Overview
Bill is a partner in the Winston-Salem office, where he handles a wide range of employment law matters for publicly-traded and private companies. In addition to litigating disputes on behalf of employers, Bill regularly advises businesses on how to avoid problems before they occur. He is Co-Chair of Constangy’s ERISA Litigation Practice Group and also teaches Employee Benefits & Pension Law (a course he created) at Wake Forest University School of Law, where he has served as an Adjunct Professor of Law since 2010.
Stemming from his unique accounting and philosophy undergraduate background, Bill takes an analytical approach to simplifying issues in cases that he handles, even drawing inspiration from some of his hobbies, including chess and Sherlock Holmes. In an era when very few cases actually go to trial, Bill nonetheless has significant trial experience, having represented clients in bench and jury trials in state and federal courts, including the United States Tax Court. This trial experience allows Bill to evaluate and handle a lawsuit working backwards from trial to focus at the very outset of a case on what witnesses and documents are important.
Honors & Recognitions
- Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® for Litigation - Labor and Employment (2022-2025)
- Rising Star, North Carolina Super Lawyers® (2009-2020)
- North Carolina Super Lawyers® (2024)
- Legal Elite, Employment Law, Business North Carolina (2023, 2024)
- Legal Elite, Business North Carolina "Young Guns" category of best attorneys under age 40
- Emerging Legal Leader Finalist, North Carolina Lawyers Weekly
Professional & Civic Associations
- American Bar Association, Labor and Employment Law Section
- North Carolina Bar Association, Labor and Employment Law Section
- Kaleideum, Board Member
- Catalyst Church – Greensboro, NC
Press Room
About Me
Bill loves spending time with his wife, Amy, and daughters, Carolyn, Julie, and Charlotte. He is a serious runner, and enjoys training for all events ranging from sprints to ultra marathons. When he is not thinking about cases, he’s probably thinking about what new Magic: The Gathering deck to build. Bill is also an avid fan of Major League and Minor League Baseball, with the New York Yankees being his favorite team.
News & Analysis
Client Presentations & Firm Publications
Blogs, Videos & Podcasts
Podcasts
Cybersecurity has long been viewed as a “tech” issue that only concerns a company’s IT department. Not anymore! In this episode, Ron Sarian, Chair of Constangy's Digital Workplace & Data Privacy Practice Group, shares his unique background in handling cybersecurity issues as both in-house and now outside counsel, discusses emerging threats to businesses of all sizes in this area, and explains how cybersecurity requires management from different departments within a business – even Human Resources - to work together cohesively.
Cybersecurity has long been viewed as a “tech” issue that only concerns a company’s IT department. Not anymore! In this episode, Ron Sarian, Chair of Constangy's Digital Workplace & Data Privacy Practice Group, shares his unique background in handling cybersecurity issues as both in-house and now outside counsel, discusses emerging threats to businesses of all sizes in this area, and explains how cybersecurity requires management from different departments within a business – even Human Resources - to work together cohesively.
In this two-part podcast, Jackie Johnson, Co-Chair of Constangy’s Trade Secrets and Unfair Competition Practice Group and Partner in Constangy’s Dallas, Texas, office, visits with Bill McMahon about the ins-and-outs of trade secret law. The first part focuses on the trade secret law basics, while the second part looks at best practices for trade secret protection and unfair competition prevention. You will find this Trade Secret Two-Step from our Dallas subject matter expert to be both helpful and informative.
In this two-part podcast, Jackie Johnson, Co-Chair of Constangy’s Trade Secrets and Unfair Competition Practice Group and Partner in Constangy’s Dallas, Texas, office, visits with Bill McMahon about the ins-and-outs of trade secret law. The first part focuses on the trade secret law basics, while the second part looks at best practices for trade secret protection and unfair competition prevention. You will find this Trade Secret Two-Step from our Dallas subject matter expert to be both helpful and informative.
- This is a two-part series where we are doing a deep dive into noncompete agreements and traps for the unwary. Noncompete agreements have a reputation for being technical, but what is it exactly that makes them so tricky? Join host Bill McMahon and guest Ken Carlson as they cover the most common drafting and enforcement traps with noncompete agreements and the best ways to avoid them.
This is a two-part series where we are doing a deep dive into noncompete agreements and traps for the unwary. Noncompete agreements have a reputation for being technical, but what is it exactly that makes them so tricky? Join host Bill McMahon and guest Ken Carlson as they cover the most common drafting and enforcement traps with noncompete agreements and the best ways to avoid them.
Immigration Law has a reputation for being something only multinational companies are concerned with, but is that true? How can companies use immigration law to identify the best talent for their organizations? Join host Bill McMahon and guest Piyumi Samaratunga as they break down what immigration law is really about and how it is more accessible than it may seem at first glance.
Should every employee sign an arbitration agreement? When are non-competition and non-solicitation agreements appropriate? Do you really need to hire an employment lawyer to respond to a charge of discrimination or wage claim? Are annual performance reviews on the way out the door? Join us as we talk through more scenarios where reasonable minds and reasonable companies can differ!
- “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.”
- Paul, 1 Corinthians 9:24
Practices
Practice Emphasis
- ERISA Litigation
- Employment Discrimination Litigation
- Trade Secrets and Unfair Competition Litigation
Education
Wake Forest University School of Law
- J.D., cum laude, 2005
- Order of the Coif
- James F. Hoge Scholar
- Wake Forest Law Review, Staff Member (2003-2005)
- ATLA Trial Team, Member (2003-2005)
- Moot Court Board (2003-2005)
State University of New York (SUNY) at Geneseo
- B.S., Accounting, summa cum laude, 2002
- Minor in Philosophy
- NYSSCPA Outstanding Senior Award
Bar & Court Admissions
- North Carolina, 2005
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
- U.S. Tax Court
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina
- U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina