Attorneys

William A. McComas

36 South Charles Street
Suite 2000
Baltimore, MD 21201

410.385.4233 ph
410.539.7611 fax

A partner in the Firm's business law department, William A. McComas counsels clients ranging from entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 corporations on commercial transactions across all industry sectors. He concentrates on assisting companies in creating, protecting, acquiring, developing, and commercializing technology, as well as in distributing, servicing, and marketing products and services. Mr. McComas represents clients on complex business transactions such as joint venture, strategic alliances, research and development, electronic commerce, complex procurement, endorsement, outsourcing, and the general management and disposition of intellectual property. An experienced corporate attorney, Mr. McComas also counsels clients on financing, mergers and acquisitions, sales of assets, venture capital investments, and other general corporate matters.

Extensive business and technology management experience enhances Mr. McComas’ value to the Firm’s clients. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Mr. McComas worked for one of North America’s largest book manufacturers and one of the world’s largest ocean carriers. In these positions, Mr. McComas developed software, negotiated and managed major vendor contracts, and enacted cost reduction and internal control programs. His deep understanding of the law, business, and technology is invaluable to clients navigating the convergence of these sectors.

Representative Transactions

Mr. McComas serves clients in a wide variety of industry sectors from high tech to financial services to transportation. In recent years, he has represented an international retailer regarding telecommunication contracts, technology licensing, e-commerce and equipment purchases; counseled a major hotel chain in a multi-million dollar outsourcing; advised three large financial institutions in their technology and e-commerce initiatives; and handled a joint venture involving an affiliate of one of the world’s largest rail companies.

News & Publications

August 2, 2011: The American Bar Association releases Managing E-Discovery and ESI: From Pre-Litigation Through Trial, a new book including a chapter on computer usage policies and records management by Mr. McComas.

December 5, 2010: The Maryland Daily Record quotes William A. McComas in an article entitled, "Cloud computing making inroads at many Maryland law firms."

Baltimore SmartCEO magazine names William A. McComas and three additional Shapiro Sher attorneys among the "Legal Elite" of "go-to attorneys in business law" in its November 2010 issue.

October 4, 2010: The Baltimore Sun quotes William A. McComas in an article about Maryland's new benefit corporation distinction.

September 30, 2010: William McComas speaks about "Social Media: Privacy & Security," as part of ALM's Virtual Corporate Counsel Forum.

June 13, 2010: William McComas quoted in Maryland Daily Record in an article about lawyers and iPads.

May 3, 2010: "Governor Should Veto State the State Records Shield Bill." By William A. McComas, for The Daily Record.

October 27, 2009: William A. McComas comments on the "net neutrality" debate for the Guardian.

October 22, 2009: The San Jose Mercury News quotes William A. McComas in an article on the Net Neutrality debate.

September 18, 2009: William A. McComas writes for the Baltimore Business Journal on the federal government's effort to digitize medical records. (Subscription required.)

June 30, 2009: Selected for the 2010 edition of Best Lawyers in America, a highly respected peer-review publication serving the legal profession."

January 15, 2009: The Guardian - Saving Barack's BlackBerry - Obama's advisers say his beloved BlackBerry exposes him to unnecessary legal and security risks. Can they be surmounted?" By William A. McComas, for The Guardian.

January 2009: For the third year in a row, Mr. McComas is selected for the annual list of Maryland Super Lawyers published in Baltimore Magazine by Key Professional Media, Inc.

January 5, 2009: William A. McComas writes for the National Law Journal.

"Electronically stored information can stretch the boundaries of the contract's 'four corners.'" By Matthew A.S. Esworthy and William A. McComas, for The Daily Record, November 17, 2008.

October 1, 2008: Mr. McComas selected as the winner of the Baltimore SmartCEO "Choice Award" in the attorney category. The award honored one of the professionals named in the magazine's 2007 "SmartLawyers" list. He is also included in the 2008 list published November 1.

Practice Areas

Bar Admissions

Maryland

Education

Brown University (B.A. in Computer Science, 1988)
University of Baltimore School of Law (J.D., cum laude, 1996), Law Review Editor; American Jurisprudence Award in Civil Procedure

Affiliations, Achievements and Honors

Selected for inclusion in Maryland Super Lawyers' 2012 ratings
Selected for The Best Lawyers in America, 2011 edition
Board Member, Washington/Baltimore chapter of the MIT Enterprise Forum
Board Member, Chesapeake Sustainable Business Alliance
Advisory Board Member, National Federation of the Blind
Board Member, Alliance, Inc.
Past Board Member, Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Services
Member, Maryland State Bar Association (Served on MSBA Technology Task Force)
Regional Chair for Brown University’s chapter of the National Alumni Schools Program
Mentor, Brown Entrepreneurship Program

Speaking Engagements

William A. McComas co-presents a panel discussion at The Computer Forensics Show in New York City: "Navigating Computer Usage and Records Management Policies." April 20, 2010.
Moderator,"All Discovery is Now E-Discovery: Policies, Procedures & Tools to Preserve the Integrity of Your Electronic Documents." A webinar presented by Surety, LLC. April 16, 2007.
Faculty Member, Lorman Education Services webinar, "E-commerce Business Financing." March 14, 2007.
Speaker, the Cyber Conflict Studies Association's Fall Symposium at the George Mason University School of Law, November 3, 2006.
Faculty Member, Lorman Education Services seminar, "Document Retention and Destruction in the Age of Electronic Documents," Baltimore, September 14, 2006.
Faculty Member, Lorman Educa4ion Services seminar, "Records Management in the Digital Age," Bowie, MD, July 27, 2006. Click for materials.
Presenter, "E-mail Retention Policies," a seminar organized by Veridyne, Inc., Baltimore, June 2006
Presenter, "Legal Ramifications of Faulty Software," a seminar organized by Codign Software, LLC, Baltimore, June 2006
Panelist, Maryland State Bar Association Annual Meeting, "Practical Electronic Discovery Tools for All Attorneys," June 2006
Panelist, Data Integrity Webinar, Surety, LLC, June 2006.
Faculty Member , Lorman Education Services seminar, "Document Retention and Destruction in Maryland." Annapolis, February 17, 2006, and Baltimore, February 23, 2006.
Panelist, the Cyber Security Industry Alliance Data Integrity Summit, Washington, D.C., January 18, 2006.
Faculty Member, Law Seminars International, "Voice Over Internet Protocol Conference", Tyson’s Corner, Virginia, May 2004.
Faculty Member, Johns Hopkins University, "Introduction to Intellectual Property", Spring 2003
Instructor at seminar to train the judges in Maryland's Technology Courts on technology related issues, 2003
Faculty Member, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, "Essentials of Contract Law", Fall 2002
Faculty Member, National Business Institute, Internet Law Seminar, "Business Issues on the Internet", July 2000 and July 2001
Faculty Member, National Law Seminars, "Outsourcing Agreements", Fort Lauderdale, January 2002
"Protecting Intellectual Property and Commercializing Technology", Maryland Association of Programmers, 2001
"Anatomy of High Tech Litigation", Maryland State Bar Association Technology Seminar, 1998, 2001
Mr. McComas has written on business and technology for Legal Times, The National Law Journal, The Guardian, the Baltimore Business Journal, the Washington Business Journal, The Daily Record, the Maryland State Bar Bulletin, and other publications.