Law Technology News, December 2004
• “May It Please The Court” weblog, daily since August 2003
• “Belly Up to the Bar - Feeding Time at the Shark-Ray Flats,” iWaterways.com, Netzine, January 2000

Education

Mr. Williams attended the United States Coast Guard Academy, New London, Connecticut, from 1975 to 1976. He completed his undergraduate work at James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia where he received his B.S. (1979) with a major in Communications Arts – Radio, TV, Film and Journalism and a minor in Biology as a member of Omicron Delta Kappa. He received his J.D. (1987), from the University of Iowa College of Law, with distinction. While at law school, he served on the Moot Court Board and was a Certified Practicing Student Clerk where he handled a criminal jury trial, argued before the Court of Appeal and briefed a matter before the Iowa Supreme Court.