William H. Taft V, based in the New York office, is a partner in the Litigation Department, and is the firm's Chief Financial Officer and a member of the firm's Management Committee. His practice focuses on commercial litigation and arbitration, with an emphasis on cross-border and multi-jurisdictional disputes and advising sports leagues. Mr. Taft has experience leading complex commercial matters for clients across a range of industries, including private equity, sports & entertainment, energy, commercial real estate, project finance and insurance. He is admitted to practice before the New York State Courts, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and several U.S. Courts of Appeals, and he has appeared in arbitrations under the rules of the major U.S. and international institutions. 

Mr. Taft is ranked Band 1 by Chambers USA (2026) for International Arbitration: Enforcement, where clients describe him as “an exceptional litigator with a remarkably broad practice.” Chambers USA (2026) also ranks him as a leading lawyer for Sports Law, highlighting his expertise in advising high-profile sports leagues and brands on contentious matters and describing him as “an outstanding litigator and trusted advisor who immerses himself in our business and brings sophistication, perspective, depth and nuance.” Mr. Taft is also recognized as a Leading Partner by The Legal 500 US (2026) for his international litigation practice and recommended by The Legal 500 US (2026) for Sport.

Mr. Taft joined the firm in 2005. From 2004 to 2005, Mr. Taft clerked for the Hon. Samuel A. Alito, Jr. when Justice Alito served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Mr. Taft received a J.D. cum laude from New York University School of Law in 2004, and a B.A. from Yale University in 2000.

Prior to joining Debevoise, Mr. Taft worked at the RAND Corporation in Washington, D.C. He is a co-author of the study “Conventional Coercion Across the Spectrum of Operations,” RAND Corporation, 2003.

Mr. Taft was admitted to the New York bar in 2005. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution (CPR), the Nominations Committee of the Federal Bar Council, the board of Manhattan Legal Services, the board of the New York International Arbitration Center, and is Co-Chair of the board of Every Vote Counts, a national student-led voting rights organization.