About John Williams
The Trial Veteran Behind Your Defense
If you're facing the crushing power of the State, you need a veteran attorney with years of experience producing real courtroom results—someone who has consistently turned the tables on the prosecution, broken through stonewalling witnesses and intractable judges, and who, above all, has extensive experience guiding clients safely out of the harm’s way. That is who I am, and that is what I do.
I’m John Williams, a New York City criminal defense attorney with over a decade of winning experience. I've built my reputation by fighting hard for regular people with everything to lose, and I have helped thousands of clients get out of the system and back to their lives.
My path to criminal defense was inspired early by my father, a passionate trial lawyer who never backed away from a tough case and loved standing up for the underdog. With these values in my DNA, I went to law school and focused almost entirely on criminal law and trial advocacy. While studying, I volunteered with the Innocence Project, the Charlottesville (Va.) Public Defender, and the Whitfield County (Ga.) Public Defender, where I spent countless hours assisting criminal trials and appeals. I also completed a judicial internship in the chambers of Judge Charles A. Pannell, Jr. (U.S. District Court, Northern District, Ga) where I wrote decisions for the judge and gained a strong understanding of a trial judge’s perspective. After graduation, I came to New York to begin my career at the Legal Aid Society, the largest non-profit law firm in the country, and dove immediately into trial work.
I defended my first felony jury trial in the first year of my practice - the first in my hiring class at Legal Aid to do so - and I have continued to advocate aggressively for my clients in the many years since then, successfully defending clients charged with assault, attempted murder, sex crimes, arson, gun possession, DWI, robbery, burglary, domestic violence, grand larceny, computer crimes, drug sales, and drug possession, in addition to many lesser charges. Since leaving Legal Aid, I’ve devoted 100% of my practice to defending the accused in New York’s state and federal courts, empowering innumerable clients to fight back against the system and obtain true justice along the way.
I am a 2011 graduate of the University of Georgia, Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa, with dual degrees in International Business and German language (B.B.A./B.A.). I obtained my law degree (J.D.) in 2014 from the University of Virginia School of Law. I also attended Friedrich-Alexander University in Nuremberg, Germany as a visiting scholar in cross-cultural communication and negotiation, and I’ve studied Spanish around the globe, most notably at Proyecto Linguistico Quetzalteco in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, attaining conversational fluency. I live in Brooklyn with my wife, two daughters, and our overly energetic dog.
What Sets Me Apart
Trial-Centered Strategy
No quick plea deals unless they truly serve your interest. From day 1, I pressure the prosecution by preparing for trial, and I’m always ready in case they won’t do the right thing.
Low Volume, High Attention
I don’t chase volume - I put in the required hours to serve each client as if they were my only client. Personally, relentlessly, and with full attention to every detail.
Real Talk. Real Defense.
I understand the value of time - to you, to me, and to all involved. No sugarcoating, no empty promises, no pointless delay tactics - just sharp strategy and aggressive legal execution.
