William Donovan Jr.

William (Bill) Donovan Jr., chair of Dechert’s class action practice, focuses on trial and appellate litigation, with an emphasis on accounting, consumer class actions, professional liability and complex commercial cases. Mr. Donovan is an accomplished litigator who has handled bet-the-company litigations and has first-chaired multiple trials and arbitrations. He represents Fortune 200 corporations, emerging companies, sharing economy clients and entrepreneurs. For 2025, Mr. Donovan was named one of the Top 100 lawyers in Los Angeles by the Los Angeles Business Journal.

Mr. Donovan has successfully defended accounting firms, financial institutions insurance companies and technology firms through trial. He also prosecutes trade secret and unfair competition claims, securing substantial relief for clients in court and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) proceedings. His accounting liability experience includes defending high-profile tax and accounting cases through trial, and he played a pivotal role in helping a major telecommunications company resolve a significant investigation into its accounting practices.

He is highly skilled in handling class actions involving common law and statutory claims, including causes of action under Sections 17200 and 17500 of the California Business and Professions Code, the Consumers Legal Remedies Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Unruh Act. He has obtained dismissals on motions to dismiss and demurrers, with victories affirmed on appeal by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the California Courts of Appeal.

Mr. Donovan has extensive experience in complex civil litigation, representing clients in high-profile matters involving breach of contract, business torts, healthcare, real estate, professional liability and deal disputes. He has argued and won several dozen appeals in federal and state courts, including affirmances of dismissals in multimillion-dollar lawsuits. Mr. Donovan has also obtained reversals of lower court decisions refusing to compel arbitration in significant civil actions.

He regularly counsels clients on compliance, enforcement and regulatory issues. Mr. Donovan drafts policies and procedures, including website terms of use, arbitration clauses and privacy policies. He also defends clients in investigations by federal and state agencies, as well as the National Association of Attorneys General.

Mr. Donovan maintains an active pro bono practice. Serving as lead counsel in partnership with the American Civil Liberties Union, he secured a precedent-setting victory requiring the State of California to treat absentee ballots equitably and give voters whose ballots were disqualified for perceived signature mismatch an opportunity to cure their ballot.

Prior to private practice, Mr. Donovan served as senior counsel at a Fortune 50 telecommunications company. He also worked as a trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice, where he conducted numerous appellate and trial court arguments.