LOS ANGELES, April 1, 2026 – Proskauer is pleased to announce that the Daily Journal has named partner Bart Williams to its 2026 list of Leading Commercial Litigators, which recognizes prominent commercial litigators who handle some of the most significant cases in California.
Bart is a renowned commercial litigator, corporate counselor and trial lawyer with a distinguished track record of success in high-stakes litigation. A longtime member of the American College of Trial Lawyers, he has guided Fortune 500 companies through some of the most significant crises facing Fortune 500 companies and has established himself as a trusted “go-to” lawyer. While he regularly manages litigation matters from inception, he is also frequently brought in just months over even weeks before trial to secure a win. Bart boasts an impressive track record of victories in both jury and bench trials nationwide. His legal prowess has shaped legal precedent and influenced industry standards, reinforcing his standing as one of the nation’s most sought-after trial lawyers.
Among his notable successes, Bart served as lead trial counsel for Netflix, director/writer Ava DuVernay and writer Attica Locke in a defamation case in federal court in New York brought by Linda Fairstein, former head of the Manhattan DA’s sex crimes unit. The matter related to the defendants’ series “When They See Us,” which recounts the wrongful convictions of the Central Park 5. The plaintiff alleged that the series’ portrayal of her by actress Felicity Huffman depicted her in a false and defamatory light. Bart obtained an extremely successful resolution when the plaintiff decided to walk away from the case on the eve of trial, settling with no payment to her or her lawyers and no confidentiality provision related to the settlement.
Bart previously secured a full defense victory for Gilead in a $3.6 billion antitrust case on allegations that the pharmaceutical company struck an anticompetitive "pay-for-delay" patent settlement related to two of its HIV medications following a six-week trial. The verdict is only the third ever in reverse payment cases of this type, and the first ever to find for the defense on grounds of both the absence of a payment and the absence of market power for the brand in the relevant market.
Read Bart’s profile (subscription required): Daily Journal 2026 Leading Commercial Litigators