Richard J. Williams, Jr.
New Jersey
McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter, LLP
1300 Mount Kemble Avenue
P.O. Box 2075
Morristown, NJ 07962-2075
Tel: 973-425-8773
Email:
rwilliams@mdmc-law.com
Web:
www.mdmc-law.com
Richard J. Williams, Jr. is an accomplished civil trial and appellate attorney with extensive experience handling complex litigation in state and federal courts. Certified as a Civil Trial Attorney by the Supreme Court of New Jersey, he has tried numerous cases to verdict and argued dozens of appeals before the New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division and the New Jersey Supreme Court. He also has experience before the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Richard represents clients in class actions, mass torts, product liability, premises liability, medical malpractice, insurance coverage and bad faith disputes, commercial litigation, employment matters, automobile claims, and workers’ compensation proceedings. His appellate work arises across this broad range of civil disputes, enabling him to advise clients on complex legal issues from the trial stage through appeal.
He has substantial experience defending large-scale and high-exposure matters. Richard has served as national counsel for a pharmaceutical packaging company in litigation involving allegations of mislabelled birth control pills and for a baby mattress cover manufacturer facing wrongful death claims across the United States. He has also acted as lead counsel in a national product liability class action and as lead defence counsel in litigation involving more than 3,700 individuals who alleged exposure to bloodborne pathogens at an ambulatory surgery centre.
Richard’s practice also includes complex personal injury, wrongful death, survivorship, contractual indemnification, insurance, and commercial disputes. In addition to appearing before appellate courts, he has handled matters in the United States District Court and before administrative tribunals, including the Division of Workers’ Compensation. His combined trial and appellate experience allows him to identify and preserve important legal issues throughout the course of litigation and present them effectively on appeal.
Richard serves as Co-Chair of the firm’s Litigation and Insurance Services Practice Group and Co-Chair of its Hiring Committee. A Past President of the Trial Attorneys of New Jersey, he coordinated the organisation’s annual Back to Basics seminar for attorneys preparing for the Supreme Court Civil Trial Certification examination for more than a decade. He also chairs the Board of Directors of the Excellent with Integrity Institute.
Richard received the Professional Lawyer of the Year Award from the New Jersey Commission on Professionalism in the Law in 2019. He has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America for Litigation – Insurance since 2016 and was named Newark “Lawyer of the Year” in that field in 2019, 2021, and 2024. He earned his Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Seton Hall University School of Law, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Constitutional Law Journal, and holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Scranton.
McElroy Deutsch’s Appellate practice provides comprehensive representation at every stage of the appellate process, working closely with clients and trial counsel to develop effective appellate strategies from the outset of litigation. The team assists with preserving appellate issues during trial, preparing and responding to post-verdict motions, evaluating the merits of potential appeals, and presenting persuasive written and oral advocacy before state and federal appellate courts.
The firm’s appellate lawyers represent parties and amici curiae in a broad range of complex appeals, while also assisting trial counsel with oral argument preparation, post-argument motions, and petitions for further review. Their experience includes petitions for certification before state supreme courts, federal courts of appeal, and numerous petitions for certiorari to the United States Supreme Court.
McElroy Deutsch has argued appeals before appellate courts across the United States, including multiple state supreme courts and every U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The practice handles sophisticated appellate matters spanning commercial disputes, securities, insurance coverage, product liability, construction, environmental law, labor and employment, professional liability, constitutional issues, intellectual property, class actions, white-collar defense, tax, and other complex civil and criminal matters.
McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter, LLP is a full-service law firm representing businesses, insurers, public entities, nonprofit organizations, and individuals across the United States. Founded in 1983, the firm has grown to approximately 125 attorneys practicing from eleven offices across nine states, combining national capabilities with strong regional experience while maintaining a client-first approach and a commitment to responsive, personalized service.
The firm’s multidisciplinary practice encompasses commercial litigation, municipal and local government law, labor and employment, healthcare, real estate, insurance, environmental law, bankruptcy and restructuring, fidelity and surety, construction, corporate transactions, white collar defense, corporate compliance, appellate advocacy, and alternative dispute resolution. Its attorneys advise clients on complex business, regulatory, and litigation matters, providing strategic counsel from initial planning through trial, arbitration, and appeal.
McElroy Deutsch is recognized for delivering sophisticated legal representation while emphasizing efficiency, accessibility, and practical business solutions. Through collaboration across its offices and practice groups, the firm develops tailored legal strategies designed to help clients achieve their commercial and legal objectives without losing the personal attention and client focus often associated with smaller firms.
“Richard combines certified civil trial credentials with extensive appellate experience before the New Jersey Appellate Division, the New Jersey Supreme Court, and the Third Circuit. That dual perspective enables him to approach cases with unusual strategic depth, ensuring that trial decisions are made with both immediate and appellate consequences firmly in view.”