William D.

Hall, III

Position: Partner
Office: Tallahassee

Will Hall focuses his practice on administrative and civil litigation, with an emphasis on matters involving Florida state regulatory agencies and the entities that fall under their oversight.

Will is a member of the Litigation Practice Group and the firm’s commercial dispute resolution and arbitration team. With more than a decade of experience, Will has represented private and public clients in cases involving state procurements/bid protests, state licensing, and administrative rules/rulemaking, among other issues. Will has also served as lead counsel in a broad range of state and federal trial court cases involving business disputes and civil matters and has a strong record of success arguing cases before state courts of appeal.

Will also advises clients with respect to ongoing administrative and legal compliance matters. Among other areas, he represents clients before state regulators in connection with obtaining necessary approvals and waivers, crafting pertinent administrative guidance, and — more broadly — helping businesses, associations, and individuals operate in the most efficient and equitable regulatory environment possible. Will has extensive experience assisting clients in newly emerging industries, such as medical marijuana and the “name, image, and likeness” market for college athletes. In these industries, he assists clients in navigating applicable regulations and processes.

Will has extensive experience providing counsel with respect to state licensure and bid-submission issues, helping ensure that his clients are best positioned to defend the award — or challenge the denial — of a license or contract. Well-versed in the review and analysis of published specifications, he provides strategic guidance on the viability of challenges to such specifications and helps clients conform their applications or bids to an agency’s criteria or parameters.

Prior to entering private practice, Will was chief attorney for the Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering within the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, where he served as the chief legal advisor and lead litigator for regulatory matters involving the state’s racetracks and jai alai facilities, and their associated cardrooms and casinos. In that capacity, Will managed a team of attorneys, advised the division director on legal matters, reviewed and commented on proposed legislation, and participated in the promulgation of administrative rules.

Previously, Will was an assistant state’s attorney in Florida’s Second Judicial Circuit, where he represented the state in dozens of criminal jury trials, including those for misdemeanor charges such as driving under the influence and domestic battery, as well as complex felonies such as murders and sex crimes.

In addition to his litigation practice, Will is also a Florida Supreme Court certified mediator for circuit civil disputes.