Richard M. Williams

Richard M. Williams, Partner with Gray•Duffy, LLP, has more than 50 years of complex litigation experience including class action matters, and has tried more than 40 cases to verdict in both state and federal courts. His practice covers a breadth of litigation matters including product and premises liability, catastrophic and other personal injury, public entity defense, professional negligence, real estate, intellectual property, employment and unfair business practices.

Mr. Williams works closely with clients to analyze the essence of a dispute with the goal of resolving cases in an efficient and cost effective manner. He successfully represents a wide range of clients including insurance companies, business service firms, collection services, higher education organizations, major grocery stores, school districts, contractors, steel manufacturers and property management firms.

With extensive experience in alternative dispute resolution, Mr. Williams has been involved in more than 700 cases as an acting judge pro tem, special master, arbitrator or mediator. He has been trained by and mediated cases for the First, Second and Sixth District Courts of Appeal. Mr. Williams sits on mediation panels of the San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara County Superior Courts. His particular mediation experience includes cases involving intellectual property, clergy abuse, personal injury, business litigation, professional liability, real estate and employment disputes.

Mr. Williams is on the Neutral Panel for the Santa Clara County Bar Association. He was previously on the Board of Governors of the California Trial Lawyers Association (now the Consumer Attorneys of California) and has led trial advocacy seminars for continuing education courses (CEB, ALI and ADC) as well as instructed classes in law and the court system to local high school students. He has also coached high school football and baseball.

Mr. Williams, a Martindale-Hubbell AV-rated attorney, obtained his B.A. from Stanford University in 1971 and his J.D. from University of Pacific McGeorge School of Law in 1975.