Michael J. Williams

Mr. Williams leads Hurwitz Fine’s Child Victims Act & Sexual Misconduct Coverage & Defense team. He has successfully defended individuals, corporations and public entities in Child Victims Act, Adult Survivors Act and related sexual abuse matters. Mr. Williams serves as national litigation counsel for one of the nation’s largest youth services organizations and has successfully resolved hundreds of claims while mitigating negative publicity and preventing claims from being publicly filed where they would otherwise generate adverse media attention and attract copycat actions. 

Mr. Williams also leads Hurwitz Fine’s Indian Law Team. He has successfully served both plaintiffs and defendants in business, real estate and family law matters. Mr. Williams also provides consulting services to select clients in the Seneca Nation of Indians. Mr. Williams has been a steadfast defender of Native economic and political sovereignty against foreign intrusion.

In addition to his Sexual Misconduct defense work and Indian Law matters, Mr. Williams focuses his litigation practice on general liability and tort defense, including product liability, prescription medications and medical devices. Mr. Williams has also served as a consultant and expert on Child Victims Act and correctional law matters. 

Mr. Williams has more than 25 years of litigation experience both as plaintiffs’ and defense counsel. He began his career with the State of California Department of Justice as a Deputy Attorney General, representing the State of California, its officers and agencies, and other institutional and governmental clients.  His defense practice included serving as lead and co-lead defense counsel in multiple class action lawsuits and associated appellate practice reaching the Supreme Court of the United States. 

Mr. Williams has also represented thousands of plaintiffs in federal multidistrict litigation in product liability matters involving medical devices and prescription pharmaceuticals. Since returning to New York, Mr. Williams continued to litigate federally centralized multidistrict litigation involving injuries from medical devices and pharmaceutical products, including large-scale litigation representing women injured by implanted medical devices.

Mr. Williams attended the University of California at Berkeley and the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, where he became a certified law student and advocated for the rights of historically marginalized persons to whom he offered pro bono legal services.  In addition, Mr. Williams worked in the Alameda County, California (Oakland) District Attorney’s Office on the felony law and motion team, including capital litigation, and for the Attorney General where he accepted a position after graduation. He also attended the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Emergency Management Institute through Texas A&M University, and completed emergency response training with the Erie County Department of Emergency Services.

A dedicated public servant, Mr. Williams served as an investigator and field medic in the United States Army and the National Guards of New York, Oregon and California.  He presently volunteers with the Harris Hill Volunteer Fire Company as a firefighter, EMT and a sworn New York State peace officer for fire police duties.  He was named Firefighter of the Year for 2020.  He has been active in his community with the Boy Scouts of America and the Clarence Soccer Club, where he served as a nationally credentialed youth coach, referee manager, and received the Dan Cummiskey Award for lifetime service.

Mr. Williams is a member of the bars of State of New York, State of California, District of Columbia, and Seneca Nation of Indians, and is admitted to practice in all Federal District Courts in New York and California, the United States Court of Federal Claims, the Court of Appeals for the Second and Ninth Circuits, and the Supreme Court of the United States.