Press Release

Bradley is pleased to announce that litigator and former federal prosecutor William C. Athanas has joined the firm’s Birmingham office as a partner in the Government Enforcement & Investigations Practice Group.

“Bill has a unique understanding of how government charging decisions are made, allowing him to develop legal strategies that benefit his clients facing government investigations or charges,” said Bradley Birmingham Office Managing Partner J. Andrew Robison. “We are pleased to bring Bill on board and provide our clients with his tremendous experience in trial strategy and understanding of compliance requirements and government prosecution and enforcement.”

Mr. Athanas brings more than 25 years of white-collar experience to the team, formerly serving as a federal prosecutor in Birmingham and Washington, D.C. He concentrates his practice on representing institutional clients and individuals drawn into government enforcement matters, with a focus on federal grand jury investigations, and has handled hundreds of complex criminal cases and represented clients in all facets of those matters. Mr. Athanas devotes a significant portion of his practice to pre-indictment advocacy, working to gather vital factual context, provide legal analysis and present arguments designed to avoid charges ever being filed against his clients. He also understands the importance of a vigorous response to the government’s allegations, drawing on his extensive trial experience to test the government’s evidence where the circumstances warrant.

Additionally, Mr. Athanas frequently counsels institutional clients on compliance measures to ensure full compliance with regulatory requirements and applicable laws. He has experience working on anti-corruption matters for clients engaged in international business in a wide range of industries. Mr. Athanas also conducts internal investigations on behalf of clients in the healthcare, manufacturing and financial services industries – whether as part of ongoing government inquiries or otherwise.

Prior to joining Bradley, Mr. Athanas was a partner with a multinational AmLaw 100 firm. From 2006 to 2009, he served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of Alabama, prosecuting cases involving public corruption and economic crime. He also served as a trial attorney in the Fraud Section of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Criminal Division from 2001 to 2005. Mr. Athanas is a Fellow of the Birmingham Bar Foundation and is an active member of the Alabama State Bar, serving as chair of the Criminal Justice Section of the White Collar Crime Committee since 2014. He also maintains an active pro bono practice, regularly representing indigent clients in federal criminal proceedings.