
William J. Fowkes
Associate
Areas of Focus
- White Collar Defense & Government Investigations
- Disputes & Investigations
- Complex Commercial Litigation
- Labor & Employment
- Digital Assets, Cryptocurrency & Blockchain
- Focuses primarily on white collar defense, government and internal investigations, civil litigation, and employment-related disputes.
- Represents companies and individuals in a wide range of industries, with a particular focus on banking, investment management, cryptocurrency and digital assets, and proprietary and retail trading.
Billy is an associate in the firm’s litigation practice. His practice focuses on white collar defense & government investigations, as well as civil litigation and employment disputes. He also maintains a robust pro bono practice.
Billy returned to Akin after serving as a law clerk for the Honorable Carol Bagley Amon in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Billy was also an Akin Pro Bono Scholar in 2019. He received his J.D. from Stanford Law School and B.A. in Economics from Yale University. At Stanford, Billy was a member of the Supreme Court Litigation Clinic. Prior to law school, Billy worked as a Technology Analyst at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
- Represented institutional and individual clients in multiple civil and criminal investigations before the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and Department of Justice (DOJ).
- Prepared and represented individual witnesses testifying in government proceedings, including federal criminal trials and regulatory investigations.
- Represented individuals and companies in civil litigations and arbitrations arising out of employment disputes.
- Represented an array of pro bono clients, including a veteran appealing a denial of benefits; a federal convict charged with violating the terms of supervised release; a transgender individual filing a name change petition; a New York City non-profit facing a government investigation; and individuals in a variety of immigration matters.
EducationJ.D., Stanford Law School, 2021
B.A., Yale University, 2014
J.D., Stanford Law School, 2021
B.A., Yale University, 2014
ClerkshipsU.S.D.C., Eastern District of New York
U.S.D.C., Eastern District of New York
Bar AdmissionsNew York
New York