William A. Brewer III

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William A. Brewer III
KB5 4325.jpg
Brewer in 2017
Born1955or1956(age 69–70)
Long Island, New York, U.S.
Education
Employer(s)Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors

William A. Brewer III (born 1955or1956) [1] is an American trial lawyer. [2] He is a founding partner of Bickel & Brewer, [3] a litigation firm he co-founded in Dallas, Texas in 1984, [4] which is now known as Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors. [5] In the 1980s, Brewer became known for an aggressive style of litigation. [6] [7] Brewer opposed the city of Farmers Branch, Texas on its immigration ordinance for seven years, ultimately resulting in the ordinance being found unconstitutional, [8] and led a series of successful challenges to voting rights laws in Texas. [9] Brewer has served as legal counsel for the National Rifle Association [2] and 3M. [10]

Contents

Early life and education

Brewer was born and raised in Long Island, New York, in a large Irish-Italian family. [11] [1] He attended St. John's University, where he majored in drama. [12] Brewer graduated from Albany Law School in 1977 [13] and from New York University School of Law in 1978 [7] with a Master of Laws degree. [14]

Career

In 1978, Brewer began his career in the legal department [7] of the New York Telephone Company during the period just prior to its anti-trust regulation. [4] He moved to Dallas in 1981 and joined the trial team at the firm Kolodey and Thomas. [7] In 1984, Brewer founded a firm in Dallas with John Bickel, a fellow trial lawyer, that would focus on large-scale litigation. [4] Brewer and Bickel became known for an aggressive style of litigation [6] that came to be called “Rambo” tactics in 1980’s Dallas legal circles. [7] Brewer and Bickel opened a storefront office in south Dallas in 1995 to offer pro bono legal services for neighborhood residents. [15] By 1998, Brewer and Bickel had opened satellite offices in New York, Chicago, and Washington D.C. [7]

In December 2009, NY Magazine profiled Brewer and his firm, describing how the firm specialized in high stakes lawsuits, referred to as "bet-the company" lawsuits. [3]

By 2011, Brewer had represented hospitality groups in high-profile cases against management companies including Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts [3] and Marriott. [16]

In 2013, Brewer challenged violations of voting rights in several Texas school districts and city councils, where he argued that Black and Hispanic residents weren’t fairly represented. [17] The Texas Tribune reported in 2018 that Brewer and his firm had prevailed in multiple voting rights challenges. [17]

In 2015, Brewer became the sole named partner at the firm, which changed its name to Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors. [5]

In 2018, questions were raised within the National Rifle Association about Brewer’s fees after his firm billed the organization $24 million over a 13-month period. [18] Brewer was supported by CEO Wayne LaPierre, but concerns over Brewer’s fees caused an internal feud, which ultimately led to the resignation of NRA president Oliver North and other top officials. [2]

Notable cases

In 1997, Brewer represented Dallas Independent School District CFO Matthew Harden in a sexual harassment suit against district superintendent Yvonne Gonzalez that resulted in her resignation. [7]

In 2001, Brewer brought a successful suit against the Dallas school district, claiming it had violated the Texas Open Meetings Act by denying the public access to discussions about redistricting. [19]

In 2007, Brewer brought a federal lawsuit against the city of Farmers Branch, Texas to challenge an ordinance banning rental housing for immigrants who couldn’t prove their legal status. [20] Brewer opposed the city of Farmers Branch on its immigration ordinance for seven years, ultimately resulting in the ordinance being found unconstitutional. [8]

In 2007, Brewer represented Manuel Benavidez, a school board candidate in Irving, Texas, who successfully sued the city over claims that its at-large voting method violated the Voting Rights Act of 1965; [21] the resulting U.S. District Court ruling compelled the city to change its election system in order to give Hispanic residents more proportional representation. [22]

In 2017, Brewer represented David Tyson, the only person of color ever to serve on the board of Richardson Independent School District, in a voting rights lawsuit claiming the district’s at-large electoral system prevented Black and Hispanic residents from having a fair say in school board elections; [23] subsequent negotiations resulted in Richardson’s school district adopting a hybrid system that included five single-member districts. [24]

Brewer represented 3M when it was sued by the state of Minnesota for $5 billion over claims the company had contaminated groundwater through the dumping of PFCs and withheld information about the potential harm of the chemicals from regulators. [10] Brewer called the case an “abuse of power” and it was settled with Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson in 2018 for $850 million. [25]

In 2018, Brewer was retained by the National Rifle Association to advise the organization after New York state officials challenged the legality of its “Carry Guard” insurance, which protected gun owners in cases of self-defense. [2] On behalf of the NRA, Brewer sued New York governor Andrew Cuomo and other state officials in 2018, claiming officials had engaged in a conspiracy to destroy the organization, resulting in several million dollars of damages. [18] The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2024 that the NRA could move forward with its claim that state officials infringed upon the organization’s first amendment rights by discouraging insurance companies and banks from doing business with the organization. [26] Brewer represented the N.R.A. in the ensuing case, National Rifle Association of America v. Vullo , in which the justices ruled unanimously in favor of allowing the N.R.A. to pursue allegations that a New York state regulator had violated the organization’s First Amendment rights by discouraging private entities from doing business with it. [27]

