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101 East Kennedy Boulevard
Suite 3400
Tampa, Florida 33602

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(813) 387-0266
Fax: (813) 387-1766


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  Litigation & Dispute Resolution
  Records Retention and Electronic Discovery
  Internal Investigations
  Intellectual Property Litigation


William "Bill" Hamilton / Partner
Professional Experience
William Hamilton is board certified in business litigation and intellectual property by The Florida Bar. His work includes complex business litigation in the areas of contract, software and technology disputes, intellectual property (copyright, trademark, patent and trade secrets law), e-commerce, data security, telecommunications, trade regulation, unfair trade practices, and internal investigations. 

Mr. Hamilton currently teaches Electronic Discovery and Digital Evidence as an adjunct professor at the University of Florida’s Levin College of Law. Mr. Hamilton is also the dean of Bryan University’s E-Discovery Project Management graduate program. Mr. Hamilton is a featured speaker and writer on business litigation, electronic discovery and evidence. Mr. Hamilton is also a neutral, arbitrator and mediator for the World Intellectual Property Organization, the International Trademark Association and the American Arbitration Association. 

Education and Honors
  • University of Florida Levin College of Law (cum laude)
  • Washington University in St. Louis (M.A.)
  • Lehigh University (B.A., cum laude)
Bar Admissions
Florida, 1983

Court Admissions
U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida
U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida
U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit

Professional Recognition
  • Litigation Counsel of America (Fellow).

  • The Florida Bar Foundation (Fellow).

  • Listed in The Best Lawyers in America® (2006-present: Commercial Litigation; 2005-present, Intellectual Property Law).

  • Selected for inclusion in 2008-2011 Florida Super Lawyers® lists (Business Litigation, Intellectual Property).

  • Listed in Chambers USA® (2008-2011: Litigation).

  • Named Florida’s Legal Elite™ by Florida Trend magazine (2005-2009).

  • Listed in Super Lawyers magazine, Corporate Counsel Edition (March 2009).

  • Named Legal Elite by Tampa Bay Business Journal.

  • Florida Bar Board Certified in Intellectual Property Law.

  • American College of e-Neutrals (Fellow).

Professional and Civic Activities
  • American Bar Association (Member, Intellectual Property Section and Litigation Section; Standing Committee on Technology, 2000-2003).

  • The Florida Bar (Member, Business Law Certification Committee).

  • The Florida Bar Grievance Mediation and Fee Arbitration Program (Arbitrator).

  • Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce (Board of Directors).

  • International Trademark Association (Panel Of Neutrals).

  • American Arbitration Association (Neutral).

  • National Arbitration Forum (Neutral).

  • Tampa Bay Inn of Court (Master).

  • University of Florida College of Law (Adjunct Professor).

  • University of Florida, College of Law (IP Certification, 2000-2005 Advisory Board).

  • The Sedona Conference, E-Discovery Working Group (Member).

  • Electronic Discovery Reference Model (Member, Electronic Search Committee).

  • United Way, Tocqueville Society (Member).

  • Bryan University’s E-Discovery Project Management graduate program (Dean).
Selected Presentations/Publications

