William E. Craco counsels clients in the life sciences and other heavily-regulated industries on global litigation, compliance risk, and enforcement matters. William has decades of experience—including 20 years as in-house counsel for Johnson & Johnson, and 10 years as an Assistant US Attorney for the Southern District of New York—conducting and supervising internal investigations as well as defending against litigation and investigations brought by federal and state law enforcement and regulatory authorities.

Prior to joining O’Melveny, William was the Global Practice Leader for Investigations & Government Litigation at Johnson & Johnson. In this role, he led the company’s defense of litigation and investigations brought by the US Department of Justice, the Office of Inspector General for the US Department of Health and Human Services, and various state attorneys general. He also managed complex internal investigations related to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the US False Claims Act and advised senior management on related legal and compliance risk.

During his time at SDNY, William served as Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division and supervised scores of prosecutions involving corruption, violent crime, and fraud. He also conducted investigations, tried jury and bench trials, and argued before the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

In addition to his practice, William helps lead the firm’s acclaimed pro bono efforts, focusing on complex and high-impact cases.