William is Altria Group, Inc.'s Vice President and Associate General Counsel, responsible for coordination of the litigation issues facing the Altria group of companies. Prior to joining Altria in 1999 he was a partner with Shook Hardy & Bacon, LLP where he practiced primarily in the firm's Products Liability Division. William was a long-time member of the firm's pro bono and hiring committees and was selected to the firm's executive committee in 1998. He successfully defended product liability cases in state and federal courts across the country. In 1998, the National Law Journal selected William as one of the nation's top ten trial lawyers. He is currently a member of the adjunct faculty at Columbia Law School, where he is a Lecturer-in-Law on Mass Torts.