Mr. William J. Edelman is a Milberg Partner practicing out of the Chicago, Illinois area where he focuses on class action, consumer fraud, Information Technology, antitrust, and defective product litigation matters.

A former federal prosecutor, former police officer, and a Stanford Law graduate who has clerked for two federal judges, Mr. Edelman has over a decade of experience in federal and state courts.

Mr. Edelman prides himself on helping clients understand the legal issues that affect their cases, while avoiding confusing and unnecessary “legalese.” He is responsive and diligent in advancing his clients’ cases, offering practical and efficient advice that empowers clients to make informed decisions about the best path forward.

Mr. Edelman possesses extensive experience litigating criminal and civil matters at top corporate defense firms and an elite plaintiffs-side securities class action firm. In the private sector, he has represented individuals and companies in white-collar and regulatory investigations and prosecutions, including criminal antitrust conspiracy, embezzlement, DEA controlled-substance hospital audit, and hazardous materials/dumping matters under federal and local law. He has also litigated various individual and class-action civil matters.

As a federal prosecutor in the Northern District of California, Mr. Edelman acted as first or second chair in nine trials. He has handled numerous contested evidentiary hearings and dispositive motion hearings. As a prosecutor, he was the primary attorney responsible for a variety of complex matters, including multi-defendant RICO cases and fraud cases. He also served as a police officer for a large city in Southern California for four years.

Mr. Edelman maintains an active and diverse pro bono practice; he has successfully obtained asylum in the United States for a family persecuted by a foreign government, prepared training materials for foreign prosecutors and law enforcement agencies under rule of law initiatives, litigated constitutional torts, and petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court for certiorari in a criminal case.

Mr. Edelman earned his J.D. from Stanford Law School. There, he served as a Notes Editor on the Stanford Law Review and as Editor-in-Chief of the Stanford Law & Policy Review. Prior, he earned dual bachelor’s degrees from Virginia Tech, graduating summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology. He received a Master of Science degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Cincinnati.

Immediately following law school, he served as a law clerk for the Honorable Michael Boudin of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and for the Honorable Charles R. Breyer of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

Mr. Edelman is admitted to practice in California and Illinois, as well as the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.

Outside the office, Mr. Edelman is a devoted fan of Hokie football as well as the ever-growing list of sports teams his three kids play on. He is a brother of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity.