William D. Purnell
Partner – Bowman and Brooke LLP
Description of field of expertise
Will Purnell is an experienced litigator who defends automobile, medical device and consumer products manufacturers in multiparty product liability, toxic tort and commercial litigation, including class actions. Since joining Bowman and Brooke earlier this year, Will has been busy pulling in new work and expanding the firm’s Asbestos practice.
Before joining Bowman and Brooke, Will served as assistant general counsel of litigation and claims (including warranty matters) at two global manufacturers of industrial products and HVAC and temperature management equipment for residential and commercial applications. He also served as corporate counsel for litigation at a global heavy equipment manufacturer. His work involved advising on commercial litigation, bankruptcy litigation, e-discovery, personal injury matters, records management, and product liability for these companies – including mass torts, premises liability and environmental claims and class actions – as well as extensive interaction with C-suite executive teams and insurers providing counsel on global risk management and legal spend. Will also has extensive experience conducting arbitration, mediation, and settlement negotiations in North America and abroad. He has been recognized for collaborating with companies to develop strategies focused on creating greater efficiency that result in the reduction of claims inventory, indemnity spend and defense costs.
Will is committed to advancing diversity in the legal profession and is a frequent speaker on how to support and advance the careers of women and people of color in law firms and corporate law departments. Will is going to be preparing and presenting two Diversity and Ethics focused webinars for CLE credit in 2022.
In his free time, Will enjoys mentoring youth and coaching youth football and basketball.
What advice would you offer to new attorneys interested in your field?
Products Liability, commercial disputes, premises liability, and toxic tort litigation can be exciting and rewarding for new attorneys. In these practice areas, you will have the opportunity make an immediate impact by defending companies in a manner that affects overall revenues and growth opportunities. There are many attributes that companies look for in young attorneys. The attorneys that have been successful are flexible, intellectually curious and work efficiently to provide solutions to complex issues. Investigations and inspections are typically viewed as fun things for young attorneys. That said, the most important aspect of litigation are the document reviews, which may not seem meaningful. Understanding the documents is essential to taking depositions, preparation of motions, case evaluations, and trials- making it key to the overall defense of a company. Thus, I encourage new attorneys to seize each opportunity because it may likely lead to fun and exciting trial work.
Final thoughts…
After spending over 15 years as in-house counsel, I entered private practice to use my platform to provide opportunities for women and people of color. I am grateful for the support of many of my in-house friends/family. Together, we have been able to provide origination to several women and diverse partners as well as majority males.
