Williams & Connolly is pleased to announce that, effective January 1, 2018, Steven Cady, Colette Connor, Christopher Mandernach, Liam Montgomery, and Katherine Trefz will become partners of the firm.
“We would like to extend our thanks and congratulations to the five tremendously talented lawyers who will be joining our partnership this year,” said Chairman Dane Butswinkas. “Each of these extraordinary attorneys embodies the firm’s dedication to our clients and commitment to excellence.”
The five new partners include:
Steven Cady – Steve focuses on civil and criminal trials and on government investigations, principally in matters relating to financial services and banking and on corporate governance. Steve’s practice is national in scope, having litigated cases in the state and federal courts throughout the country. His recent work includes serving as trial counsel in a month-long civil jury trial defending a national bank, serving as lead outside counsel for non-profit organizations, and defending against a federal class action lawsuit alleging hundreds of millions of dollars in damages.
Colette Connor - Colette focuses on civil and criminal trial work. She has tried bench and jury trials and has litigated in state and federal courts around the country. Most recently, Colette served as trial counsel defending against defamation and product disparagement claims seeking a multi-billion dollar damages award, and defending a first-degree murder case. Colette has represented corporate clients in a number of industries, including financial services and banking, real estate, healthcare, and media. Colette also has substantial experience defending law firms facing malpractice and securities fraud claims.
Christopher Mandernach – Chris focuses his practice on civil litigation in federal and state courts and before arbitration tribunals. He has extensive patent litigation experience, having represented brand name pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers, and software companies in patent infringement matters. He has defended against legal malpractice allegations relating to patent prosecution. Chris has also successfully handled a range of high-stakes litigation matters related to securities, bankruptcy, and the False Claims Act.
Liam Montgomery – Liam focuses on civil trial work, principally in matters relating to products liability and life sciences, as well as financial services and banking, antitrust, and actuarial services. Liam’s litigation practice extends to the state and federal courts and arbitration tribunals throughout the country. His recent work includes serving as trial counsel in a civil jury trial for the family of the inventor of groundbreaking cardiology technology, in an armed robbery criminal jury trial, and in an arbitration for a national bank.
Katherine Trefz – Katie focuses on criminal defense and on government and internal investigations. Katie has a national practice. Her experience includes representing companies and individuals involved in civil and criminal investigations, guiding companies through internal investigations, and serving as counsel at trial. Her recent work includes serving as trial counsel in a major federal securities trial. Her work focuses on defending against allegations of corporate dishonesty, including securities fraud, mail and wire fraud, antitrust crimes, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and the False Claims Act.