Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Joins Jones Day

ATLANTA, Oct. 29 -- The global law firm Jones Day has announced that Jack M. Williams, a prominent trial lawyer and former Assistant United States Attorney, has joined its Atlanta Office as a partner in the Business and Tort Litigation (USA) Practice. Mr. Williams was previously a partner in the Atlanta office of Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, LLP.  

"Having known and worked with Jack for many years going back to our federal prosecutor days, I'm thrilled that he has chosen to join the firm," said Richard H. Deane, Jr., Partner-in-Charge of Jones Day's Atlanta Office. "Jack is a highly seasoned and successful trial attorney who is well known in the Atlanta community and will make a great contribution here both to colleagues and clients"  

"Jack has an outstanding track record, both as a civil trial attorney and as a criminal defense and internal investigative attorney. Given our long experience working with Jack in the representation of mutual clients, we know that he brings great trial talent and that he will be a good fit here.  We are very pleased to welcome him." said Daniel E. Reidy, chair of Jones Day's Business and Tort Litigation Practice.  

"We have known Jack as a friend and trusted colleague for years, and are happy to now be able to practice with him under the same roof," said Stephanie Parker, the Atlanta partner who leads the Jones Day team that represents R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. "At Jones Day, Jack will continue to represent R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company as well as other clients. Jones Day has tried 50 jury trials for Reynolds in the last 3 years alone, and is also representing Reynolds American in its acquisition of Lorillard, Inc. for $27.4 billion." 

Mr. Williams has defended companies in products liability cases and in other types of business and commercial litigation including tobacco, asbestos, and pharmaceuticals, trying over 20 cases to verdict, and has represented companies and individuals responding to government investigations and criminal prosecutions. As Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia from 1995-2000, Mr. Williams focused on prosecuting business crime, serving as the government's lead trial counsel or co-counsel in a number of cases in which convictions were obtained. He also successfully defended several convictions before the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.  

Mr. Williams was appointed by the Judges of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia as a member of the Magistrate Judge Merit Selection Panel in 2006; in 2008, he served as its Chair. He was inducted in 2007 as a Fellow in Litigation Counsel of America (LCA), an invitation-only trial lawyer honorary society whose membership is limited to less than one-half of 1% of American lawyers; he served as LCA's President in 2010. In 2003, Governor Sonny Perdue appointed Mr. Williams to State Ethics Commission, which enforces Georgia's campaign finance disclosure and reporting requirements under the Ethics in Government Act; he served on the Commission until January 2007 and is a past Chair.  

A graduate of Bowling Green State University (B.S., Business Administration, 1980), Cleveland State University (M.B.A., Accounting and Tax, 1985) and the University of Michigan J.D., 1989), Mr. Williams has served as an adjunct faculty member at Emory Law School and has been a seminar speaker on class actions, trial practice, and various issues relating to e-discovery, white collar crime and internal corporate investigations. Before and during graduate school, he played professional football for seven years with the then St. Louis Cardinals of the National Football League and the Ottawa RoughRiders and Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. 

Jones Day is a global law firm with 41 offices in major centers of business and finance throughout the world. Its unique governance system fosters an unparalleled level of integration and contributes to its perennial ranking as among the best in the world in client service. Jones Day provides significant legal representation for almost half of the Fortune 500, Fortune Global 500, and FT Global 500.