William F. Small

Law School
University of North Carolina School of Law

Major Cases
I have represented plaintiffs and defendants in a variety of business litigation matters, including claims against officers and directors, multimillion dollar trade secrets litigation, consumer class actions involving thousands of class members, and commercial fraud claims. Some specific results include the following:

•Obtained dismissal of complaint for fraud against corporate officers and directors.

•Negotiated licensing agreement to avoid litigation regarding trademarks, copyrights, and breach of contract.

• Won summary judgment on behalf of officers and directors of real estate brokerage in defamation action seeking more than $1 million in damages.

•Won summary judgment for car dealership in multi-million dollar product-liability case.

Professional Background
I am a co-founding partner with Small & Schena LLP, which opened for business in the summer of 2014. We are litigators focusing on business, intellectual property, professional liability and employment matters.

I was previously senior counsel with the commercial litigation, professional liability and intellectual property practice groups of a national law firm and one of the largest firms in San Diego County.

Professional Affiliations
I am currently vice chairman of the civil litigation section of the San Diego County Bar Association. I am also a member of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers, the American Bar Association and Provisors.

Personal Affiliations
As a proud graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, I am a member of the UNC General Alumni Association and participate in the San Diego chapter of the UNC GAA.

Personal Background
I was raised on the Outer Banks of North Carolina in Kitty Hawk. Before I went to law school, I graduated with degrees in journalism and political science and worked for a newspaper as a reporter. When I’m not working, I watch an unhealthy amount of UNC basketball and post an embarrassing number of pictures of my corgi on social media, but these activities are expected to decline as my wife and I are expecting our first child in September. (It’s a girl!)