Presentations

  • “Evidence in the Electronic Age,” presented at 2011 Annual Education Program, Florida Conference of Circuit Judges, with Ralph Artigliere, August 16, 2011.
  • “Litigating in a Digital World: E-Discovery for Every Florida Lawyer,” Florida Bar Annual Meeting, June 25, 2011.
  • “Mobile Employees in the Digital Age: A Threat to Company Secrets and Fair Competition,” 2010 Annual Ethics Seminar, November 12, 2010.
  • “The Pre-Litigation Data Preservation Dilemma: Managing the Threat of the Post-Hoc Judicial Review,” Quarles & Brady Business Law Training, November 11, 2010.
  • “Electronic Disclosure Management in Arbitration,” American Arbitration Association/International Center for Dispute Resolution Conference, Faculty, November 2010.
  • “Slaying the E-Discovery Dragon: Applying the ‘Rule of Proportionality’,” Women in E-Discovery Conference, November 2010.
  • “Keys to the Digital Fortress — Electronic Discovery,” Florida College of Advanced Judicial Studies, May 26, 2010.
  • “E-Discovery Ethics,” The Sedona Conference Voices From the Desert, January 20, 2010.
  • “Electronic Discovery in Arbitration: What You Need to Know,” American Arbitration Association University Online Program, January 16, 2010.
  • “E-Discovery Houston: Compliance and Control in the Age of Litigation,” Thomson Reuters Conference,
    December 2, 2009.
  • “The E-Discovery Vortex: Client Confidences and Zealous Advocacy in an Era of Increasing Transparency and Dialogue,” University of Florida Law Centennial Celebration, Gainesville, Florida, April 24-26, 2009.
  • “Applying E-Discovery’s Proportionality Doctrine: The Tools and Methods to Fit E-Discovery to Your Case,”
    Institute of Continuing Legal Education in Georgia, February 2009.
  • Participant and Panelist, Symposium on Ethics and Professionalism in the Digital Age, Mercer University
    Walter F. George School of Law, October 2008.
  • “From ESI to Evidence: How to Translate Data to Admissible Evidence,” Georgia Bar Association Electronic Discovery Seminar, 2008.
  • “The Relationship of Competence and Zealous Advocacy for the E-Discovery Practitioner, Ethics and Professionalism in the Digital Age,” Mercer University Law School Symposium, 2008.
  • “Electronic Evidence: How to Get It and How to Get It In,” 2008 Federal Civil Seminar, Federal Bar Association Tampa Bay Chapter, 2008.
  • “What’s New at WIPO’s Mediation and Arbitration Center,” Hillsborough County Bar Association Intellectual Property Section Seminar, 2008.
  • “Data Management to Evidence,” Florida Gulf Coast Chapter of the Association of Records Managers and Administrators Monthly Meeting, 2008.
  • “E-Discovery Storm: Tsunami or Safe Sailing?,” Jacksonville Bar Association’s Annual Raymond Ehrlich
    Seminar, 2007.
  • “E-Discovery Readiness,” Seminar, 2007.
  • “Electronic Data and the Archeology of Discovery,” BlueCross and BlueShield Association’s 40th Annual Lawyers’ Conference, 2006.
  • “Electronic Discovery of Medical Records,” CLE Seminar, 2005,
  • “Practical Pointers for Practitioners: Counseling Clients While Proving Your Case,” 3rd National In-House Counsel Conference on Defending and Managing Complex Litigation, 2004.
  • “Cross Examination: Tips and Pitfalls,” Hillsborough County Bar Association’s State Court Trial Seminar, 2004.
  • “Technology Clients and Ethical Pitfalls – Traps to Avoid,” University of Florida College of Law First Annual Law & Technology Institute, 2002.
  • “Advertising Issues in Electronic Commerce and on the Internet,” CLE Seminar, 1999.
  • “Internet, Intranets, and Extranets,” University of Florida Conference on Law and Technology, 1997.
  • “Trade and Commerce on the Internet,” Florida International University’s Americas Internet Seminar, 1996.
  • “Recent Developments in U.S. Intellectual Property Law,” WIPO Caribbean Law Conference, 1995.
  • “False Advertising Under The Lanham Act,” The Florida Bar CLE Presentation, 1993.

Published Articles & Books

  • Author, “Sampling Helps Keep Relevance Relevant,” ABA Litigation Journal, Summer 2011.
  • Author, “Electronic Discovery is Upon Us!” Florida Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company, 2011.
  • Co-author (with the Hon. Ralph Artigliere), LexisNexis Practice Guide: “Florida E-Discovery and Evidence,” 2011.
  • Quoted, “Alumni stress electronically shared information (ESI) essential for litigators,” FlaLaw Online,
    April 18, 2011.
  • Quoted, “Formal certification now available for e-discovery,” Tampa Bay Business Journal, November 19, 2010.
  • Editor, “Certified E-Discovery Specialist Examination Manual,” Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists, November 2010.
  • Co-author (with Wendy Akbar), “E-Discovery in the Age of Facebook, Twitter & the Digital Family,” Family Advocate, Fall 2010.
  • Author, “Bill Hamilton’s Seven Deadly Sins of the Rule 26(f) ‘Meet-and-Confer’ Conference,” Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists, June 7, 2010.
  • Author, “The E-Discovery Sanctions Cube,” E-Discovery Team Blog, November 29, 2009.
  • Co-author, “Break Out the Books: Teaching E-Discovery,” Law Technology News, January 2009.
  • Corporate Compliance Answer Book, Practicing Law Institute, January 2009.
  • “The E-Discovery Crisis: An Immediate Challenge to our Nation’s Law Schools,” The E-Discovery Team,
    November 2008.
  • “Book Review - Ralph Losey’s e-Discovery: Current Trends and Cases,” The Federal Lawyer, August 2008.
  • “Before You Hit Send: 10 Rules to Help Keep You Out of E-mail Trouble,” July 2008.
  • “Battering RAM: Default Judgment Entered in Columbia Pictures v. Bunnell for Defendants’ Spoliation of Evidence,” BNA, Digital Discovery & E-Evidence, February 2008.
  • “Electronic Data Discovery and the New Federal Rules: Health Industry Organizations at Particular Risk,”
    Holland & Knight LLP, July 2007.
  • “Electronic Data Discovery and The New Federal Rules: More risks to be addressed by Compliance and Ethics Programs,” The Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics, June 2007.
  • “Electronic Data Discovery and the New Federal Rules: Is There a Safety Net for the Increased Litigation Risk?,” The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, March 2007.
  • “IT System Integration Contracts - Avoiding Statistically Near Certain Failure,” The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, January 2006.
  • “Cutting Costs in Discovery: Maybe It's Time Companies Paid for Data by the Gigabyte,” Legal Times, 2004.
  • “Inevitability of Inevitable Disclosure Under Florida’s Uniform Trade Secrets Act,” Intellectual Property and Technology newsletter, October 2001.
  • “Florida Manual of Trademark Examining Procedure,” The Florida Bar, 1986.