--- title: William C. MacLeod date: 2023-06-12T20:20:00-04:00 author: Import Bot canonical_url: "https://www.kelleydrye.com/people/william-c-macleod" section: Team Members --- ![](https://d3iuizmsm2hayf.cloudfront.net/content/uploads/Bio-Photos-1200x1200/Macleod_William.webp?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1200&q=80&w=1200&s=05e0926435161981c099c2f5c212ac3f) # William C. MacLeod Partner Email Address email hidden; JavaScript is required Location [ Washington, DC ](https://www.kelleydrye.com/locations/washington-dc) Phone number (202) 342-8811 Location [ Chicago ](https://www.kelleydrye.com/locations/chicago) Phone number (312) 857-7070 - [ Go to LinkedIn profile ](https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-macleod-3a05348/) - [ Download vCard ](https://www.kelleydrye.com/index.php?p=actions/vcard/default/index&vcard=DGX6UX1jze2FNLoeZaX66Kkr0h5EKQYTflO1z6_GwVM6areRD-tvLrO9LcuymTfch4Go1UsWb5qp6VEq2QikvP456pOaKLNHrlEB3bZ6KW0qQqbkZh5ayxqMubHq4wKVFh9kPXmlMleAmaJa6PdzEH7aVlZu5Ua67igPJrH9QtXgMWA_9tV_DMgzoegP_Id2FJp9_vENC8CHo33rGBiNTzbhv2yKWiRCw635eOY1UXYGpUA3GXb8W_Q2dbpSrikh0koN-OxNT4ZZCMYElSYJtmU44nQ8uiGOmrHKpb5fwqNhGMkwgFwrP9aqeztDskfL06NeCcf72-XluCV1zXhHPrakpTRXWJ12Jf_Ijp1SOrQ1v47CXXMgDEMFilm1RdYtF8HOSz3xudXwlcRaoPFiZyM6I-y3dk0uIdKogfRuyGBSziVF8_vNY_5epEFSsY21MXHtPZV9mpKlDDBA7JT4G_Iz1lcDTNDpvanzUv6Om2uLMEsb9wgD28AvxPpo9zip7SsdYeKlcOG_VB0hd6CDZvVtfly9ta_NryFwENMpVpB1OcN1ypC9w-pK7-e-etLbKImmShOL4yEIhUBY6zFrjKbrkS6MyFA7qCXHcHHJ4F3HZuJJudlmpGUwlSgh7RBWBMFXAkQGOKs6OwcK3kqnL38aJKktgbV9nY1k_VjzKWJ5OK9h-OakNYTXANY3uiVpjvhgyujPhd4Vb9cXh63bPO45SqCzzLkIZRQtNbSlS0xngCly4tlaAKVzE4Y0WsMDkAshq5-4qbe_VoX6Cip11iaC860mPsqJ0G1jncECnp6WUQNj13BHrVEGPycAkRswKvAzY5SVkf6jQTkjo4Gv3Q9upkuIPz6URfgd6atl3cYNqXjKVFoaSSJ7KCagRMlfHyzqtuHOYWSJEtvqL6MfHO22rHIJqNsOyUIDRrlVdk8bYFUnWR0O9DIKZBYKA5aVKYTC1vq8Yl1TTK_tSXWinDZFLHvjwZ7ZCZPj4eardBvgdloq1z1UlkmkHE3hP0SYElBbYaDZT8w2nrpjzlfTntim0MXjAPaxB-MRGQqgq4nZ2cDu1ubtT_Wk97zUUacL5Xno7s57trBjcLhGu6lBgITT47OxrksKE6U5Xie82HTKcBWKV0h_Vbhp3b10_Imc132rUzvyZ0_ED95HolYzBg) - Share this entry - - - - - [ View entry pdf ](https://s3.amazonaws.com/cdn.kelleydrye.com/content/uploads/pdf-snapshots/william-c-macleod-20260120002857.pdf) - About - Honors - Affiliations - Community Bill MacLeod chairs the firm’s Antitrust and Competition and co-chairs the Consumer Financial Protection practice groups. A past chair of the Antitrust Section of the American Bar Association, Bill is a former bureau director at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and taskforce member of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). He offers his clients decades of experience in competition law, trade regulation, advertising, privacy and security issues. Bill represents some of the most prominent drivers of innovation and industry today, from new ventures to multi-national corporations. In mergers and acquisitions, Bill has obtained FTC and Department of Justice clearance of numerous deals in a range of industries, including medical devices, grocery products, wine making, defense contracting and steel manufacturing. Bill also has helped clients protect themselves from hostile takeovers, and served as special counsel for a government investigation of one of the world’s largest and most complex manufacturing industry mergers. In litigation, Bill and his teams obtained one of the largest judgments ever awarded in an advertising and antitrust case, defended a major marketer in the FTC’s first trial under the modern unfairness doctrine, resolved the FTC’s