Awards & Rankings 08.21.25
William McMichael is a trial lawyer who maintains a nationwide practice representing businesses and high-net-worth individuals in commercial disputes and complex insurance coverage matters.
William’s representative experience includes serving as trial counsel in state and federal courts in more than a dozen states across the nation. He also advises policyholders on emerging insurance coverage issues, including issues impacting general liability, commercial property, business interruption, and directors and officers coverage.
Representative Experience
- Represented Fortune 500 downstream energy company as trial counsel in insurance coverage dispute in Harris County, Texas, arising out of refinery explosion and associated litigation.
- Represented Fortune 500 utility provider as trial counsel in insurance coverage and contractual indemnity dispute in Nueces County, Texas, arising out of catastrophic workplace accident.
- Represented corporate executive as trial counsel in a confidential arbitration against his former employer, a Fortune 500 company, involving complex contract disputes.
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- Insurance Coverage Litigation
- Served as trial counsel for oilfield services companies in multiple jurisdictions, including Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and North Dakota in insurance coverage and contractual indemnification disputes arising from catastrophic oilfield accidents and resulting litigation.
- Represented national security services company as trial counsel in coverage and contractual indemnification disputes in Los Angeles County, California, arising from mass shooting and resulting litigation.
- Represented government contractor as trial counsel in coverage dispute in federal court in San Diego arising out of immigration enforcement activity and resulting class action litigation.
- Represented health technology company in cyber coverage dispute following an alleged data breach and resulting litigation.
- Represented national hospitality business in property and business interruption coverage litigation arising out of losses sustained during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Represented a multinational oil and gas company in property coverage dispute over damage to offshore drilling equipment in West Africa.
- Represented carbon capture company in industrial property and business interruption coverage dispute involving machinery failure and resulting income loss.
- Represented national accounting firm as trial counsel in professional liability coverage dispute in federal court in Houston, Texas, arising from an SEC investigation into former client’s business practices.
- Represented electric vehicle company in directors and officers coverage dispute arising out of merger and resulting shareholder and derivative litigation.
- Served as trial counsel in coverage dispute in federal court in Butte, Montana, arising out of catastrophic injury claims asserted against political subdivisions of the State of Montana.
- Served as trial counsel in property and business interruption coverage dispute in federal court in Dallas over damage to luxury golf course during tornadic weather event.
- Served as trial counsel in property and business interruption coverage dispute in federal court in Los Angeles arising out of the 2014 Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
- Served as trial counsel in coverage litigation in state court in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, and federal court in Fargo, North Dakota, arising out of catastrophic oilfield accident in the Bakken.
- Served as trial counsel in directors and officers coverage dispute in Los Alamos County, New Mexico, arising out of federal prosecution of prominent regional bank and its executives.
- Served as trial counsel in coverage litigation in Tulsa County, Oklahoma, arising out of earthquake-related property damage.
- Commercial Litigation
- Represented Houston-based upstream company as trial counsel in a confidential arbitration stemming from a Fortune 500 midstream company’s shutdown of natural gas pipelines.
- Represented family office as trial counsel in federal court in Houston, Texas, in a contract dispute with an Ivy League university concerning an agreement to showcase the world’s largest private collection of Florentine Baroque art.
- Represented limited partner as trial counsel in state court in Harris County, Texas, and associated arbitration in a dispute over management and operation of family-owned ranch and cattle business.
- Represented family office as trial counsel in state court in Harris County, Texas, in dispute concerning third party’s alleged entitlement to equity ownership interests.
- Represented agribusiness as trial counsel in state court in Fort Bend County, Texas, in a joint venture dispute arising from a failed real estate transaction.
- Represented EPC contractor in federal court in Galveston, Texas, in dispute involving alleged negligent design and construction of conventional refinery.
- Represented international commodities supplier in LCIA arbitration involving natural gas pricing disputes following Winter Storm Uri.
- Represented Texas dental practice in confidential arbitration concerning post-transaction dispute with foreign-backed private equity group.
- Represented midstream services company as trial counsel in state court in Martin County, Texas, in trade secrets case involving alleged breach of non-disclosure agreement.
- Represented a former accounting firm partner in state court in Harris County, Texas, arising out of post-transaction dispute with former partner.
- Represented oilfield services company as trial counsel in multiple Texas state court lawsuits involving misappropriation of corporate funds by former employees.
- Represented fire suppression contractor as trial counsel in state court in Harris County, Texas, in a construction defect case arising out of water damage to high-value commercial office building.
- Other Representation
- Served as trial counsel in Baltimore City, Maryland, seeking a writ of actional innocence for an individual wrongfully convicted of murder based on flawed evidence and expert testimony.
- Represented judicial officer as trial counsel in civil rights action in in Matagorda County, Texas, obtaining complete dismissal of all claims and anti-suit injunction against vexatious litigant.
- Represented entertainment company as trial counsel in Harris County, Texas, in personal injury lawsuit arising from a violent altercation involving professional basketball players.
- Served as trial counsel in consumer class action lawsuit in Dallas County, Texas, over alleged improper appraisal of classic cars. Obtained dismissal of all class claims at Texas Supreme Court.
