Greg Williams
USA Guide 2024
Band 6 : International Arbitration: Counsel
Band 6
About
Provided by Greg Williams
Practice Areas
Gregory M. Williams is a co-leader of Sidley’s Global Arbitration, Trade and Advocacy practice and a member of the Litigation group. His practice focuses on complex commercial arbitration and litigation and arbitration. His diverse experience includes serving as lead counsel in high-stakes international disputes involving a wide range of claims cutting across several industries, including energy, aerospace, defense and government contracts, mining, infrastructure, life sciences, technology, crypto, financial services, and more.
Greg’s matters are frequently multifaceted, with parallel or related proceedings in multiple fora. For example, Greg represented a publicly traded clean energy company in a wide-ranging, $1+ billion dispute with an Asian energy company arising from licensing agreements. The matter involved three arbitrations seated in Korea, ICC arbitrations seated in London and Singapore, a books-and-records demand in Delaware Chancery Court, and a securities claim in the Southern District of New York. The disputes ultimately settled very favorably, confirming the exclusive rights of Greg’s client to its intellectual property world-wide and dismissing all claims against his client with prejudice and without compensation.
Greg similarly represented a global defense contractor in a dispute with the South Korean government relating to an upgrade of Korea’s fleet of F-16 fighter jets. He obtained summary judgment in a U.S. suit declaring that Korea’s claims impermissibly undermined U.S. national security interests. In so doing, he obtained the first-ever foreign anti-suit injunction against a foreign sovereign in the history of U.S. jurisprudence. Further, he convinced the Fourth Circuit to affirm the district court’s decision, despite an amicus brief by the Executive Branch challenging the global defense contractor’s national security arguments. Greg advised the contractor with respect to the parallel Korean suit. The Korean Supreme Court recently affirmed the global defense contractor’s victory in that action as well.
Chambers Review
USA
Greg Williams regularly acts for an array of commercial clients in ICC and JAMS arbitrations.
Strengths
Provided by Chambers
"Greg is smart, strategic and collaborative, and he has real eye for the budget."
"Greg is thorough and strategic, and is a very good oral advocate."
"He was absolutely first class; it was a sensitive case additional to the complex legal issues and he managed to excel in all the aspects."
"Greg is smart, strategic and collaborative, and he has real eye for the budget."
"Greg is thorough and strategic, and is a very good oral advocate."
"He was absolutely first class; it was a sensitive case additional to the complex legal issues and he managed to excel in all the aspects."