Biography
William H. Taft V, based in the firm’s New York office, is a partner in the Litigation Department. His practice focuses on commercial and corporate governance litigation and international arbitration. Mr. Taft frequently advises clients in disputes arising from joint venture and partnership agreements, including matters involving commercial real estate and infrastructure development project companies, and has experience handling a broad range of contract disputes. He is admitted to practice before the New York State Courts, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Second and Third Circuits.
Mr. Taft joined the firm in 2005. From 2004 to 2005, Mr. Taft clerked for the Hon. Samuel A. Alito, Jr. when Justice Alito served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Mr. Taft received a J.D. cum laude from New York University School of Law in 2004, and a B.A. in History from Yale University in 2000.
Prior to joining Debevoise, Mr. Taft worked at the RAND Corporation in Washington, D.C. He is a co-author of “Avoiding And Defeating Securities Fraud Actions Against Clinical-Stage Biopharmaceutical Companies,” Bloomberg BNA Life Sciences Law & Industry Report (July, 2015) and co-author of the study “Conventional Coercion Across the Spectrum of Operations,” RAND Corporation, 2003.
Mr. Taft was admitted to the New York Bar in 2005. He is a member of the American Society of International Law, the New York City Bar Association and has served on the International Disputes Committee of the New York City Bar Association (2010 - 2013). He currently serves on the Corporation Law Committee of the New York City Bar Association, the Program Committee of the Federal Bar Council and the board of The Fund For Modern Courts.