wfredericks@scott-scott.com | DOWNLOAD VCARD | Phone: 646.582.0123 | Fax: 212.223.6334

PRACTICE EMPHASIS

William Fredericks’ practice focuses on representing investors as a lead or co-lead plaintiff in securities class actions.

REPRESENTATIVE CASES

  • In re Wachovia Preferred Securities and Bond/Notes Litigation, No. 09-cv-6351 (S.D.N.Y.) (total settlements of $627 million, reflecting the largest recovery ever in a pure Securities Act case not involving any parallel government fraud claims)
  • In re Rite Aid Securities Litig., No. 99-cv-1349 (E.D. Pa.) (total settlements of $323 million, including the then-second largest securities fraud settlement ever against a Big Four accounting firm)
  • In re Sears Roebuck & Co. Sec. Litig., No. 02-cv-07527 (N.D. Ill.) ($215 million settlement, representing the largest §10(b) class action recovery ever not involving either a financial restatement or parallel government fraud claims)
  • In re State Street ERISA Litig., No. 07-cv-8488 (S.D.N.Y.) (one of the largest ERISA class settlements to date)
  • Irvine v. Imclone Systems, Inc., No. 02-cv-0109 (S.D.N.Y.) ($75 million settlement)
  • Played a lead role on the team that obtained a rare 9-0 decision for securities fraud plaintiffs in the U.S. Supreme Court in Merck & Co. Inc. v. Reynolds, No. 08-905 (U.S. Sup. Ct.)

ASSOCIATIONS

  • Member of the New York City Bar Association (former chair, Committee on Military Affairs and Justice)
  • Federal Bar Council
  • American Bar Association

EDUCATION

  • Columbia University Law School, ( J.D.)
  • Oxford University (England), M. Litt. in International Relations
  • Swarthmore College (B.A., high honors)

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Three-time Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, Columbia University Law School
  • Columbia University International Fellow
  • Awarded Columbia University Law School’s Beck Prize (property law); Toppan Prize (advanced constitutional law); Greenbaum Prize (written advocacy); and Dewey Prize (best oral argument in the final round of The Harlan Fiske Stone Moot Court Honor competition)
  • Law clerk for the Hon. Robert S. Gawthrop III (E.D. Pa.)
  • Spent seven years practicing securities and complex commercial litigation at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP in New York before moving to the plaintiffs’ side of the bar in 1996
  • Recognized in the 2014-18 editions of “America’s Best Lawyers” in the field of commercial litigation
  • Recognized in the 2014-18 editions of New York’s “Super Lawyers” in the field of securities litigation
  • Frequent panelist on securities litigation programs sponsored by various organizations, including the Practising Law Institute (PLI) and the American Law Institute/American Bar Association (ALI/ABA)
  • Publications include “Bringing a Claim for Securities Fraud: Pre-Filing Investigation to Complaint” (PLI 2012) and ‘“Bet-the-Company’ Litigation: Settlement” (PLI 2011)
  • Co-authored several amicus briefs in various Supreme Court cases involving securities issues (including Halliburton, Amgen, CALPERS v. ANZ Securities, and Cyan)
  • Played a major role in litigating claims relating to mortgage-backed securities (“MBS”) arising out of the financial crisis

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