Ryan M. Billings

Ryan Billings is a Wisconsin native who practices complex litigation, representing business entities in civil litigation, appeals and alternatives to litigation. Mr. Billings earned his undergraduate and law degrees from Ivy-League institutions before practicing for several years with Cravath, Swaine & Moore in New York City. He brings substantial experience to clients in business-critical litigation in regional, national and international settings.

Some of his high-profile cases include:

• Successfully representing Wisconsin businesses in recent antitrust case before the United States Supreme Court involving hundreds of millions of dollars in controversy.
• Securing injunction barring international reinsurance company from using his client’s cost models. Resulting settlement provided over $1 billion of new business for the client.
• Defending “Big Four” accounting firm against $1 billion lawsuit, establishing law of deepening insolvency.
• Defending Fortune 50 company against multiple shareholder class actions seeking billions of dollars in damages, resulting in favorable settlements.
• Securing order involving rare exercise of Wisconsin Supreme Court’s supervisory powers to address violation of client’s constitutional rights and vacate rulings of non-judicial referee.
• Defeating eleventh-hour injunction that would have prevented merger of international conglomerates.
• Successfully prosecuting numerous actions combatting breach of restrictive covenants and theft of trade secrets.
• Guiding telecommunications company through merger with another Fortune 100 company.
• Defending Fortune 50 company in SEC investigation involving the proper reporting of environmental remediation reserves.
• Defending securities trader in a massive investigation involving the Department of Justice, FBI, SEC and NYSE.
• Negotiating post-acquisition deal with Fortune 10 company, resulting in full release and 50% recovery of attorney fees.
• Successfully representing athlete banned from international sports because of use of prescribed medication.

Practice Areas:

• Antitrust, Unfair Competition & Trade Regulation
• Appellate Practice
• Arbitration & Mediation
• Bankruptcy Representation
• E-Discovery Compliance
• Employment and Labor Law for Businesses
• Employment Disputes & Non-compete
• Intellectual Property, Trademarks, Brands & Advertising
• Preference & Fraudulent Transfer Litigation
• Preference Claim Defense
• Securities

Bar Admissions:

• Wisconsin
• New York
• United States Supreme Court
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
• Eastern District of Wisconsin
• Western District of Wisconsin
• Southern District of New York
• Northern District of Illinois
• Bankruptcy Court of Eastern District of Wisconsin
• Bankruptcy Court of Western District of Wisconsin
• Bankruptcy Court of Southern District of New York

Legal Education:

• Harvard Law School, J.D. (2004)
  • Harvard Law Review (Notes Editor, 2002-2004)

Undergraduate Education:

• Princeton University, B.A., cum laude (2001)

Professional Distinctions/Honors/Awards:

• Recognized by SuperLawyers.com as a “Rising Star” 2015-2017.

Representative Published Works:

• “Legislature’s Changes to Rules of Civil Procedure,” Wisconsin Lawyer Magazine, June 2018 (vol. 91, no. 6) (co-author, with R. Gegios and M. Bialzik).
• Amendments to Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Should Aid Counsel in Helping Clients Limit Preservation Costs, Exposure to Discovery Sanctions, Wis. Law Journal, April 2016.
• Wisconsin Discovery Law and Practice (4th ed. 2015) (Introduction to Discovery & Electronic Discovery Law Chapters).
• How to Respond to Trade Secret Theft: The First 48 Hours, ABA Business Torts Litigation Journal, Spring 2015.
• Using the New York Convention as an Arbitration Tool, Wis. Law Journal, December 2014.

Professional Associations:

• President-Elect, State Bar of Wisconsin, May 7, 2024 - June 30, 2024
• President, State Bar of Wisconsin, July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2025
• Board of Governors, State Bar of Wisconsin, 2019-2024
  •          Policy Committee Chair
  •          Executive Committee Member
  •          Liaison to the Business Law Section
• Wisconsin Judicial Council Member
• Fellows of the American Bar Foundation
• Fellows of the Wisconsin Bar Foundation
• Thomas E. Fairchild Inn of Court
• Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals Bar Association
• Eastern District of Wisconsin Bar Association
• American Bar Association
• Milwaukee Bar Association

Community Involvement:

• Permanent Member, National Eagle Scout Association