Lawyer Bio : William C. Cleveland III

William C. Cleveland III

Charleston

Will Cleveland has handled a broad range of business litigation lawsuits for over thirty years. He concentrates his practice in the areas of business break-up, commercial, securities and intellectual property litigation. Additionally, he is certified as a mediator, with substantial experience mediating complex business disputes.

Representative Matters:

Any result the lawyer or law firm may have achieved on behalf of clients in other matters does not necessarily indicate similar results can be obtained for other clients.
  • Affirmed summary judgment granted with respect to issuer’s rights of rescission under Blue Sky laws.
  • Defended large homebuilder against claims arising out of purchase of related business.
  • Jury verdict for approximately $1,000,000 obtained against plaintiff’s fraudulent comptroller.
  • Represented plaintiff, recovering $1,000,000 for claims arising out of defective green houses.
  • Represented plaintiff where jury awarded judgment for breach of contract to provide stock in a start-up corporation.
  • Granting summary judgment to national petroleum company for alleged violations of retail dealers’ rights.
  • Manufacturer exonerated by jury verdict from claims arising from plaintiff’s exposure to anhydrous ammonia.
  • Affirmed summary judgment in favor of real estate developer seeking to quiet title to time share units in dispute with time share home owners association.
  • Affirmed jury verdict that defendant subcontractor was not liable to general contractor.
  • Defended steel company against claims of trade secret misappropriation, case resolved through mediation.
  • Jury verdict, exonerated company from claims it was responsible for repeated flooding of a neighborhood adjacent to its facilities.
  • Jury verdict to large corporation in defense of claims of breach of contract with respect to sale of a division.
  • Defendant’s use of plaintiff’s incontestable trademark declared non-actionable under Fair Use doctrine; appeals court affirmed favorable verdict.
  • Bankruptcy cases were consolidated before U.S. District Court for District of South Carolina under rules for multi-district litigation, argued motion for summary judgment on behalf of Unsecured Creditors’ Committee obtaining order equitably subordinating claims of debtor’s secured lender to more than $100,000,000 of unsecured claims.

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Professional Activities

Admitted to bar: 1979, South Carolina.

Professional Organizations:
  • President, International Association of Defense Counsel, 2001-2002
  • Board Member, Lawyers for Civil Justice, 2001-2002
  • Director, Defense Counsel Trial Academy, 1999
  • American Board of Trial Advocates
  • Board Member, Defense Research Institute, 2000-2003
  • American Bar Association
  • California State Bar Association
  • South Carolina Bar

Civic Activities

Charleston County Library Foundation: Board of Directors, 1998-2000; Charleston Day School: Chairman, Board of Directors, 1998, Board of Directors, 1995-1999; South Carolina Coastal Conservation League: Chairman, 2006-2007, Vice Chair of Board of Directors, 2004-2005, Board of Directors, 1999-2008; Audubon South Carolina: Board of Directors, 2010.

Education

University of Virginia School of Law, 1975 - J.D.
Yale University, 1972 - B.A., American Studies

Additional Information

Honors:
The Best Lawyers In America, Commercial Litigation
Chambers USA - Leaders in their Field, General Commercial Litigation
South Carolina Super Lawyers, Business Litigation

Areas of Proficiency

  • Alternative Dispute Resolution
  • Business Litigation
  • Intellectual Property

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