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Bill Corbett, the firm’s principal, is a seasoned litigator with more than 15 years of experience in federal and state courts across the United States. An accomplished advocate, Bill has successfully handled numerous cases at the trial and appellate levels.
Education
Bill earned his AB, cum laude in Government, at Harvard College, which he entered after attending public schools in Lynn, Massachusetts and graduating from St. John's Preparatory School in Danvers, Massachusetts. Bill earned multiple Harvard College Scholarships for academic achievement of high distinction. While at Harvard, Bill was chosen to be Class Secretary, a position in which he continues to serve.
After his graduation from Harvard, Bill was awarded a Rotary Foundation Scholarship for postgraduate study abroad. Bill pursued a master’s degree in Political Science at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica, exploring the roots of the violence historically accompanying that nation’s elections.
Upon his return to the United States, Bill matriculated at the Georgetown University Law Center, where he was named Articles Editor of Law & Policy in International Business. It was at Georgetown that Bill began his career as a trial lawyer, representing clients in the D.C. Superior Court as a student attorney in the Law Center’s Juvenile Justice Clinic. During his career, Bill also has undergone intensive training provided by the National Institute for Trial Advocacy.
Professional Accomplishments
After graduating from law school, Bill worked as a general commercial litigator at the former Warner & Stackpole, a large Boston firm. Bill was then recruited by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission to serve as a Trial Attorney in its Division of Enforcement. While at the CFTC, Bill spent several years handling investment fraud prosecutions around the country. The high-stakes cases he spearheaded involved issues ranging from Ponzi schemes and boiler room fraud to registration infractions and the regulation of hybrid derivative instruments. The following are examples of the cases Bill investigated and prosecuted for the CFTC:
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CFTC v. Midland Rare Coin Exchange, Inc., Docket No. 97-CV-7422 (S.D. Fla.) (later proceedings reported at 71 F. Supp. 2d 1257 (S.D. Fla. 1999));
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CFTC v. Carrington Financial Corp., 1997 WESTLAW 820970 (S.D. Fla.), aff'd in part, vac. in part sub nom. CFTC v. Sidoti, 178 F.3d 1132 (11th Cir. 1999);
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In the Matter of Grain Land Coop., Comm. Fut. L. Rep. (CCH) ¶ 27,144 (CFTC 1997);
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In the Matter of Roger J. Wright, Inc., Comm. Fut. L. Rep. (CCH) ¶ 27,012 (CFTC ALJ 1996);
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CFTC v. AYM Financial Corporation, Inc., Docket No. 96-CV-2640 (E.D. Pa.); and
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CFTC v. Barth, Docket No. 3:95-CV-279 (W.D. Ky.).
Bill subsequently returned to Boston, joining the law firm of Conn Kavanaugh Rosenthal Peisch & Ford. At Conn Kavanaugh, Bill focused his practice on complex commercial litigation, handling matters ranging from a consumer goods manufacturer's defense against industry-wide product liability cases to a missile manufacturer's claim against a subcontractor that supplied defective components. Bill represented several executives involved in litigation concerning non-compete agreements and shareholders who were “frozen out” of their companies. A significant part of Bill’s practice involved the defense of clients under investigation by state and federal law enforcement agencies; in such cases, Bill sought to prevent or limit charges by prosecutors and, if clients were charged, Bill represented them in the ensuing cases. The following are among the cases in which Bill was involved while at Conn Kavanaugh:
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Gill v. Philip Morris, Inc., 1998 Mass. Super. LEXIS 378, aff'd 54 Mass. App. Ct. 1117 (2002);
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EMC Corp. v. Kempel, 14 Mass. L. Rptr. 131, 2001 WESTLAW 1763451 (Mass. Super.);
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McKnight v. Paul D. Osborne Desk Co., Inc., 14 Mass. L. Rptr. 18, 2001 WESTLAW 1540583 (Mass. Super.);
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Raytheon Company v. Helix Technology Corp., 13 Mass. L. Rptr. 334, 45 UCC Rep. Serv. 2d 12, 2001 WESTLAW 914224; 2001 WESTLAW 170466; & 10 Mass. L. Rptr. 510, 40 UCC Rep. Serv. 2d 736, 1999 WESTLAW 753483 (Mass. Super.);
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Varney v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, 118 F. Supp. 2d 63 (D. Mass. 2000);
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Wajda v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, 103 F. Supp. 2d 29 (D. Mass. 2000);
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Penniston v. Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation, 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15264 (D. Mass.);
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Hiscock v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19851 (D. Mass.);
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Anderson v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, 1999 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 22261 (D. Mass.);
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Massachusetts Laborers' Health & Welfare Fund v. Philip Morris, Inc., 62 F. Supp. 2d 236 (D. Mass. 1999); and
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Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. Philip Morris Inc., Civil Action No. 95-7378-J (Middlesex Super. Ct.).
In 2002, Bill left Conn Kavanaugh and established The Corbett Law Firm, where he continues to represent businesses and individuals enmeshed in complex disputes. He practices in a broad range of substantive areas, including commercial litigation, investment fraud, internal corporate disputes, professional liability, consumer protection, injunctive practice, and regulatory defense.
Affiliations
Bill is active in the Litigation sections of the American, Massachusetts and Boston Bar Associations. He also is a member of the American Association for Justice. Bill has been admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, the U.S. District Courts for the District of Columbia and District of Massachusetts, and the state courts of Massachusetts and the District of Columbia. He also has been admitted, on a case-by-case basis, to practice in federal courts across the country. Bill serves on the arbitration panel of the National Futures Association.
Public Service
Bill is an active participant in community affairs. He is a member of the Town of Marblehead's Finance Committee, serving as its Chairman since 2006 and as its Vice Chairman for the preceding two years. A veteran of numerous Federal, state and local political campaigns, Bill has served as Chairman and Treasurer of the Marblehead Democratic Town Committee, and he regularly provides legal advice to candidates and campaign committees.
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