William Oxley

William W. Oxley, the Managing Partner of Dechert’s Los Angeles office, is a trial lawyer whose clients trust him with their most important disputes. According to his clients, Mr. Oxley is “a shrewd litigator” with “amazing jury appeal” “who always finds a way to win.”

Mr. Oxley is a Fellow in The American College of Trial Lawyers, which is composed of the best of the trial bar and is widely considered to be the premier professional trial organization in the United States.

Fellowship is extended only by invitation, after careful investigation, to experienced trial lawyers who have mastered the art of advocacy and whose professional careers have been marked by the highest standards of ethical conduct, professionalism, civility and collegiality.

Mr. Oxley has tried many cases to verdict, including products liability cases for Union Carbide Corporation and contract and business tort cases for DHL Express (USA). He has also represented Fox Entertainment Group in patent infringement actions, The Dow Chemical Company in environmental litigation, Dow AgroSciences in products liability litigation and Sony Pictures Entertainment, The Walt Disney Company, and ESPN in copyright and trademark litigation.

Mr. Oxley has extensive experience litigating class actions and breach of contract, false advertising and real estate disputes, as well as defending nutritional and health product manufacturers and distributors against Proposition 65 claims. He has won appeals in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the First District Court of Appeals in Texas.

Since 2012, Mr. Oxley has been ranked as a leading litigator by Chambers USA, a referral guide to leading lawyers in the United States. Sources praise Mr. Oxley for the quality of his trial advocacy and strategic foresight.

In the words of one of his clients, “He is brilliant, he has worked for me on numerous trials and quite frankly was and is the best trial lawyer I’ve ever seen.” Clients also describe him as “a very skilled trial lawyer,” and “gifted cross-examiner” who is “very good at communicating and simplifying complex topics.”

Mr. Oxley is also a Fellow in the Litigation Counsel of America (LCA), which is a trial lawyer honorary society composed of less than one-half of one percent of American Lawyers. Fellowship in the LCA is highly selective and by invitation only. Fellows are selected based upon effectiveness and accomplishment in litigation, both at the trial and appellate levels, and superior ethical reputation.

Mr. Oxley maintains an active pro bono practice and was a member of the Public Counsel Board of Directors. He has also provided pro bono services through the California Lawyers for the Arts, the Bilingual Foundation for the Arts and the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, where he previously served on the Board of Directors.

Mr. Oxley is the head of Dechert’s acclaimed trial advocacy program. He has also served as a guest lecturer on trial advocacy at Southwestern School of Law and on pre-trial practice at the University of California, Irvine School of Law. Mr. Oxley has provided expert legal analysis for Law360 and on MSNBC and Court TV, and he lectures and writes on various legal and business issues.

EDUCATION:

• California State University, Chico, B.A., 1985
• University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law, J.D., 1988, with Distinction, Order of the Coif

ADMISSIONS :

• California
• New York
• Texas

MEMBERSHIPS :

• Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers
• Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America
• Member, American Board of Trial Advocates
• Member, Diversity Law Institute
• Member, Los Angeles County Bar Association