William J. Hughes, Jr.

Principal

Ocean City, NJ | San Juan, Puerto Rico

Overview

William J. ("Bill") Hughes, Jr. is an experienced litigator representing clients in federal white collar investigations and criminal defense, complex commercial litigation in the areas of cybersecurity, antitrust, fraud, intellectual property, director and officer (D&O) liability defense, commercial and shareholder disputes.

With a background as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and Trial Attorney for the United States Department of Justice, Bill has a unique understanding of federal investigations and procedures.  In his role as Assistant U.S. Attorney, Bill was responsible for litigating and investigating a variety of cases including:  counterfeiting, bank robbery and theft, firearms violations, police bribery, assaults, narcotics cases - including Title III wiretaps and foreign extradition, money laundering, government loan fraud, credit card fraud, and criminal copyright and trademark infringement.  As a Trial Attorney for the Department of Justice, Bill was assigned to the Computers and Finance Section of the Antitrust Division where he handled antitrust merger and civil non-merger investigations and litigation.

Prior to joining the Department of Justice, Bill served as a Judicial Clerk with the Honorable John F. Gerry, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey and Chairman of the Executive Committee for the United States Judicial Conference.

Bill achieved an L.L.M. in Taxation from Georgetown University Law Center in 1998, a Juris Doctor with honors from Rutgers University Law School in 1993, a Master of Arts in Public Policy and Political Science from the Eagleton Institute of Politics and Public Policy in 1991, and a Bachelor of Arts in Government from Franklin and Marshall College in 1989.

An active member of Boy Scouts of America, Jersey Shore Council, Bill serves as Vice President, having previously served as President.  Bill is also a board member and previous Chairman of Atlantic County Crimestoppers Foundation.

Recognition

No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. 

  • Bill has received numerous service awards from federal agencies including, U.S. Customs Service, U.S. Marshal's Service, U.S. Secret Service, Drug Enforcement Administration and United States Postal Service.

  • Included in The Best Lawyers in America® list, Criminal Defense: White-Collar (2020 - 2024).
    A description of the selection process can be found here.

Speaking Engagements

  • "The Tale of Two Compliance Programs – The Prosecution of Compliance Officers, Directors, and Managers," Presenter, Porzio Life Sciences, Life Sciences Palooza, Atlantic City, NJ, 9/26/2023
  • "Emerging Cases," Mass Torts Puerto Rico, 5/05/2022
  • "Data Privacy & CyberSecurity: Practical Steps to Protect Your School," New Jersey Association of School Administrators, Monroe Township, NJ, May 23, 2018. 
  • "Updating the Corporate Compliance Framework to Tackle Data Privacy and Cybersecurity," CBI's 15th Annual Pharmaceutical Compliance Congress, Washington, DC, April 24, 2018.
  • "Data Privacy & CyberSecurity: Practical Steps to Protect Your School," New Jersey Association of School Administrators' TECHSPO '18, Atlantic City, NJ, January 25, 2018.
  • "Playbook for Addressing a Data Breach," CBI's Data Privacy Summit for Life Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, October 30, 2017.
  • "Threat Briefing & Implementing Effective Cyber Security Measures," Porzio Life Sciences Privacy & CyberSecurity Forum, Morristown, NJ, October 25, 2017.
  • "Antitrust Resurgence: Managing Criminal And Civil Exposure," The Network of Trial Law Firms, New York City, August 4, 2017.
  • "The Inside View of the Confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch," CBI's 14th Annual Pharmaceutical Compliance Congress, Washington, DC, April 27, 2017.