Partner, New York Phone +1-212-558-4000 Fax +1-212-558-3588 Add to Address Book

William Snipes is a member of the Firm’s Litigation Group. His practice is focused on representing clients in complex commercial, securities, banking and products liability litigation and in investigations and proceedings before federal and state regulatory authorities.

Mr. Snipes has represented a broad range of U.S. and foreign industrial and financial services clients. He has represented financial institutions in major regulatory and internal investigations, as well as regulatory enforcement actions, involving financial derivative instruments, mutual fund trading and allegations of money laundering. He has been involved in antitrust litigation concerning the crude oil industry and the National Football League. He represented a law firm defendant in the national tobacco litigation and the world’s largest spirits manufacturer in youth marketing litigation. He represents the New York State Banking Department in a dispute with the former Republic of Yugoslavia over the state’s regulatory authority to liquidate insolvent Yugoslavian banks. Mr. Snipes also represents companies, board committees, officers and directors in securities fraud and derivative actions arising from (i) collapse of the energy trading market; (ii) financial statement fraud; and (iii) options back-dating.

Mr. Snipes is the co-chair of the Firm’s Diversity Committee.

Selected Cases

Securities Class Action and Derivative

• Todd Saunders v. Manhattan Cable Television Inc. (N.Y. Cty.)
• In re Washington Public Power Supply System Securities Litigation (W. Dist. Washington)
• In re Suprema Specialties, Inc. Securities Litigation (3rd Cir.)
• In re Allegheny Energy, Inc. Securities Litigation (N.D. Maryland)
• In re Allegheny Energy, Inc. Derivative Litigation (N.D. Maryland)
• James Blevins v. Michael A. Appelbaum et al. (N.J. Chancery)
• In re Medarex Derivative Litigation (D. N.J.)

Employment

• Herbert Hill v. Babcock El Wilcox Co. (N.D. Ohio)
• Goldman, Sachs & Co. v. Santangelo (N.Y. Cty.)
• Winifred R. Harrison v. Salomon Brothers Inc. (N.Y. Cty.)
• Gibbon G. Brown v. General Development Corp. (Nassau Cty.)
• Russell Dalton v. Union Bank of Switzerland (N.Y. Cty.)

Regulatory, Enforcement and Investigation

• Agency for Deposit Insurance Rehabilitation Bankruptcy Administration of Jugobanko A.D., and Beogradska Banka A.D. v. Superintendent of Banks of the State of New York (2d Cir.)
• In re Martel Grand Jury Triangle Investigation (General Services Administration)
• In re Sheikh Khalid Bin Mahfouz (BCCI)
• In re Bankers Trust Derivatives Investigation
• In re Allegheny Energy Inc.
• In re Mutual Fund Investigation

Products Liability

• State of Oklahoma v. R.J. Reynolds & Co. (Cleveland Cty. Oklahoma)
• Craig Dunn v. RJR Nabisco Holdings Corp. (Del. Cty. Indiana)
• State of Rhode Island v. Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp. (Providence Super. Ct.)
• State of South Carolina v. Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp. (Richland Cty.)
• Utah Laborers’ Health & Welfare Fund v. Philip Morris Inc. (D. Utah)
• The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico v. Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp. (D. Puerto Rico)
• Janet Brown and Paul Randour v. The State of Oklahoma (1st Dep’t Div.)
• In re Application of Kirkland & Ellis (N.Y. Cty.)
• Hakki v. Zima Company, et al. (D.C. Super. Ct.)
• Kreft v. Zima Beverage Co., et al. (Jefferson Cty. Colorado)
• Wilson v. Zima Co. et al. (W.D. of North Carolina)
• Eisenberg v. Anheuser-Busch, Inc. et al. (N.D. of Ohio)
• Tomberlin v. Adolph Coors Company, et al. (Dane Cty. Wisconsin)
• Bertovich v. Advanced Brands & Importing Co. (N.D. West Virginia)
• Alston v. Advanced Brands & Importing Co. et al. (E.D. Michigan)

Antitrust

• The National Football League Players Association v. The National Football League (S.D.N.Y.)
• Transnor (Bermuda) Limited v. BP North America Petroleum (S.D.N.Y.)

Merger, Acquisition and Post-Closing

• First Eagle SoGen Funds, Inc. v. Bank For International Settlements (2d Cir.)
• Refined Sugars, Inc v. Domino Sugars Corp. (Westchester Cty.)
• Acquisition of Bond Investors Group, Inc. by MBIA, Inc. (DOJ)
• The Dime Savings Bank of New York v. North Fork Bancorporation, Inc. (N.Y. Cty.)
• North Fork Bancorporation, Inc. v. Lawrence J. Toal (Del. Chancery)
• Metro Mobile Inc. v. Bell Atlantic Investments (N.Y. Cty.)

Insurance

• Standard & Poors v. Continental Casualty Co. (S.D.N.Y.)
• Cosco Industries, Inc. v. Johnson & Higgins (N.Y. Cty.)
• In re Suprema Specialties Inc. (Kenneth P. Silverman v. National Union Fire Insurance Co. of Pittsburgh) (S.D.N.Y.)

Arbitration

• Hilton B. Forcum v. Goldman, Sachs & Co. (NASD)
• Mark H. Wholey v. Goldman, Sachs & Co., Bryan G. Reyers and Charles D. Kurtzman (AAA)
• Joel Gershman v. Goldman, Sachs & Co. and James Engebretson (AAA)
• Edmond Weiss v. Goldman, Sachs & Co. and James Engebretson (AAA)
• Elaine Levitt v. Goldman, Sachs & Co. and James Engebretson (AAA)
• Harry Weiss v. Goldman, Sachs & Co. and James Engebretson (AAA)
• William A. Norred v. Goldman, Sachs & Co. and Randy Rich (AAA)
• Alvin H. White and Evelyn B. White v. Goldman, Sachs & Co. (AAA)
• Estate of Marvin Orleans v. Goldman, Sachs & Co. and David A. Plastino (AAA)
• Floyd Ganassi v. Goldman, Sachs & Co. (AAA)
• Richard A. Jacoby et al. v. Goldman Sachs & Co. (AAA)
• Kidder Peabody v. MacPherson (AAA)

Mr. Snipes is a former member of the Executive Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, a member of the Board of Trustees of New School University and a member of the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary. Mr. Snipes, for many years, taught trial advocacy at Columbia Law School.

Mr. Snipes has been named to The Lawdragon 500: The Leading Lawyers in America (2007, 2006) and has been recognized as a leader in Business Litigation in New York Super Lawyers (2009, 2008, 2007, 2006).