first preliminary injunction action in an ad-substantiation case, handled investigations of privacy and data security practices, and obtained dismissal of a multi-district price-fixing allegations. In addition, Bill counsels and defends companies and trade associations on pricing, advertising, distribution and competitor relations. In his work with trade associations and their members, he has challenged anticompetitive and onerous regulations and advocated sensible policies on competition, finance, technology, health, privacy, and data security. He also represents companies in advertising, antitrust and intellectual property disputes before the state and federal courts, the FTC and the National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus. Bill has been awarded many best lawyer honors including Washington, D.C. Advertising ​“Lawyer of the Year” by *Best Lawyers®.* Bill has served as a member of the Taskforce on Federal Consumer Financial Law at CFPB, as director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, and as advisor to the Assistant Attorney General, Antitrust Division, Department of Justice. While at the FTC, he served as the U.S. delegate to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, where agency heads of Europe, Australia and Japan develop policies for financial regulations, product safety and international advertising. He is a former taskforce vice chair of Business at OECD (BIAC). > “The tough tasks require legal, commercial, political and personal tools. We use them all to get the job done.” - News - Events Honors [ ![](https://d3iuizmsm2hayf.cloudfront.net/content/uploads/Listing-Images/star_award.webp?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=750&q=80&w=1125&s=689e013005bf95956401d931cf38a235) ![](https://d3iuizmsm2hayf.cloudfront.net/content/uploads/Listing-rectangles/Honors_Listing.svg) ](https://www.kelleydrye.com/news/the-best-lawyers-in-america-recognizes-64-kelley-drye-attorneys-in-2026-edition-3) August 21, 2025 [ ](https://www.kelleydrye.com/news/the-best-lawyers-in-america-recognizes-64-kelley-drye-attorneys-in-2026-edition-3) In the News [ ![](https://d3iuizmsm2hayf.cloudfront.net/content/uploads/Listing-rectangles/In_the_News_Listing.svg) ](https://www.kelleydrye.com/news/the-best-lawyers-in-america-recognizes-56-kelley-drye-attorneys-in-2025-edition) August 15, 2024 [ ](https://www.kelleydrye.com/news/the-best-lawyers-in-america-recognizes-56-kelley-drye-attorneys-in-2025-edition) Honors [ ![](https://d3iuizmsm2hayf.cloudfront.net/content/uploads/Listing-Images/honor.webp?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=750&q=80&w=1125&s=0ccfb43d882ccc491009b78088b61f0c) ![](https://d3iuizmsm2hayf.cloudfront.net/content/uploads/Listing-rectangles/Honors_Listing.svg) ](https://www.kelleydrye.com/news/kelley-drye-attorneys-named-to-the-2024-edition-of-the-best-lawyers-in-america) August 17, 2023 [ ](https://www.kelleydrye.com/news/kelley-drye-attorneys-named-to-the-2024-edition-of-the-best-lawyers-in-america) In the News [ ![USA logo](https://d3iuizmsm2hayf.cloudfront.net/content/uploads/Listing-Images/usa_logo.webp?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=750&q=80&w=1125&s=a3ee62334dd01906992a938a9c7be601) ![](https://d3iuizmsm2hayf.cloudfront.net/content/uploads/Listing-rectangles/In_the_News_Listing.svg) ](https://www.kelleydrye.com/news/bill-macleod-testifies-before-ftc) May 5, 2023 [ ](https://www.kelleydrye.com/news/bill-macleod-testifies-before-ftc) [View all related news](https://www.kelleydrye.com/news?teamMember=MacLeod%3AWilliam+C.