Bill Ellery Grauer

Bill Grauer is Senior Counsel in the Cooley Litigation department. He is resident in the Firm's San Diego office. He joined the Firm in 1998 and has served as Co-Chair of the Firm's National Securities Litigation practice.

Mr. Grauer specializes in securities litigations and SEC and DOJ enforcement actions, government and regulatory investigations, qui tam complaints, internal corporate investigations, and complex commercial litigation including technology and health care cases. He is an experienced trial and appellate lawyer and was previously given the Outstanding Trial Lawyer Award by the Trial Lawyers Association. Mr. Grauer is one of the few lawyers who has successfully argued in the United States Supreme Court, obtaining a unanimous victory. See Oral Argument.

Prior to joining the Firm, Mr. Grauer was a partner at Gray Cary Ware and Friedenrich. Prior to that, he was appointed by the Attorney General of the United States to serve as an Assistant United States Attorney handling Special Fraud Prosecutions in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of California.

As an Assistant United States Attorney, Mr. Grauer was given special achievement awards by the Attorney General of the United States, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Secret Service.

Mr. Grauer was named Best Lawyers in America's 2013 "San Diego Litigation - Mergers and Acquisitions Lawyer of the Year," and was also named "San Diego Derivatives and Futures Law Lawyer of the Year" in 2012. In 2005-2013 and 2015, he was named to Best Lawyers in the categories of Commercial Litigation, Derivatives and Futures Law and Securities Litigation. In 2011-2013 he was recognized in Benchmark Litigation's legal guide and named in 2008-2009 by Lawdragon as one of "The Nation's Top Securities Litigators." In 2006, 2007, 2009-2013 he was named by his peers as one of the "Top San Diego County Attorneys" in the category of Corporate Litigation, as published by the San Diego Daily Transcript. In 2007-2014, Mr. Grauer was named to the Southern California Super Lawyers in the categories of (1) Top 50 Lawyers, and (2) Securities Litigation. Mr. Grauer was recently selected by the Los Angeles Daily Journal as one of the top 100 lawyers in the state of California.

Mr. Grauer graduated from the Cornell Law School in 1974 as the Articles Editor of the Law Review and was elected to Order of the Coif. In 1971 he graduated from Cornell University with Honors in Government, magna cum laude, and was awarded a degree With Distinction.

Good to know

Areas of Practice 1) Securities Litigation, 2) Antitrust & Competition, 3) White Collar & Regulatory Defense, 4) Health Care, 5) Crisis Management, 6) Foreign Corrupt Practices Act & International Anti-Corruption, 7) Commercial Litigation and 8) National Security
Law School Cornell Law School, J.D.,1974
Education Cornell University, B.A., 1971
Bar Member / Association California State Bar Association, New York State Bar Association
Most recent firm Cooley LLP
Relevant Jobs
Family Law Attorney – La Jolla, CA
USA-CA-San Diego

Family Law Attorney – La Jolla Blanchard, Krasner & French, focusing on the business and personal needs of our clients, has an immediate need for a full-time family law and civil litigation attor...

Apply now

Associate Attorney
USA-CA-San Diego

Job Title: Bankruptcy Associate Attorney We are seeking a skilled and motivated Bankruptcy Associate Attorney to join our team at the largest Bankruptcy Filer in San Diego. Our firm has built a rep...

Apply now

Securities Litigation Paralegal
USA-CA-San Diego

Securities Litigation Paralegal The candidate will review briefs and other documents and final, file, and serve them as well as assist attorneys with discovery and case management. Provide support t...

Apply now

+ View more jobs
A. Harrison Barnes
A. Harrison Barnes

Due to his extensive activities in the legal market, A. Harrison Barnes is a well-known attorney throughout the United States. As a member of the Malibu community, Harrison is committed to serving the needs of Malibu residents and businesses in legal

Benjamin P. Smith
Benjamin P. Smith

Benjamin P. Smith is a partner in Morgan Lewis's Litigation Practice. He is a trial lawyer with a particular focus on high-stakes disputes in the biotechnology, medical device, and internet industries.

Brian M. Jazaeri
Brian M. Jazaeri

Brian M. Jazaeri is a partner in Morgan Lewis's Litigation Practice. Mr. Jazaeri represents clients in complex commercial litigation, with a particular emphasis on class action matters and financial services, healthcare and technology litigation.