With the trial of a generation captivating the nation, ABC’s Nightline needed an authority on jury psychology. As millions tuned into the O.J. Simpson murder trial, ABC wanted America to see how jurors really make decisions. So they turned to Bill Carmody, a heralded Texas trial lawyer renowned for his use of mock trials, as he was preparing for a long-shot trial for a fired steelworker. ABC filmed Carmody’s presentations to mock jurors and captured their deliberations. The footage aired nationwide—and Carmody used it, too. At a last-minute mediation, he played ABC’s tape of the mock jury’s deliberations, and his client walked away with a substantial settlement.
In the decades since, Carmody’s reputation has only grown. Today he is a nationally recognized trial lawyer who tries bet-the-company cases for plaintiffs and defendants across America. He’s a member of Susman Godfrey’s Executive Committee and heads its New York office. Carmody is best known for stepping into high-stakes trials shortly before they are set to begin and betting on his results. Carmody is described as “a pure trial lawyer whose core skill set is persuading a lay jury in a complex business case,” and a storyteller with a “preternatural ability” to connect with juries.
Lawdragon Honors
In 2025, Carmody tried three of America’s biggest civil cases: The NFL Sunday Ticket Antitrust Litigation, the City of Baltimore’s opioids cases, and the largest privacy class action against Google.
2025: Co-lead counsel with David Boies, winning a record $425.7M jury verdict against Google. This is the largest jury verdict against Google and a landmark privacy verdict. After post-trial briefing, the court entered a final judgment of over $440M. 2025: Lead trial counsel against PacifiCorp in an Oregon wildfire trial where the jury awarded ten individual plaintiffs total damages of $62.5M.
2024: Lead trial counsel in the NFL Sunday Ticket Antitrust Litigation, where the jury delivered a historic $4.7B verdict—the largest antitrust award ever. Though the court later vacated the verdict, the jury’s finding that the NFL violated antitrust law remains intact. The case is now on appeal.
2024: For the City of Baltimore, amassed record opioid settlements topping $427M. Then, won a jury verdict of $266M and $100M at a later bench trial. After both trials, agreed to a reduced final judgment of $152.4M, which is on appeal. Benchmark Litigation awarded Bill and his team the National Impact Case of the Year for their work.
2023: In hedge fund legend Louis Bacon’s high-profile defamation suit against Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygård, won a $203M judgment—the largest defamation award in New York State history. Though later vacated, Bacon is pursuing reinstatement.
2023: In the LIBOR Antitrust Litigation, Bill is co-lead class counsel for Yale University and investors nationwide. From the trial court to the U.S. Supreme Court, Bill and his team certified a national class, and in ‘23 racked up additional settlements bringing the total to $781M. Recently, the court granted summary judgment for the remaining defendants and that judgment is on appeal.
2022: Brought in one month before trial to defend IAC and Match Group against the Tinder founders’ multibillion-dollar claims. After weeks of trial and on the eve of a jury decision, resolved the matter with a $441M settlement covering multiple cases.
2021: Represented WeWork founder Adam Neumann in his billion-dollar clash with SoftBank. On the eve of trial, reached a confidential settlement where SoftBank reportedly paid $1B to shareholders plus $50M in Neumann’s legal fees. Considered to be one of the century’s largest individual claims.
2019-2020: When California’s largest municipalities were overcharged by the “Big 3” wireless carriers, Carmody stepped in as co-lead counsel and led the settlement process, recovering total settlements of $175M.
BET YOUR BUSINESS LITIGATION
Whether representing plaintiffs or defendants, Carmody puts his money where his mouth is by betting on his ability to win for his clients. A pioneer in structuring success-based fee deals, he aligns his interests with those of his clients by making his fees dependent on the results he gets – and not on hours billed. It’s a creative approach to billing in a profession that doesn’t often stray outside the box.
That’s never been a problem for Carmody, whose bold and creative trial tactics have earned the respect of his peers, the media, and legal educators. Carmody previously taught Trial Advocacy at Southern Methodist University School of Law and served on the law school’s Executive Board. He also served on the Board of Trustees of The University of Tulsa. He is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, a fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, and a Life Fellow of the American Bar Foundation.