+MacLeod#listing) Speaking Engagement [ ![](https://d3iuizmsm2hayf.cloudfront.net/content/uploads/Listing-Images/consumerprotect.webp?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=750&q=80&w=1125&s=bfd2edda397533381d465d852dafb96c) ![](https://d3iuizmsm2hayf.cloudfront.net/content/uploads/Listing-rectangles/Speaking_Engagement_Listing.svg) ](https://www.kelleydrye.com/events/the-future-of-consumer-financial-protection) [ ](https://www.kelleydrye.com/events/the-future-of-consumer-financial-protection) May 15, 2026 11:15am - 12:45pm | Arlington, VA Speaking Engagement [ ![](https://d3iuizmsm2hayf.cloudfront.net/content/uploads/Listing-Images/price_L.webp?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=750&q=80&w=1125&s=1f1e81145cbb72abc60f49a68eee276c) ![](https://d3iuizmsm2hayf.cloudfront.net/content/uploads/Listing-rectangles/Speaking_Engagement_Listing.svg) ](https://www.kelleydrye.com/events/all-inclusive-the-risky-world-of-pricing) [ ](https://www.kelleydrye.com/events/all-inclusive-the-risky-world-of-pricing) March 25, 2026 1:45pm | Washington, D.C. Speaking Engagement [ ![](https://d3iuizmsm2hayf.cloudfront.net/content/uploads/Listing-Images/speech-bubbles.webp?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=750&q=80&w=1125&s=3d66855117f06a5bdbc8cf74e8cf6b8a) ![](https://d3iuizmsm2hayf.cloudfront.net/content/uploads/Listing-rectangles/Speaking_Engagement_Listing.svg) ](https://www.kelleydrye.com/events/fireside-chat) [ ](https://www.kelleydrye.com/events/fireside-chat) April 3, 2025 1:00pm - 1:45pm | Washington, DC Firm Event [ ![](https://d3iuizmsm2hayf.cloudfront.net/content/uploads/Listing-rectangles/Firm_Event_Listing.svg) ](https://www.kelleydrye.com/events/surviving-the-ftcs-assault-on-noncompetes) [ ](https://www.kelleydrye.com/events/surviving-the-ftcs-assault-on-noncompetes) February 2, 2023 12:30pm - 1:30pm [View all related events](https://www.kelleydrye.com/events?teamMember=MacLeod%3AWilliam+C.+MacLeod#listing) Chair, Antitrust Section, American Bar Association, 2016-17. Named 2013 D.C. Advertising ​“Lawyer of the Year” by *Best Lawyers®*. *The Best Lawyers in America©* (Woodword/White, Inc.), Advertising Law, Antitrust Law and Antitrust Litigation, 2007-2021, 2023-2026. Selected among the 500 Leading Litigators in America by *Lawdragon*, 2023-2026. Recommended in *The Legal 500* U.S. for his work in the Data Protection & Privacy area, 2011-2012 and in Marketing & Advertising area, 2013. Recognized as a leading attorney in the Antitrust Litigation practice area by Washington D.C. *Super Lawyers*, 2011-2020. Recognized as one of 114 attorneys nationwide who set the standard for superior client service and exemplary legal representation in the BTI Consulting’s annual survey of *Fortune* 1000 companies, 2008. American Bar Association, Antitrust Section, chair, 2016-2017 American Bar Association, Antitrust Section, vice-chair, 2014-2015 American Bar Association, Antitrust Section, program officer, 2014 American Bar Association House of Delegates, section delegate, 2013 American Bar Association, consumer protection officer, 2011-2012 2020 Presidential Transition Task Force, Antitrust Section, American Bar Association, co-chair International Chamber of Commerce, Competition and Consumer Policy Commissions, (U.S. Antitrust Modernization Task Force chair) United States Council for International Business (USCIB), Competition and Consumer Policy Committees Business at OECD, Business and Industry Advisory