William Petti is an Associate at Freeman Mathis & Gary, LLP, based in the firm's San Diego office. A versatile litigator with a command of both the courtroom and the conference room, Mr. Petti is a member of FMG's Labor & Employment Law and Appellate Advocacy practice sections. He brings a sophisticated, cross-disciplinary litigation background to his practice—encompassing employment disputes, complex commercial litigation, directors and officers liability, and professional liability defense—and has built a reputation for delivering early, decisive results for clients, routinely securing dismissals at the pleadings stage and resolving matters well before the costs and burdens of discovery and trial.

Mr. Petti has developed a focused practice in labor and employment law, representing employers in litigation arising under the Fair Employment and Housing Act, including claims of wrongful termination, retaliation, discrimination, and harassment. He has successfully represented employers before the California Civil Rights Department, securing dismissals of employment-related investigations and achieving outcomes that permanently extinguished claimants' rights to pursue litigation, and is knowledgeable in conducting internal workplace investigations. While his practice is anchored in labor and employment, Mr. Petti also brings depth that informs his practice at every stage: he has represented clients in investigations conducted by the United States Securities & Exchange Commission and parallel civil proceedings, navigated high-stakes shareholder derivative actions—including representation of a former officer of a national firm in a multi-million dollar dispute involving an attempted hostile takeover—and successfully defended a law firm and its principal against claims of legal malpractice and financial elder abuse, securing a dismissal with prejudice at the pleadings stage. Mr. Petti has additionally represented attorneys in California State Bar investigations, and his command of administrative procedure across government investigations complements a courtroom practice that spans pleadings challenges, discovery, dispositive motions, terminating sanctions, trial, and appeal.

Mr. Petti earned his Juris Doctor, cum laude, from California Western School of Law, graduating in the top of his class, earning the Dean's Honor List distinction and four American Jurisprudence Awards for obtaining the highest grade in the following coursework: Administrative Law, Advanced Legal Research, Securities Regulation, and Corporate Finance. Prior to law school, Mr. Petti worked as an anti-money laundering management consultant in Midtown Manhattan, where he developed substantive knowledge of the Bank Secrecy Act and FinCEN regulatory framework governing the financial services industry, which continues to inform his understanding of regulatory exposure and compliance risk. Mr. Petti is admitted to practice before all courts of the State of California, the United States District Court for the Southern District of California, and the United States District Court for the Central District of California. He has practiced before the SEC and the CRD. Outside of his practice, Mr. Petti remains current on SEC rules and other regulatory developments and is an active member of the bodybuilding and rugby communities.

California

• California State Courts
• U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
• U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California

• “Offering BNPL Options in 2023,” The Green Sheet (Feb. 1, 2023)
• “Comments on amending FTC’s Negative Options Rule due June 23, 2023,” The Green Sheet (Jun. 19, 2023)
• “No more blocking competing networks for Mastercard – the legal implications,” Co-authored by Adam Bucci and William Petti, The Green Sheet (Jul. 10, 2023)
• “Legal Considerations regarding Subscription-Based Businesses and Billing,” Global Legal Law Firm L. Blog (Jan. 1, 2023)
• “If I Hold An Ownership Interest In A Privately Held, U.S. Domiciled Entity, Will I Need To Disclose Beneficial Ownership Information?,” Co-authored by Anne Swenson and William Petti, Shustak Reynolds & Partners L. Blog (Oct. 29, 2021)
• Payments Experts Podcast, Episode 011, Navigating SEC Regulations in Payments with Jarvis & Bill (September 2023)
• Payments Experts Podcast, Demurrers with Bill (June 2024)