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William C. Hahesy

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Practice Areas

  • White Collar Civil and Criminal Matters
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Employment and Class Action Litigation

Biography

Bill Hahesy is an experienced and dedicated trial lawyer who focuses his litigation practice on defending employers and employees in labor and employment litigation, class action wage and hour litigation, commercial litigation and white collar criminal defense. He provides advice to employers on various wage and hour and employment-related issues, including internal and external investigations. He further defends businesses and individuals involved in civil, administrative or criminal government investigations or proceedings.

His clients include or have included multi-national, national, regional and local companies involved in many different industries, including beverage, agricultural, construction, financial services, energy, transportation, retail, medical and manufacturing, as well as public and private executives. He practices regularly in federal and state courts in California.

Bill Hahesy was raised in Tulare, California and began his legal career in Fresno in 1982. After seven years of private practice, he joined the United States Attorney's Office in Fresno, California in 1989. Shortly after joining the United States Attorney's Office, he was promoted to Deputy Chief of the Civil Division in Fresno, California, where he supervised a team of attorneys and staff in the representation of the federal government, its agencies and employees in federal district and appellate courts. He later joined the Criminal Division of the United States Attorney's Office in Fresno in about 1991 and began investigating and prosecuting many high-profile white collar criminal cases including tax fraud, health care fraud, financial institution fraud, investment and securities fraud. In 1997 he transferred to the United States Attorney's Office in Sacramento and became the head of the office's nationally-recognized civil rights program. In that position he investigated and prosecuted some of the office's most significant civil rights cases and led its various community-based task forces for the United States Attorney's Office. He also continued to investigate and prosecute white collar criminal cases as part of the White Collar Crime Unit in that office.

In 1999, Bill Hahesy returned to private practice in Fresno, California, ultimately becoming a named shareholder in a mid-size litigation firm. He formed his own firm in July of 2007.

Bill Hahesy is a past President of the Federal Bar Association, San Joaquin Valley Chapter and a former co-chair of the Eastern District Lawyer's Representative Committee to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Court Conference.

Bill Hahesy has substantial experience in all areas of trial litigation, including numerous jury trials, court trials and appellate experience. He is AV rated by Martindale Hubbell.

Education

  • McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific, Sacramento, California
    • Juris Doctor - 1982
    • Honors: Extern, Honorable Stanley Mosk, Associate Justice, California Supreme Court, 1981
    • Honors: Traynor Honor Society, Lifetime Member
    • Honors: Dean's List 1979-1980; 1980-1981
    • Honors: McGeorge Merit Scholarship, 1979-1980; 1980-1981
    • Honors: Moot Court Honors Board
  • University of The Pacific
    • B.A., Bachelor of Arts - 1980
    • Honors: Selected in 1979 by the undergraduate university and its law school to participate in a special program that resulted in attending law school after his junior year of college and receiving his Bachelor's degree upon completion of his first year of law school

Bar Admission

  • California
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit
  • U.S. District Court Eastern District of California
  • U.S. District Court Central District of California
  • U.S. District Court Northern District of California

Current Employment Position

  • Attorney

Honors

  • 2006 – Present Northern California Super Lawyer. Mr. Hahesy was among five percent of Northern California’s approximately 52,000 attorneys selected for this award
  • 2012 – Present, Member, Fresno County Superior Court, Local Rules Committee
  • 1/2009 Appointed by Senator Dianne Feinstein to Judicial Advisory Committee for the Eastern District of California
  • 2006 Northern California Super Lawyer. Mr. Hahesy was among five percent of Northern California’s approximately 52,000 attorneys selected for this award
  • 2003-2005 Lawyer Representative for the Eastern District of California to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
  • 2004-2005 Co-Chair, Jury Outreach Project, United States District Court, Eastern District of California
  • 2003 Eastern District of California Co-Chair, Lawyer Representative Committee, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal
  • 2002 Co-Chair, United States District Court, Eastern District Annual Conference
  • 2000 Awarded Special Civil Rights Award by Sacramento Mayor Jimmy Yee for work relating to synagogue arsons and other civil rights cases
  • 2000-2005 Member, Board of Directors, Federal Bar Association, San Joaquin Valley Chapter
  • 2000-2003 Member, Board of Directors, Association of Business Trial Lawyers, San Joaquin Valley Division
  • 1999-2005 Appointed by Chief United States District Judge William B. Shubb to Membership on Judicial Advisory Committee for Eastern District of California
  • 1997 Co-Chair, Eastern District of California Annual Conference
  • 1996 Co-Chair, Eastern District of California Annual Conference
  • 1995 President, Federal Bar Association, San Joaquin Valley Chapter
  • 1995-1996 Member, California Peace Officer’s Association/California Banker’s
  • 1995 Special commendation from United States Secret Service, Association Crime Task Force
  • 1993-1997 Member, Board of Directors, Federal Bar Association, Los Angeles, California
  • 1993 United States Attorney’s Office, Superior Performance Award
  • 1993 Inspector General’s Integrity Award, Regional Inspector General for Investigations, Department of Health and Human Services
  • 1993 Special commendation by Sacramento Federal Bureau of Investigation.
  • 1991 United States Attorney’s Office, Superior Performance Award