Richer, Marshall

Bill's 20 plus years of trial practice have developed an expertise in successfully managing large and complex litigation matters ranging from class action constitutional claims to lender liability defense. As Senior Litigation Counsel for the Civil Division of the Arizona Attorney General's Office, Bill formerly acted as lead trial and appellate counsel for much of the State of Arizona's largest and most sophisticated civil litigation. There, his cases often involved millions, hundreds of millions, or even over a billion dollars in potential impact to his clients. They included constitutional challenges to state financing of education programs, constitutional and statutory challenges to state budget legislation, and defense of civil rights actions arising out of government forfeiture proceedings and government employment disputes. Bill has extensive experience in public procurement disputes and also offers unique skills in handling intellectual property disputes.

For his work, Bill was recognized by the Conference of Western Attorneys General as the recipient of the prestigious Jim Jones Public Service Award for 2010, an honor conferred annually on a single public attorney from among the organization's multi-state membership. Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard also honored Bill as the leader of the Attorney General's Outstanding Trial Team for 2008.

During his tenure as Senior Litigation Counsel Bill also served as lead counsel for briefing and argument in appellate proceedings, including completion of 10 appellate arguments before the U.S Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Supreme Court of Arizona, Supreme Court of Utah and Arizona Court of Appeals (Divisions I and II).

Prior to joining the Attorney General's Office, Bill spent 11 years at the Phoenix law firm of Ryley Carlock and Applewhite. At the time of his departure he was a shareholder and member of the firm's management committee. Bill was a trial lawyer whose practice emphasized complex commercial litigation including securities industry disputes, enforcement of trade secret and intellectual property rights, employment-related claims, lender liability defense, and commercial tort claims. He also litigated government contract disputes, civil rights claims against public entities, and administrative law matters.

Immediately after he graduated from law school, Bill spent 3 years as an Army Judge Advocate General's Corps attorney in the Army Corps of Engineers' Chief Counsel's Honors Program where he assumed lead counsel responsibilities for government procurement litigation before the General Services Board of Contract Appeals and the U.S. General Accounting Office. He then spent several additional years as an Army Judge Advocate General's Corps reserve officer.

Bill has extensive appellate experience, and has argued before the Supreme Court of Arizona, the Supreme Court of Utah, the Supreme Court of Nevada, the Arizona Court of Appeals and the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He also has substantial skills in mediating civil disputes.