William B. Wachtel is Wachtel Missry’s Founding Partner.  Bill has been instrumental to its long-term success.  Known for his integrity, persistence and dynamic approach, he is a consummate lawyer’s lawyer—respected by peers for his commitment to best practices and ability to distill highly complex issues into salient parts in order to advance coherent strategies at each step.  

As Chair of the Litigation Department, he has dedicated his career to representing domestic and international clients on a vast array of matters.  Bill is a formidable litigator who regularly takes on high stakes matters and consistently handles crisis communications that cross his desk with professionalism and diplomacy.   He is a trusted advisor to high profile clients and industry leaders.  

He currently serves as Inspector General of Hudson Yards—the largest private real estate development in the nation’s history and largest development in New York City since Rockefeller Center.  Bill is Chairman of the Board of Saker Aviation Services, a full-service consultancy to fixed-base operators (FBO) and aircraft charters.  He is the President of Karsan USA, which is the U.S. affiliate of the Turkish automotive manufacturer, Karsan. He was the Chairman of BillyBey Ferry Company for over a decade, and during his tenure, it was the largest privately-owned commuter ferry service in the U.S. He was the legislative assistant to U.S. Senator Patrick J. Leahy (D, Vermont) in 1974 and 1975.  

Bill’s father, Harry Wachtel, Esq., served as a key advisor to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Bill has been publicly recognized for his lifelong effort to broaden voter registration and strengthen democratic institutions. In furtherance of his father and Dr. King’s legacy in connection with a foundation bearing the same name, Bill co-founded the Drum Major Institute, a 501(c)3 dedicated to achieving progress in voting and human rights, racial equality, and economic justice. He is also a co-founder with Ambassador Andrew Young of Why Tuesday? a non-partisan not-for-profit organization which was created to achieve voting reform in honor of the 40th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. 

Along with Morris Missry, Bill has championed the collaborative and dynamic culture that is Wachtel Missry’s hallmark.   

Select Current and Prior Affiliations 

BillyBey Ferry Company, Chairman

Drum Major Institute, co-Founder and Board Member

Hudson Yards, Inspector General

i4 Strategies, Chairman

Karsan USA, President 

New York Academy of Sciences, Board Member

Saker Aviation Services, Director and Chairman of the Board

Waterkeeper Alliance, Board Member

Why Tuesday?, co-Founder and Board Member

Honors and Awards

Columbia Law School, Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar

William B. Wachtel
Founding Partner, Department Chair
Litigation Department
wachtel@wmllp.com
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Tel: (212)909-9595
Fax: (212)909-9450

Education
Columbia University, J.D.
University of Vermont, B.A., magna cum laude

Admissions
New York