William Dance
Counsel
William Dance is a counsel in O’Melveny’s Los Angeles office and a member of the Class Action, Mass Torts, and Insurance Litigation Practice as well as the Electronic Discovery and Document Retention Practice.
Bill’s practice consists of class action defense, complex commercial litigation, and antitrust. He has also worked on significant
pro bono matters and coordinates the efforts of attorneys in O’Melveny’s Los Angeles office who undertake
pro bono representation of foster parents wishing to adopt their foster children. Bill was recognized internally as
pro bono attorney of the year in the Los Angeles office in 2007.
Illustrative Professional Experience
- Defend a telecommunications company in multiple class actions in state and federal courts alleging claims of trespass arising from installation of fiber-optic cable on railroad rights of way
- Represent a microprocessor manufacturer in a worldwide monopolization lawsuit and related regulatory investigations leading to largest single-payer antitrust settlement in U.S. history
- Draft an amicus curiae brief on behalf of a number of disability legal rights organizations in the Ninth Circuit appeal of an injunction blocking state budget cuts to the In-Home Supportive Services program
- Prosecute misdemeanors on behalf of a southern California city in two jury trials and a bench trial, all to guilty verdicts, and defend appeals of convictions
- Represent a major financial services company in its prosecution of a suit to recover $800 million in lost profits as a result of being defrauded in a major corporate transaction
- For a retail food chain, prosecute an insurance coverage suit, defend a suit alleging unfair business practices and tortious interference, and defend various regulatory actions
- Coordinate, for downtown office, O'Melveny's program of pro bono representation of foster parents wishing to adopt their foster children; finalize adoptions of over 35 foster children
- Conduct suit on pro bono basis on behalf of a tenant whose landlord had ordered her to vacate her apartment, then tore her front and rear doors off when she failed to move quickly enough
Professional Activities
Publications, "Spoilation of Electronically Stored Information,"
BNA Books (forthcoming, 2010; co-author with Adam KohSweeney, Eric Chan, and Roberta Vespremi); "Preserving Electronic Information: A Practical Approach,"
BNA Books (2009) (co-author with Jeffrey Fowler); "Federal Rule of Evidence 502: Lessons from the First Year"
ABA Section on Litigation, Discovery & Trial Evidence Newsletter (forthcoming, Winter 2010; co-author with Amy Longo); "Steps for Protecting Privilege Under FRE 502,"
The Practical Law Journal (forthcoming, Winter 2010; co-author with Amy Longo); "Made in China Safety: Tips for Preventing and Managing Controversies,"
In-House Defense Quarterly (Spring 2008) (co-author with Brian Anderson); "Ninth Circuit Opinion Evaluates Privacy Protection for Text Messages," O'Melveny Client Alert (July 2008) (co-author with Jeffrey Fowler); "National Conference on Uniform Laws Approves Electronic Discovery Rules," O'Melveny Client Alert (September 2007) (co-author with Amy Longo); "Two Courts Require Production of Electronically Stored Information in Native Format," O'Melveny Client Alert (May 2007) (co-author with Amy Longo)