A trusted litigator in Virginia’s state and federal courts
Will Prince is a partner in the firm’s Civil Litigation and Labor and Employment practice groups, also serving as Chair of the Civil Litigation group. He focuses his practice on representing businesses and employers in litigation matters in state and federal courts throughout Virginia. He regularly represents clients in cases involving discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful discharge, violations of wage and hour laws, breach of employment agreements, breach of non-compete and non-solicitation agreements, breach of confidentiality provisions, § 1983 claims against government officials, violations of whistleblower protections, and business torts.
In his litigation practice, Will represents clients in complex business and commercial disputes, successfully arguing dispositive motions in both state and federal courts. He regularly defends cases involving class and collective action lawsuits, including consumer protection statutes such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).
He has extensive experience handling cases in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA), often referred to as the “Rocket Docket.” He frequently serves as lead and local counsel in cases before the EDVA, which has unique rules that present significant challenges for litigants.
In his employment practice, Will advises employers on all aspects of employment law and human resources. His work involves issues related to employee policies and handbooks, employment contracts, separation agreements, workplace investigations, employee leave, termination and hiring issues, discrimination and harassment laws, restrictive covenants such as noncompete and non-solicitation agreements, disability and religious accommodations, and wage and overtime laws.
Before joining the firm, he served as a law clerk for the Honorable Jackson L. Kiser of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia from 2008-2009. During law school, he completed a judicial externship with the Honorable M. Hannah Lauck, U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Will serves as the Chair of the Joint Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee for the Virginia Bar Association and the Virginia State Bar. He is regularly recognized among Virginia’s “Legal Elite” by Virginia Business Magazine, listed in Virginia Super Lawyers, and selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America©.
Practices
Civil Litigation
- Consumer Finance Litigation Defense
- Federal Courts and Local Counsel Practice
- Government, Public Official, and Municipal Liability Defense
- Insurance Coverage Disputes
- State and Federal Appellate Practice
Labor and Employment
Representative Experience
EMPLOYMENT LITIGATION
- Served as lead counsel for an employer in a putative collective and class action alleging failure to pay regular and overtime wages in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) and various state overtime and wage laws; after filing opposition to FLSA collective and Rule 23 class certification, obtained early dismissal of all claims at the motion-to-dismiss stage after filing opposition to FLSA collective/class certification
- Represented a public employer in a lawsuit filed by the United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division alleging a violation of Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act relating to the failure to provide a reasonable accommodation to a qualified individual with a disability, including reassignment to a vacant position within the defendant’s organization; successfully prevailed on a motion for summary judgment in the district court
- Representation of employer seeking to enforce a non-solicitation provision against a former employee who resigned to start a new enterprise in direct competition with his former employer; the case was resolved after extensive discovery, resulting in a favorable settlement for the client
- Represented state constitutional officer in a lawsuit filed by the United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division alleging a violation of Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act involving an alleged failure to provide a reasonable accommodation and failure to engage in an interactive process with the disabled employee prior to termination
- Represented an employer in a lawsuit alleging reverse racial discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, intentional race discrimination under 42 U.S.C. § 1981, and a First Amendment retaliation claim under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, claiming that the former employee was terminated because of the employee’s race and protected First Amendment speech
- Represented an employer in a lawsuit brought by a former employee who claimed that she was terminated because she initiated an internal grievance proceeding, which she alleged violated the Virginia Whistleblower Protection Law, Va. Code § 40.1-27.3
BUSINESS AND COMPLEX LITIGATION
- Represented elected official in defense of gross negligence case, arising from in-custody shooting in back of police car; obtained summary judgment in client’s favor, affirmed by the Supreme Court of Virginia
- Represented an executive agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia in a federal class action lawsuit brought under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 alleging violations of procedural due process and state law related to the alleged failure to timely process and adjudicate claims for unemployment insurance benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Represented a private aviation company in a multi-million-dollar coverage dispute regarding foreign object damage to a jet engine covered by an aviation broad coverage insurance policy
- Represented various defendants in a class action lawsuit alleging violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (“RICO”), as well as Virginia’s usury and licensing laws, related to the issuance and collection of allegedly unlawful and usurious debts based upon loan products offered and issued through companies owned by Native American tribes and organized under tribal laws
- Representation of businesses and employers as local counsel in state and federal courts throughout Virginia, including the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, commonly known in the legal community as the “Rocket Docket”
- Representation of a finance technology company in an arbitration proceeding involving alleged violations of Virginia consumer protection statutes relating to the financing of a residential solar energy system
Recognition
- Selected to the Super Lawyer’s List, Business Bankruptcy category “Rising Stars” (2013-2022); Employment Litigation: Defense category (2025)
- Virginia Business Magazine’s “Legal Elite,” Young Lawyer (Under 40) category (2012-2019); Civil Litigation category (2020); Bankruptcy/Creditors’ Rights category (2019, 2021-2022); Labor/Employment category (2023-2024)
- Selected by peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© in the fields of Litigation – Insurance (2022-2026), Commercial Litigation and Litigation – Bankruptcy (2024-2026); Bankruptcy and Creditor/Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law; Employment Law – Management; Litigation – Labor and Employment; Litigation – Municipal (2026)
- Virginia Lawyers Weekly “Go To Lawyers” for Employment Law (2024)
Education
- University of Richmond School of Law, J.D., cum laude, 2008
- Articles Editor, University of Richmond Law Review, 2007 – 2008
- The College of William and Mary, B.A. in Economics, 2004
- Clerk to the Hon. Jackson L. Kiser of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia
Admissions
- All Virginia courts including the Supreme Court of Virginia
- U.S Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia
- U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia
Affiliations
- Virginia State Bar
- Virginia Bar Association
- Joint ADR Committee, Secretary/Treasurer, VBA/VSB (2023); Chair (2024-present)
- Former YLD Executive Board Member
- Former Legal Food Frenzy Chair
- YLD Sponsorship Committee Chair (2018-2019)
- Employment Section member
- Lewis F. Powell, Jr. Inn of Court
- Barrister (2018-present)
- Federal Bar Association, Richmond Chapter
- Board of Directors (2011-present)
- Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys
- Richmond Bar Association
- Local Government Attorneys of Virginia
- Virginia Creditors Bar Association
Retaliation is Unlawful Irrespective of the Validity of an Employee’s Complaint