Committee (BIAC) to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Consumer Policy Task Force, former vice chair Ripon College, Ripon, Wisc., trustee ### Related Services - [Advertising and Marketing](https://www.kelleydrye.com/practices/advertising-and-marketing) - [Antitrust](https://www.kelleydrye.com/practices/antitrust) - [Consumer Class Action Defense](https://www.kelleydrye.com/practices/consumer-class-action-defense) - [Fashion and Retail](https://www.kelleydrye.com/industries/fashion-and-retail) - [Federal Trade Commission](https://www.kelleydrye.com/practices/federal-trade-commission) - [Food and Drug](https://www.kelleydrye.com/industries/food-and-drug) - [Litigation](https://www.kelleydrye.com/practices/litigation) - [Privacy and Information Security](https://www.kelleydrye.com/practices/privacy-and-information-security) - [State Attorneys General](https://www.kelleydrye.com/practices/state-attorneys-general) - [Trade Associations](https://www.kelleydrye.com/industries/trade-associations) - [White Collar, Investigations and Compliance](https://www.kelleydrye.com/practices/white-collar-investigations-and-compliance) - [Financial Institutions](https://www.kelleydrye.com/industries/financial-institutions) ### Education University of Miami School of Law, J.D. cum laude, Society of Wig and Robe University of Virginia, Post-graduate Economics Ripon College, B.A. cum laude ### Admissions District of Columbia Illinois ### Courts U.S. Supreme Court U.S. Court of Appeals–Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals–District of Columbia U.S. District Court of Federal Claims U.S. District Court–Northern District of Illinois Blog [ ![](https://d3iuizmsm2hayf.cloudfront.net/content/uploads/Listing-rectangles/Blog_Post_Listing.svg) ![](https://d3iuizmsm2hayf.cloudfront.net/content/uploads/Listing-Images/competition-arrows2listing.webp?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=750&q=80&w=1125&s=f3fc6b62b4719275f25346e67d34d32a) ](https://www.kelleydrye.com/viewpoints/blogs/on-competition-policy/premerger-notification-rule-gets-stay-of-execution) On Competition Policy February 20, 2026 [ ](https://www.kelleydrye.com/viewpoints/blogs/on-competition-policy/premerger-notification-rule-gets-stay-of-execution) Advisory [ ![](https://d3iuizmsm2hayf.cloudfront.net/content/uploads/Listing-Images/ftc_building.webp?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=750&q=80&w=1125&s=3cc97f97af9ea9323e2a53678b2c64f0) ![](https://d3iuizmsm2hayf.cloudfront.net/content/uploads/Listing-rectangles/Client_Advisories_Listing.svg) ](https://www.kelleydrye.com/viewpoints/client-advisories/ftc-revises-hart-scott-rodino-thresholds-for-2026) January 15, 2026 [ ](https://www.kelleydrye.com/viewpoints/client-advisories/ftc-revises-hart-scott-rodino-thresholds-for-2026) Blog [ ![](https://d3iuizmsm2hayf.cloudfront.net/content/uploads/Listing-rectangles/Blog_Post_Listing.svg) ![](https://d3iuizmsm2hayf.cloudfront.net/content/uploads/Listing-Images/competition-arrows2listing.webp?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=750&q=80&w=1125&s=f3fc6b62b4719275f25346e67d34d32a) ](https://www.kelleydrye.com/viewpoints/blogs/on-competition-policy/ftc-doubles-down-against-long-odds-on-noncompete-rule) On Competition Policy November 21, 2024 [ ](https://www.kelleydrye.com/viewpoints/blogs/on-competition-policy/ftc-doubles-down-against-long-odds-on-noncompete-rule) [View all related viewpoints](https://www.kelleydrye.com/viewpoints?teamMember=MacLeod%3AWilliam+C.+MacLeod#listing)