Milton L. Williams

Partner

212 335 2963

mwilliams@wmhwlaw.com

Milt is a former federal prosecutor and a deputy general counsel with deep experience in white collar criminal and regulatory matters, employment law, litigation, and advisory work representing corporations in addition to complex commercial litigation. In the course of his distinguished career, he has tried more than 56 cases – both civil and criminal – to verdict.

Prior to joining WMHW, Milt was a partner at a nationally recognized law firm, where he handled white collar matters. He also litigated discrimination claims, restrictive covenant, Dodd-Frank, and Sarbanes-Oxley retaliation claims, as well as Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) whistleblower claims on behalf of employees.

Milt brings to his practice substantial experience in public corruption matters. In 2013, Milt was appointed co-chair of the Moreland Commission to investigate public corruption. In 2018, he led the trial team that successfully defended a corporate client in a high-profile public corruption case, United States v. Percoco, in the Southern District of New York (SDNY). They won the only acquittal in this highly contested and publicized four-defendant trial, in which the theory of the prosecution was based on Bribery and Honest Services Fraud.

Milt also represented one of the defendants at trial in United States v. Ciminelli, which was a case based on the Right to Control Wire Fraud Theory.  The trial resulted in a conviction, and Milt argued the appeal before the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.  Although this Court affirmed the conviction, the conviction was later overturned by the United States Supreme Court.

Milt also successfully represented an executive of a major athletic company in an SEC investigation.

Previously, Milt served as Deputy General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer at Time Inc., where his responsibilities included internal investigations, compliance, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), and Sarbanes-Oxley, as well as intellectual property, privacy, data security, and other cutting-edge areas. At Time, Inc., Milt litigated a variety of employment law matters on behalf of the company concerning race, age, disability, and gender discrimination; restrictive covenants; and independent contractor litigation.

Earlier in his career, Milt was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO) for the SDNY. His last assigned unit in the USAO was the Securities and Commodities Fraud Force. Milt also served as an Assistant District Attorney in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.

I consider Milton to be my first choice for complex matters on both sides of the fence.

2024 Chambers USA

Recognitions

Best Lawyers, Employment Law, Best Lawyers in America (2025)

Ranked, “Labor & Employment: Mostly Plaintiffs — New York,” Chambers and Partners USA (2024)

500 Leading Litigators in America, Lawdragon (2024)

500 Leading Corporate Employment Lawyers, Lawdragon (2024)

Law Power 100, City & State (2023)

50 Over 50, City & State New York (2023)

Notable Diverse Leader in Law, Crain’s New York Business (2022)

Distinguished Leader, New York Law Journal (2020)

Litigation Trailblazer, The National Law Journal (2020)

National Practice Area Star and Local Litigation Star, General Commercial Litigation, Intellectual Property, and White Collar Crime, Benchmark Litigation (2021-2024)

Labor and Employment Star, Benchmark Litigation (2019-2024)

500 Leading Lawyers in America, Lawdragon (2019-2024)

Activities

Professional Affiliations

  • Chair, New York City Conflict of Interest Board (COIB)
  • Former MemberCardinal’s Review Board for Allegations of Improper Relations Between the Clergy and Minors
  • Vice-Chair, Appellate Division First Judicial Department Attorney Grievance Committee
  • Member, Grievance Committee, Southern District of New York (SDNY)
  • Member, Second Circuit CJA Panel Selection Committee
  • Member, New York State Supreme Court, Commercial Division Advisory Council
  • Board Member, Federal Bar Council and Member, Summer Stipend Committee
  • Board Member, William Alanson White Institute
  • Former Board Member, NYC Public School System, Panel for Educational Policy
  • Former Member, NYC Board of Correction
  • Former Board Member, NYC Local Conditional Release Commission
  • Former Member, NYC Mayor’s Judiciary Committee
  • Former Member, Governor’s Screening Panel, First Department Appellate Division
  • Former Member, Civil Litigation Committee, Eastern District of New York
  • Former Board Member, Sanctuary for Families
  • Former Board Member, New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG)
  • Former Board Member, Prisoners’ Legal Services of New York
  • Former Board Member, Fund for Modern Courts
  • Former Board Member, First Department Assigned Counsel Corporation
  • Former MemberCardinal’s Review Board for Allegations of Improper Relations Between the Clergy and Minors
  • Former Member, Judiciary and Nominating Committees for the Association of the Bar of the City of New York

Community Activities

Milt currently sits on the Board of Trustees of the Avon Old Farms School. For 16 years, Milt ran the Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) Corporate Law Program and was the vice-chairman of the board of SEO for nine years. He was also a member of The Calhoun School board of trustees for six years.

Speaking Engagements

Panelist, “Scope of Executive Branch Power Sexual Harassment/#MeToo,” Federal Bar Council’s Winter Bench & Bar Conference, Maui, HI (February 2019)