Profil
P. William (Bill) Stark is a leader of the Video Games and Esports Group and a Litigation shareholder. Bill advises clients in the esports and video gaming industry with respect to digital content development, distribution, regulation, entertainment, and consumption. He assists and counsels clients regarding esports regulation, training, anti-corruption, compliance, and litigation issues. Bill assists clients in understanding and navigating the complex and rapidly evolving esports legal and regulatory landscape to proactively navigate the opportunities and challenges that arise on a daily basis.
Bill also advises clients regarding commercial and complex disputes. He is experienced trying cases in court and in a wide variety of arbitrations, including international commercial disputes, partnership disputes, real estate litigation, securities litigation, energy litigation, construction contracts, commercial arbitrations, labor and employment disputes and intellectual property. He represents individuals and businesses as both plaintiffs and defendants in state and federal courts, as well as in national and international bodies, such as the American Arbitration Association, the ICC Court of Arbitration, and the London Court of International Arbitration.
Concentrations
- Video games and esports
- Commercial and complex litigation
- Business disputes
- Construction litigation
- Fiduciary litigation
- International dispute resolution
- Labor and employment
- Real estate litigation
Kompetencje
Doświadczenie
- Advise esports investors and teams regarding team ethics and anti-corruption policy implementation and management.
- Develop comprehensive esports team training and enforcement programs.
- Counsel clients regarding regulatory and compliance concerns.
- Advise clients regarding litigation and labor and employment issues.
- Handled numerous claims involving disputes between investors and owners of corporate, partnership and other forms of business entities and their officers and directors and court-appointed receivers. Defended and attacked corporate management in suits involving alleged self-dealing, minority shareholder oppression, usurpation of corporate opportunities, breach of fiduciary duty, and excessive compensation.
- Defended and prosecuted claims involving developers, buyers, sellers, and investors in real estate sales, investment and development transactions, and landlords and tenants of commercial and retail properties. Obtained and resisted injunctive relief regarding investments in and rights to real property and defeated applications for receiverships and turnover of real property.
- Handled a wide variety of international disputes, including arbitration in London, England over oil and gas contracts and joint ventures in Africa; represented foreign individuals and entities in prosecuting and defending cases in U.S. courts and arbitrations; enforced judgments in other countries, including Mexico, Canada, and Italy; and managing litigation through local counsel in other countries, including Mexico and Canada.
- Defended class action suits against developers and lenders involving claims for loss of use and access and consumer fraud litigation. Filed motions to dismiss and motions for summary judgment, obtaining multiple federal court dismissals of class action claims against his clients.
- Defended claims and agency investigations (state and federal) involving wage and hour claims, employment breach of contract, discrimination defense and wrongful termination defense.
- Prosecuted and defended claims involving alleged misappropriation of trade secrets and obtained and resisted injunctions to enforce intellectual property rights.
- Handled variety of industrial, commercial, and single and multifamily residence construction cases, representing owners and investors in courts and in arbitration proceedings.
- Financial Analyst, ILD Telecommunications, Inc., 1997-2000
- Financial Analyst, Mattress Giant, 2000-2001
Sukcesy i wyróżnienia
- Listed, The Best Lawyers in America, Commercial Litigation, 2024
- Listed, Super Lawyers magazine, Texas Super Lawyers, 2018-2023
- Listed, "Rising Stars," 2007-2009 and 2014-2017
- Listed, Texas Lawyer, "Texas Trailblazer," 2019
- Professional Involvement
- Member, State Bar of Texas
- Member, Dallas Bar Association
- Member, Esports Bar Association
- Member, American Bar Association
- Section of Litigation
- Associate Professor: Video Games and Esports – Miami University (Ohio), Fall 2022–Present
Kwalifikacje
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J.D., cum laude, Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law
- Order of the Coif
- International Law Review Association
- B.A., cum laude, University of Dallas
- Texas
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas