William G. Cosmas, Jr.

Partner

Will Cosmas is a zealous advocate and pragmatic litigator who finds creative, efficient ways to achieve his clients’ goals in complex business disputes across many industries including finance, banking, technology, and life sciences, among others. His experience spans business litigation and arbitration, both domestic and international; government investigations and white-collar criminal defense; and real estate matters. Will also serves as local counsel for out-of-state law firms seeking assistance in Massachusetts state or federal courts.

Representing sophisticated corporate and individual clients in complex state, federal and arbitral proceedings, Will resolves matters involving allegations of breach of contract, fraud, negligence, chapter 93A violations, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, misappropriation of trade secrets, and other commercial claims. His real estate work involves representing corporations, individuals, and conservation entities in a variety of matters before the Land Court, Superior Court, and municipal boards, including boundary disputes, adverse possession, easements, trespass, zoning, and other issues.

Will’s advocacy extends to pro bono matters and community service. In 2014, he represented a successful petitioner for clemency from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, obtaining one of the first pardons in Massachusetts since 2002. He also volunteers his time advising Voices of Concern North Beverly, a Massachusetts community group, to ensure that a corporation effectively remediates a decades-old toxic waste spill.

Prior to joining Laredo & Smith, Will ran his own private practice, Cosmas Law LLC, representing individuals and corporations in sophisticated business disputes and real estate litigation. Previously, Will was a partner at a leading Boston litigation boutique, representing individuals and corporations facing significant civil liability through litigation and arbitration in state, federal, and international forums.

• Outside litigation counsel for a leading global biopharmaceutical services organization, representing the company in general business litigation matters and in response to third-party discovery requests, both from private and governmental entities.
• Defense of a company and its CEO in a multi-million-dollar close corporation dispute in the Business Litigation Session of the Superior Court.
• Defense of 18 former employees of a financial services firm who were subpoenaed to produce personal documents and information in connection with litigation between their current and former employers.
• Defense of a former franchise employee in a federal Defend Trade Secrets Act and related common law tort action brought by a national franchisor against client and co-defendant former franchisee.
• Representation of a South African technology company in international arbitration against an American technology company; obtained award of over $6 million.
• Successfully opposed a motion to compel brought by Hatch-Waxman plaintiff against a non-party, then-publicly traded clinical research organization.
• Representation of a hotel proprietor in a construction dispute with a general contractor.
• Resolved parallel employment and breach of contract disputes on behalf of an international industrial materials company and its owner against a former employee.
• Defense of a leading civil engineering firm in two-year-long, major criminal and False Claims Act investigation by the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office into allegations that client had committed environmental crimes and had engaged in fraud in connection with contracts it had with state agencies and municipalities.
• Representation of seed investors in breach of contract and fiduciary duty litigation against a hedge fund manager in the Superior Court’s Business Litigation Session, reaching a multi-million-dollar settlement after jury empanelment.
• Defense of a marketing vendor in a RICO class action alleging illegal off-label promotion of antipsychotic medication.
• Representation of various individual and corporate property owners in adverse possession and trespass disputes in Land Court.
• Filed an amicus brief for a congressional candidate in a Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court case concerning constitutionality of mail-in voting deadlines for state primary election (Grossman v. Sec’y of Commonwealth, 485 Mass. 541 (2020)).
• Successfully represented a petitioner for clemency in Massachusetts in 2014, obtaining one of the first pardons in the Commonwealth since 2002 for pro bono client.

• “Representing First-Time Clients in Business Litigation,” Boston Bar Association (October 2022)

• ”Laredo & Smith Expands Litigation Group: Adds William Cosmas as Partner”
• “Statutes of Limitations: Massachusetts” (2020) (also 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019 eds.), Practical Law Litigation (co-author)
• “A Clear View of a Narrower Path: Examining the Baker Pardon Guidelines,” 61 Boston Bar J. (Spr. 2017)
• “In arbitration, applicability of statutes of limitation unpredictable,” Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly (April 13, 2017) (co-author)

• Zoning Board of Appeals, City of Beverly
• Vestry of St. John’s Episcopal Church, Beverly Farms
• Georgetown Club of Greater Boston (former President of the university’s official Massachusetts alumni club)