Theodore J. Williams Jr.

Ted is a mediator and trial attorney. His trial experience includes the defense of railroad, aviation, medical malpractice, product liability, personal injury, toxic tort, and admiralty cases. He began the practice of law in 1974 as a prosecutor in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He has tried more than 200 jury trials to conclusion and served as lead trial counsel in all those cases. While his trial practice has primarily been in high-exposure jury cases in Missouri and Illinois, including Madison and St. Clair Counties, he has regularly represented corporations and insurance companies throughout the Midwest. This includes cases from Colorado and Oklahoma to Indiana and from Minnesota to Louisiana. Ted has not only defended corporate clients in several practice areas but has also represented them as plaintiffs in litigation throughout the Midwest. His practice also included taking the role of the plaintiff’s attorney in mock trials from California to South Carolina/Florida for a Fortune 500 Corporation. Ted is a fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, has been elected to the rank of advocate in the American Board of Trial Advocates, and has also been elected to membership in the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel as well as the International Association of Defense Counsel. Since 1994, he has been listed in two categories in The Best Lawyers in America © (Railroad Law and Personal Injury Litigation) and in Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers. He has also been included in Super Lawyers Business Edition, a national recognition of top attorneys in business-related fields, for his civil litigation work. He has been a frequent lecturer on trial advocacy and was a founding partner of Williams Venker & Sanders, with offices in St. Louis, Edwardsville and Belleville, Illinois, and Kansas City.

Military Background

Ted served a total of 26 years in the active U.S. Army and Army Reserves. During the early half of his military service, he commanded armored cavalry and infantry units, as well as served at battalion and brigade levels as an operations and intelligence officer.  During the latter half of his career, he served as an army judge advocate, handling a myriad of legal issues. His last assignment was as chief of criminal law at Ft. Bliss, Texas. Among his training is the Army’s Command and General Staff College at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas. He retired from the Army with the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Ted has been inducted into the Purdue University ROTC Hall of Fame which honors those graduates who have distinguished themselves through service to the nation, their community, and as outstanding leaders in business, government, or other professional fields.

Education

• Purdue University, B.A., 1969
• University of Tulsa College of Law, J.D., 1974
• University of Missouri School of Law, Center for the Study of Dispute Resolution Mediator Training, 2016

Professional or Trade Affiliations

Ted is licensed to practice law in Missouri, Illinois, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Kansas, Oklahoma, Washington, Wisconsin, and before the Supreme Court of the United States, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit; Eighth Circuit; and the Tenth Circuit; as well as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Services. He also is licensed to practice before numerous United States District Courts, including the Eastern and Western Districts of Missouri; the Southern, Central and Northern Districts of Illinois; as well as the District Courts in Indiana, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin.

He is also a member of the Maritime Law Association, the National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel, International Association of Defense Counsel, Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel, as well as numerous other organizations related to his practice areas.