Bill is the managing partner of Shook’s St. Louis office. Bill brings a storied background to his business litigation practice, having served as a civil trial lawyer, a circuit judge in St. Louis County, and as the Deputy Attorney General for the state of Missouri. He is one of the most recognized lawyers in Missouri, and has received numerous awards and honors including listings in Chambers USA, Best Lawyers in America, and other publications. Bill was elected by his peers as one of the youngest presidents in the history of The Missouri Bar.
Before joining Shook, Bill was appointed Deputy Attorney General for the state of Missouri. As Deputy Attorney General, he served either as lead trial counsel or an advisor on high-profile cases that garnered statewide and national media attention. Preceding his AG service, Bill served as a circuit judge for the 21st Judicial Circuit (St Louis County), where he tried many civil and criminal jury trials, handling a docket of approximately 220 criminal cases and 460 civil cases.
Before joining the bench, Bill was a civil trial lawyer at an Am Law 200 firm, where he served for many years on the firm’s executive committee and tried business and personal injury lawsuits in Missouri and other states. In addition, he served as outside general counsel to many St. Louis area businesses for their corporate, employment and intellectual property needs. Bill has successfully tried many jury and bench trials as first chair. These cases have included automobile crashes, premises liability, product liability and business disputes, such as breach of contract, non-compete agreements, fraud, trade secrets, Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) matters, civil conspiracy, and shareholder disputes. Bill has represented both plaintiffs and defendants.
Representative Matters
Trial-Level ExperiencePanera v. Nettles, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Missouri. Defended the former chief technology officer of Panera on a breach of contract and trade secret case involving a non-compete agreement after he accepted employment at another restaurant.
Kuebel v. Associates in OB/GYN Inc., St. Louis County Circuit Court. Won a high seven-figure judgment, including sanctions, at trial regarding a shareholders’ dispute on behalf of three physicians against a former partner and the corporate medical practice.
Helfrich, Poole, Rankin, Uthoff v. Ferguson Medical Group, Scott County Circuit Court. Won a jury trial and a six-figure verdict on a breach of contract claim for a medical group against two of its former physicians/partners, and a defense verdict as to the two other physicians/ partners.
BSR Services v. Christman, St. Louis County Circuit Court. Won a six-figure verdict in a civil conspiracy/fraud/breach of contract case, including punitive damages, for a construction company after a one-week jury trial.
Mississippi Lime Company v. Mollers North America, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Missouri. Won a breach of contract/negligent misrepresentation case after a three-week jury trial concerning high-speed packaging equipment, and obtained a verdict for nearly $1 million.
Smith v. Kia Motors America Inc., St. Louis County Circuit Court. Obtained a directed verdict at the close of the plaintiff’s case on a claim of breach of warranty against client, Kia Motors America.
Gamedev of Sioux City, Inc. v. Argosy Gaming Company, Woodbury County District Court. Won a high seven-figure settlement on behalf of a small, closely held business against a publicly traded casino company for breach of contract, fiduciary duties and fraud after two weeks of trial.
Next Generation Inc. v. Cybertel Corporation d/b/a Ameritech, St. Louis County Circuit Court. Represented a small business owned by two shareholders against Ameritech for breach of contract. Obtained a six-figure verdict in favor of client.
Higgins v. National Supermarkets, St. Louis City Circuit Court. Represented National Supermarkets in a personal injury case in which the plaintiff alleged she was assaulted in a parking lot of a National store and suffered a brain injury as a result of being struck on the head and pistol-whipped by a criminal assailant. National offered seven figures to the plaintiff during trial, and the jury returned a verdict of $100,000.
Appellate Experience
Victoria’s Secret Stores, Inc. v. The May Department Stores Company, Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District. Won a non-compete and unfair competition case on behalf of Victoria’s Secret and a former May Company executive against a national department store chain in St. Louis County Circuit Court. The Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court’s judgment in favor of client. This case received national press coverage.
Cassady v. Dillard’s Department Stores, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit. Tried case against three lawyers from three separate law firms. The jury returned a verdict for actual and punitive damages against client, Dillard’s. On appeal, the 8th Circuit reversed and entered judgment in favor of client.
C.L. Smith Industrial Company v. Matecki, Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District. Defendant (client) was held in contempt of court by the trial court and as punishment, the trial judge extended a permanent injunction. Reversed by Court of Appeals.
Spellman Brady & Company v. Silver Cross Hospital, Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District. Obtained partial summary judgment for breach of contract, and after a bench trial, awarded seven figures in damages and attorney’s fees from court on behalf of client, Spellman Brady. Affirmed by Court of Appeals.
Presentations
Bill has presented many CLE presentations to lawyers on the subjects of trial advocacy, minority-majority shareholder litigation, non-compete and trade secret litigation, civil liability for the criminal acts of third parties, state and federal computer tampering act litigation, and civil discovery and evidence. Bill has also taught a course on ethics and professionalism to third-year law students at Saint Louis University School of Law.
U.S. Attorneys’ Office Priorities, Government Investigations and Civil Litigation Institute (GICLI) Annual Meeting, November 17, 2023.
Publications
Non-Compete Agreements—What Physicians Need to Know, St. Louis Metropolitan Medicine, Vol, 41, No. 4, 2019 (with Michael Kass).
Risking It All? The Business Case for Outside General Counsel, St. Louis Small Business Monthly, July 2019.
* Trade Secret Litigation—An Updated Overview, Journal of The Missouri Bar, 2015 (with Jeffrey Schultz).
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Civil Actions for the Misappropriation of Electronic Data: The Missouri and Federal Computer Tampering Acts, Journal of The Missouri Bar, 2009 (with Jeffrey Schultz).
Trade Secret Litigation—An Overview, Journal of The Missouri Bar, 2007 (with Jeffrey Schultz).
* Non-Compete Agreements and Unfair Competition—An Updated Overview, Journal of The Missouri Bar, 2006 (with Michael Kass).
Media Coverage
AG Bailey Responds to New Report on Kim Gardner, Says Her Term had “Radical Consequences,” Fox2 Now, November 14, 2023.
Missouri Deputy Attorney General to Join Law Firm, Springfield Business Journal, July 19, 2023.
Deputy Attorney General William Corrigan to Join Law Firm as Local Managing Partner, St. Louis Business Journal, July 18, 2023.
Missouri Deputy AG Joins Shook Hardy & Bacon as Managing Partner, Bloomberg Law, July 14, 2023.
Top Aide to Missouri Attorney General Takes Job at St. Louis Law Office, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 14, 2023.
Corrigan to Lead Shook’s St. Louis Office, Missouri Lawyers Media, July 14, 2023.