References

  1. 1 2 Donald, Mark (18 March 1998). "Rambo Justice". Dallas Observer.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Leonnig, Carol D.; Hamburger, Tom (19 September 2019). "How hard-charging Dallas lawyer William Brewer III helped fuel a civil war inside the NRA". Texas Tribune. Retrieved 14 March 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 Barber, Ellen (9 December 2009). "William Brewer on Cases That Can Make or Break Corporate America". New York Magazine. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 Belkin, Lisa (13 May 1988). "The Law; Bare-Knuckles Litigation Jars Many in Dallas". New York Times. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  5. 1 2 Curriden, Mark (22 June 2015). "Bill Brewer moves forward without Bickel". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  6. 1 2 Council, John (6 October 2014). "John W. Bickel II () The End of the Rambo Boys: John Bickel joins Fish & Richardson". Law.com. Retrieved 20 March 2025. Bickel, who founded Bickel & Brewer 30 years ago with William A. Brewer III, earned the "Rambo" moniker with his former law partner after articles about their aggressive litigation tactics were featured in Texas Lawyer and The Dallas Morning News.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Donald, Mark (19 March 1998). "Rambo Justice". Dallas Observer. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  8. 1 2 Mitchell, Keri (10 October 2018). "Is the pro bono lawyer suing RISD a do-gooder or a 'bad boy'?". Advocate. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
  9. ↑ Swaby, Alexa Ura, Aliyya (2018-12-11). "Richardson ISD's student demographics have significantly changed. The makeup of its school board hasn't". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 2025-12-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. 1 2 "3M withheld info about toxic chemical contamination, suit claims". CBS News. 22 November 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  11. ↑ Case, Brendan M. (12 September 2006). "No backing down: Wright bill is latest fight for flashy Dallas lawyer". Dallas Morning News. Raised on New York's Long Island, Mr. Brewer...
  12. ↑ Rubin, Dana (25 February 1990). "The Rambo Boys". Dallas Life Magazine. Mr. Brewer was a drama major at St. Johns University
  13. ↑ McGee, Patrick (10 December 2007). "Dallas attorney throws resources of firm into battle with Farmers Branch, Irving". Fort Worth Star Telegram. "Brewer graduated from Albany Law School in New York in 1977…"
  14. ↑ "Bill Brewer (LL.M. '78) fights illegal immigration rules". Law.nyu.edu. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
  15. ↑ McGee, Patrick (10 December 2007). "Dallas attorney throws resources of firm into battle with Farmers Branch, Irving". Fort Worth Star Telegram. "While accustomed to handling multimillion-dollar cases, the firm opened a "store-front" in south Dallas in 1995 for people who could not afford legal services."
  16. ↑ King, Danny (20 May 2015). "Booted! Hotel owners oust operators in high-profile disputes". Travel Weekly. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
  17. 1 2 Ura, Alexa; Swaby, Aliyya (11 December 2018). "Richardson ISD's student demographics have significantly changed. The makeup of its school board hasn't". Texas Tribune. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  18. 1 2 Spies, Mike (30 July 2019). "New Documents Raise Ethical and Billing Concerns About the NRA's Outside Counsel". ProPublica. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  19. ↑ McGee, Patrick (10 December 2007). "Dallas attorney throws resources of firm into battle with Farmers Branch, Irving". Fort Worth Star Telegram. Brewer successfully sued the Dallas school district in 2001 for violating the Texas open meetings act...
  20. ↑ McGee, Patrick (10 December 2007). "Dallas attorney throws resources of firm into battle with Farmers Branch, Irving". Fort Worth Star Telegram. Brewer's suit represents Farmers Branch apartment owners and says the ban should be scrapped because it places unfair burdens on apartment owners who must verify if tenants are legal U.S. citizens.
  21. ↑ "Dallas Federal Judge Rules That Irving's At-Large Method Violates the Voting Rights Act". Dallas Observer. 2009-07-15. Retrieved 2025-12-04.
  22. ↑ "Irving School District Violates Voting Rights Act, Judge Rules". KERA News. 2014-08-15. Retrieved 2025-12-04.
  23. ↑ Swaby, Alexa Ura, Aliyya (2018-12-11). "Richardson ISD's student demographics have significantly changed. The makeup of its school board hasn't". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 2025-12-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  24. ↑ Swaby, Alexa Ura, Aliyya (2019-01-17). "To settle voting rights suit, Richardson ISD will get rid of at-large elections". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 2025-12-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  25. ↑ "3M, state settle lawsuit for $850 million". Bloomberg News. 20 February 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  26. ↑ Hakim, Danny (9 December 2024). "After N.R.A.'s Supreme Court Win, a Dispute Over Key Facts". New York Times. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  27. ↑ "After N.R.A.'s Supreme Court Win, a Dispute Over Key Facts". 2024-12-09. Archived from the original on 2025-09-30. Retrieved 2025-12-04.
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