William Devine Esquire

WILLIAM DEVINE ESQUIRE

People + organizations worldwide possess the mettle to excel. From their base in California, William Devine Esquire drives litigation, transactions + board work for those seeking sophisticated, unconventional advocacy. WDE Regulatory Risk Model 2.0 empowers investors + organizations who seek to anticipate, survive + capitalize on regulatory risks they will face in the future.

CLIENT VIEW

CEO, Silicon Valley SaaS company: "I worked with Bill on a long, complicated software acquisition deal. If you'd like an attorney to be fighting alongside you, down in the trenches, Bill is the one."

Managing Director, global management consulting firm: "Your advice was invaluable… We're really pleased to have this locked up and I'm personally grateful for your creativity, your wise counsel and your legal counsel.”

California investor: "Thank you for supervising our litigators on this [trust property] lawsuit. Your strategic thinking, meticulous drafting and grasp of business points were indispensable."

CEO, Southern California software development company: "Thank you again for hard work and salvation on the lawsuits. We had a large emotional investment in the outcome and circumstances so thank you for the calm captaincy through that minefield."

Students of SMG 401: "He is chill." "He connected well with all of the students." "He was very passionate and made it a good time while learning dense material." "Well structured and thought out course." "Very knowledgeable and really got us to think. He provided good feedback to my written work and wanted us to excel to the fullest."

Photo by Roberto Farren

People + organizations worldwide possess the mettle to excel. Boston Institute for Governance + Leadership advises people who, aiming to excel as directors + trustees of organizations, seek sophisticated, unconventional insights into the art + practice of boardroom greatness in today's regulatory climate, economy + culture.

CLIENT VIEW

CEO, California medical device tech firm: "I have had the occasion to work with many attorneys throughout my career and I can say wholeheartedly that my interactions with Bill were professional, to the point, and very constructive. He provided timely legal advice without breaking the bank. He was always only a phone call or email away and very responsive to our needs. I highly recommend him."



SELECTED INSIGHTS

Bad CEO 20 Truths from an Unapologetic Boston Lawyer about Leading a Successful, Admirable Organization Today Forthcoming 2025

Bad Director 20 Truths from an Unapologetic Boston Lawyer about the Art + Practice of Boardroom Greatness Today Forthcoming 2025

Bullied, Contorted + Conflicted The Annotated Oral History of "The Great American Institution of College Sports" Forthcoming 2025

Leadership in the Time of So-called Regulation Has Compliance Been a Dangerous Corporate Legal Strategy All Along? Rutgers University Law School, Rutgers Business Law Journal Autumn 2023

AI, Crypto + The Winter of Their Regulatory Discontent Is Compliance Becoming Risky Strategy? Loyola University Chicago Law School, Journal of Regulatory Compliance, Vol. X Spring 2023

The Business of College Sports Deserves to Collapse Boston Sunday Globe, Ideas Section January 5, 2023

Is Revenue Sport Infatuation Causing University Trustees to Breach Fiduciary Duties? University of Virginia School of Law, Sports & Entertainment Law Journal, Vol 21: 2, 128-196 Autumn 2022

The Law Is Always Late A Global Investor's Pocket Guide to Anticipating, Surviving + Capitalizing on Regulatory Risks of the Future Lane 5 Press (2020)

Why CEO Shouldn’t Also Be Board Chair Boeing, WeWork + Facebook Illustrate Leadership Truth Harvard Business Review (with Joseph Mandato) March 4, 2020

CEO Chairman. Two Jobs. One Person. Why? Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance + Financial Regulation (with Joseph Mandato) November 14, 2019

A Corporation’s Culture Will Dictate Its Fortunes Columbia Law School Blue Sky Blog on Corporations + the Capital Markets (with Joseph Mandato) October 4, 2019

"Leave Your Preconceived Notions...at the Door" \| Diversity’s Role in Boardroom Leadership Columbia Law School Blue Sky Blog on Corporations & the Capital Markets (with Joseph Mandato) April 19, 2019

“Let’s Fire This Guy and Get on with Business" \| Practical Lessons in Boardroom Leadership Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance & Financial Regulation (with Joseph Mandato) February 16, 2019

A Cautionary Tale for Tokens FinTech Weekly January 19, 2018

A Post-Regulatory Recipe for Economic Leadership Loyola University Chicago Law School, Inside Compliance September 19, 2017

The Cost of a College Touchdown A Story of Trustee Miscalculation Lane 5 Press (2011; 2021, 2d edition)



WILLIAM DEVINE, PRINCIPAL

Bill Devine is Principal at William Devine Esquire, driving litigation + transactions for organizations + investors who seek sophisticated, unconventional advocacy. He is also Principal at Boston Institute for Governance + Leadership, which advises corporate + non-profit boards on directing an effective, admirable organization in today's regulatory, economic + cultural climate. He designed WDE Regulatory Risk Model 2.0, a tool empowering organizations + investors to anticipate, survive + capitalize on regulatory risks they will face in the future.
Law schools at Harvard, Columbia, Virginia, Houston, Loyola Chicago + Rutgers, along with Harvard Business Review, Random House, Boston Globe, LA Times, SF Chronicle, Inside Higher Ed, California Lawyer + FinTech Weekly, have published his work. He's presented his work at Stanford University, RocketSpace SF + other points Boston to LA. Bill designed + for four years taught a Menlo College writing seminar on the collision of legal, economic + societal issues in sport management. Previously he brokered commercial property deals for institutional investors + tech companies. He earned a B.A. from Dartmouth College, where he studied Shakespeare, Marlowe + economics. He earned a J.D. from Boston University School of Law, where he studied tax, bankruptcy + property. He graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy. Bill is admitted to the bar in California, conservatively estimates he's run 25,000 miles lifetime, + once coached a season of college basketball.

650.964.2400

bill@wdesquire.com

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