Bill Lee is a co-managing partner of the firm, and a member of the firm's Executive and Management Committees. He was managing partner of Hale and Dorr from 2000 to 2004 and chaired the firm's Litigation Department for four years. Mr. Lee joined the firm in 1976.

Practice

In addition to his firm responsibilities, Mr. Lee continues to concentrate his practice primarily on intellectual property and commercial litigation. His trial experience is extensive.

Mr. Lee has acted as lead trial counsel in several cases between Broadcom and Qualcomm; a trial concerning a genetically engineered tomato product; a trial involving the right to manufacture and sell recombinant erythropoietin; a trial before the International Trade Commission involving $3 billion of commerce; and trials in federal court involving laser optics, video compression, cellular communications, remote data storage, secure Internet communications, pharmaceutical products, high-speed chromatography and medical devices. Mr. Lee has argued approximately 30 appeals before the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

From July 1987 through June 1989, Mr. Lee served as associate counsel to Independent Counsel Lawrence E. Walsh in the Iran-Contra investigation. In that capacity, he was responsible for certain portions of the grand jury investigation and resulting indictments. He also has served as a special assistant to the Massachusetts Attorney General for the purpose of investigating alleged incidents of racial bias in the Commonwealth's courts.

Professional Activities

Mr. Lee has served as a visiting professor at Harvard Law School, where he taught intellectual property litigation.

Mr. Lee serves on the Advisory Committee of the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. He has also served on the Advisory Committee of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts on its local rules; its Committee to Evaluate Administration of the Criminal Justice Act; and the Merit Selection Panel on Magistrate Judges. The Governor of Massachusetts appointed Mr. Lee to serve on a special Judicial Nominating Committee for the selection of judges for the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.

In June 2002, Mr. Lee was elected to the Board of Overseers of Harvard University, an appointment that he adds to his duties as a member of the Visiting Committee at Cornell Law School. He previously served as vice chairman of the board of the Boston University Medical Center University Hospital, a trustee of the Boston Medical Center and an overseer of the Museum of Science.

Honors and Awards

• Named one of "The 50 Most Influential Minority Lawyers in America," by The National Law Journal in 2008
• Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers
• Named one of "The 100 Most Influential Lawyers in America" by The National Law Journal in June 2000 and again in June 2006. In 2000, the NLJ highlighted Mr. Lee's "long record of favorable jury verdicts" and his recent success in yet another high-profile case involving the defense of a patent infringement charge, achieved while leading the firm to a dominant presence in technology nationally and internationally and in pro bono services locally. In June 2006, he was cited for his leadership in the merger that formed WilmerHale and again for his significant involvement in notable trials, including a recent victory in an infringement case against Hewlett-Packard Co. on behalf of EMC Corp. (settled in 2005 for $325 million while on appeal).
• Recognized for his exceptional intellectual property practice in the 2006, 2007 and 2008 editions of Chambers Global: The World's Leading Lawyers   
• Listed in each edition of Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business since 2003. Was the only Massachusetts lawyer awarded the "star" ranking in intellectual property (a stand-alone award above the number one ranking) (2004, 2005 and 2006 editions).
• Highly recommended in the PLC Cross-border IP in Business Transactions Handbook 2008/09
• Listed in the 2006-2007 of the PLC IP & IT Cross-Border Handbook as both a "leading" lawyer for intellectual property in Boston and for patent litigation in the US
• Ranked as one of the nation's most highly recommended intellectual property attorneys in the 2006/07 and 2007/08 editions of the PLC Cross-border Life Sciences Handbook
• Selected as a "patent law expert" in Legal Media Group's Guide to the World's Leading Patent Law Practitioners 2007
• Recognized as one of Boston's top lawyers in the dispute resolution and intellectual property, and as national leader in patent litigation in the PLC Which Lawyer? Yearbook 2006. Also listed as one of four "star" lawyers of the firm in the 2005 edition.
• Selected as one of The National Law Journal’s 2005 "Top Ten Lawyers with Successful Trial Strategies"
• Selected by peers for inclusion in every issue of The Best Lawyers in America since 1995/1996

Community Involvement

A resident of Wellesley, Mr. Lee has served as chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Tenacre Country Day School.