William F. Lee

William F. Lee: Professional Summary

William F. Lee is a partner at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP (WilmerHale) and one of the country's most prominent intellectual property and patent litigation attorneys. His practice focuses on high-stakes trials and appeals for major technology and life sciences corporations. Public records show his work spans diverse technical fields, including smartphones, semiconductors, cellular communications, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and genetically engineered products. He has spent his entire career at WilmerHale and its predecessor, Hale and Dorr, where he became a partner in 1984 and served as managing partner from 2000 to 2004, helping to lead the 2004 merger with Wilmer Cutler & Pickering.

The authoritative case data tracks one appearance for Mr. Lee, on the defendant side for Solos Technology Ltd. in a case brought by Luxottica. However, Mr. Lee's public career, spanning more than 40 years, is characterized by his role as lead trial counsel for large operating companies, almost exclusively in a defensive capacity or in competitor litigation. He is widely known for serving as lead trial counsel for Apple Inc. in its global "smartphone war" litigations with Samsung, which included a jury verdict for Apple of over $1 billion in 2012. He has also led trial teams for Intel in major patent disputes, including a multi-billion dollar suit brought by VLSI Technology. Other representative clients in major patent matters include Broadcom and Pfizer.

Mr. Lee has argued more than 100 appeals at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and other appellate courts. While primarily a district court trial and appellate lawyer, he has been involved in matters relating to post-grant proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), such as representing clients in appeals from IPR decisions. His firm biography and press coverage do not indicate a focus on personally leading IPR trials, though the firm has a substantial PTAB practice.

Mr. Lee earned his A.B., magna cum laude, from Harvard University (1972) and both his J.D., magna cum laude, and an M.B.A. with Distinction from Cornell University (1976).