Williams & Connolly partners John Villa and Charles Davant will speak at the 11th Annual Law Firm General Counsel Workshop, scheduled for November 4–7, 2025. The program, presented by Legal Management Resources in collaboration with Georgetown University Law Center, focuses on ethics and the legal profession and is designed for newly appointed law firm general counsel. John and Charles will present on the topic of “Defending Claims Against Law Firms.”
John Villa is Co-Chair of the firm’s Financial Services and Banking practice group. He focuses on the defense of law firms in malpractice suits, and corporate, securities and financial services-related litigation. John served on the firm’s Executive Committee from 2002 through 2017. In 2024 and 2025, Chambers USA named John a “Star Individual,” the publication’s highest honor, in its first two years of USA rankings in the Law Firm Defense category, citing client reports that “John is the ultimate lawyers’ lawyer.” He has authored three treatises on the duties of corporate lawyers and corporate directors and officers, and financial crimes. He has also authored a casebook on professional responsibility for corporate lawyers and taught law school courses on that subject at Georgetown, Columbia and elsewhere. He has handled cases in more than 30 states and appeared before every federal court of appeals.
Charles Davant has represented lawyers and law firms for more than two decades, including in jury trials and arbitration hearings. He has advised or defended more than 50 law firms, including seven of the “AmLaw 10,” the highest grossing firms in the United States. According to Chambers, he “enjoys a strong reputation for his courtroom advocacy skills” and “offers significant expertise in defending professional services providers, including law firms and accounting companies.” Charles has been selected as one of The Best Lawyers in America for Ethics and Professional Responsibility Law since 2019.
For additional information and registration details, click here.