- Represented prominent Houston architecture firm in connection with its acquisition of Dallas-area firm, focusing on insurance and litigation-related due diligence.
- Represented electrical contractor as trial counsel in Harris County, Texas, arising out personal injuries sustained by patron at luxury shopping mall following renovations to ice skating rink.
- Represented real estate developer as trial counsel in wrongful death case in Harris County, Texas, involving a drowning at a community pool.
Professional Highlights
- Recognized by Super Lawyers as a Texas Rising Star (2023–2025).
- Recognized by Best Lawyers in America as One to Watch (2023–2026).
- Awarded Franklin Jones Best CLE Article Award of 2025 by the Texas Bar College, “So You’ve Got a Verdict … What Now?! Post-Verdict Procedure and Practice Tips for Texas Insurance Lawyers.”
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- Publications & Presentations
- “Making the Policy Make Sense: Persuasion and Proof in Insurance Coverage Trials,” State Bar of Texas 23rd Annual Insurance Law CLE, June 3, 2026.
- The Evolution of the Pollution Exclusion: Varying Interpretations and Evidence Required to Use It, 2026 ABA Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee CLE Seminar, March 4–7, 2026.
- “Practice Tips from the Trenches,” State Bar of Texas 22nd Annual Insurance Law CLE, June 4, 2025.
- “Indemnification and Insurance: Current Trends, Issues and Rulings,” NBI: Construction Law 2025 CLE Seminar, April 17, 2025.
- “Fifth Circuit Reminds Policyholders to Be ‘Not Less Than’ Careful When Drafting Master Service Agreements,” Pillsbury Policyholder Pulse, October 31, 2024.
- “Insurance Basics for Construction Attorneys,” NBI: Texas Construction Law from Start to Finish CLE Seminar, October 29, 2024.
- “So You’ve Got a Verdict … What Now?! Post-Verdict Procedure and Practice Tips for Texas Insurance Lawyers,” State Bar of Texas 21st Annual Insurance Law CLE, June 6–7, 2024.
- “Coverage for Biometric Information and Privacy-Related Claims,” 2024 ABA TIPS Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee Mid-Year Conference, February 22, 2024.
- “That’s Just Your Opinion, Man! How Differences in Texas and Federal Rules of Evidence’s Treatment of Opinion Testimony May Impact Your Coverage Case,” Journal of Texas Insurance Law, 20 J. Tex. Ins. L. 30 (Winter 2024).
- “Harvard's Broker Fight Shows Active Risk Management Is Key,” Law360, November 17, 2023. Co-author.
- “Nobody Told Me That! Lessons Learned from Real Insurance Coverage Disputes,” State Bar of Texas Insurance Law CLE Webinar, October 30, 2023.
- “Taking the Market’s Temperature on Coverage for Climate Change-Related Property Damage,” Policyholder Pulse, August 1, 2023.
- “Trial Technology and Digital Resources Every Trial Lawyer Needs,” Texas Association of Defense Counsel Summer Seminar, July 19, 2023.
- “Practice Tips for New Insurance Lawyers,” State Bar of Texas 20th Annual Insurance Law CLE, May 31, 2023.
- “The Wrong Tool for the Job – Insurers Seek to Avoid Coverage for BIPA Claims by Using Old Exclusions for New Purposes,” Policyholder Pulse, April 19, 2023.
- “War! What Is It Good For? Helping Companies Avoid Insurance Coverage Battles,” SHALE Magazine, June 12, 2022.
- “Insurance Coverage for Human Trafficking Litigation,” State Bar of Texas 19th Annual Insurance Law CLE, June 3, 2022.
- “COVID-19 Update,” State Bar of Texas 18th Annual Insurance Law CLE, October 1, 2021.
- “Subject to Exceptions? Texas Supreme Court Accepts Challenge to ‘Eight Corners’ Rule,” State Bar of Texas – Insurance Law Section, April 6, 2021.
- “#64: Complete the Texas Bucket List,” Texas Monthly, May 20, 2015.
- Memberships & Associations
- Insurance Law Section of the State Bar of Texas (Current Member – Council for Insurance Section for State Bar of Texas (Term Ending 2027); Prior Chairman and Founding Member – Young Lawyer Subcommittee)
- Litigation Section of the State Bar of Texas
- Texas Bar Foundation – Fellow
- Texas Bar College
- Houston Bar Association
- Houston Bar Foundation – Fellow
- Baylor Law Alumni Association – Sustaining Life Fellow
- Texas Exes – Life Member
- Risk & Insurance Management Society – Houston Chapter
- Institute for Energy Law – Young Energy Professionals
Education
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J.D., Baylor University School of Law, 2017
With Special Distinction; Matt “Mad Dog” Dawson Mock Trial ChampionB.A., History, The University of Texas at Austin, 2014
With Honors
Admissions
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Texas
District of Columbia
Pro Hac Vice: California, Florida, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah
Courts
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U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
U.S. District Court for the Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western Districts of Texas
Pro Hac Vice: U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, U.S. District Court for the District of Montana, U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
Languages
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Spanish