Ed Barnidge focuses on commercial and complex civil litigation.  He has tried cases in court, arbitration, and regulatory proceedings.  His practice is national in scope, and he has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in high-dollar disputes.  Recent representative cases include prosecuting to successful resolution shortly before trial a high-stakes breach-of-contract claim against a leading financial institution; vindicating on appeal a franchisor’s right to terminate a long-time franchisee; defeating a claim for class representation brought by dozens of retail consumers; and obtaining a dismissal in a putative class action involving purported financial fraud.  Mr. Barnidge also has extensive experience representing corporations and individuals in government investigations, particularly involving federal and parallel state False Claims Acts. 

Mr. Barnidge joined Williams & Connolly LLP in 2000 following his clerkship with the Honorable Saundra Brown Armstrong in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.  Mr. Barnidge is co-chair of the firm’s pro bono Consumer Law Practice Center for the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, which provides free legal information regarding consumer disputes in the District.