People•William S. O'Hare
William S. O'Hare

William S. O'Hare

People•William S. O'Hare

Bill O'Hare's practice is concentrated in commercial litigation, arbitration, and mediation including corporate, partnership and trust disputes, franchising, intellectual property and unfair competition litigation, and class action defense.

  • University of California, Hastings College of the Law (J.D., 1978)
    • Order of the Coif
    • Thurston Society
  • Loyola University of Maryland (A.B., 1974)

  • American College of Trial Lawyers, Fellow
  • Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference, Lawyer Representative (1992-1997)
  • Orange County Bar Association
    • Business Litigation Section, Chair (1991)
    • Board of Directors (1990-1997)
    • Masters Division, Board Member (2011-2018)
    • Resolutions Committee & Conference of Delegates (1985-1995)
      • Chair (1989-1990), Vice Chair (1988)
  • Orange County Bar Foundation
    • Director (1993-present)
    • President (2002)
  • State Bar of California
    • Section on Litigation
  • American Bar Association
    • Section on Litigation, Forum on Franchising
  • State Bar of California
    • Conference of Delegates (1985-1995), Delegation Chair (1989-1990)
  • Orange County Superior Court Civil Case Management Committee, Lawyer Member (1992-2000)
  • Federal Bar Association
  • Association of Business Trial Lawyers

  • Los Angeles Daily Journal feature article, “Soccer field encounter forms lasting relationship” (March 16, 2012)
  • AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell®
  • Southern California Super Lawyers, Business Litigation (2004-2019)
    • Top 50 in Orange County (2007-2019)
  • Super Lawyers, Business Litigation - Business Edition (2011)
  • Super Lawyers, Business Litigation - Corporate Counsel Edition (2008-2010)
  • The Best Lawyers in America®, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Intellectual Property Litigation, Trusts and Estates Litigation (2005-2020), Securities Litigation (2005-2013)
  • The Best Lawyers in America®, Business Edition, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Intellectual Property Law, Trusts and Estates Litigation (2012)
  • Lawdragon Top 3000 Leading Lawyers in America (2010-2011)
  • Marcus Kaufman Jurisprudence Award, Anti-Defamation League of Orange County/Long Beach (2009)
  • Robert Samuel Barnes Award, Orange County Bar Foundation (2009)
  • Orange County Business Journal feature article, "Bill O'Hare After School" (October 19-25, 2009)
  • Franchise Times National List of 101 "Legal Eagles" (2005-2007)
  • Top Ten Defense Verdicts in California, Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journals (2004 and 2005)
  • President's Pro Bono Service Award, State Bar of California (1993)

  • Project Youth OCBF (Orange County Bar Foundation)
    • Past President
    • Board Member
  • University of California, Irvine, CEO Roundtable
    • Steering Committee
    • Membership Committee
  • Laguna Beach Education and Endowment Foundation
    • Past President
    • Board Member (2006-2018)
  • Public Media Group of Southern California (PBS SoCal and KCET-TV)
    • Board of Trustees, Executive Committee Member

  • Hufstedler, Kaus and Beardsley, Managing Partner, Orange County (1990), Partner (1987-1990)
  • Wenke, Evans and Ikola, Managing Director (1986-1987), Principal (1983-1987), Associate (1978-1982)

  • California

  • Supreme Court of California
  • United States District Court, All Districts of California
  • United States District Court, District of Colorado
  • United States Court of Appeals, Third Circuit
  • United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
  • United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
  • United States Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit