William Cook chairs DLA Piper's Global Communications, eCommerce and Privacy practice and represents the largest telecommunications and media companies in the US. He focuses on strategic advice and planning, particularly with regard to competition and market entry issues; complex partnership structuring and mergers & acquisition agreements; privatization; global regulatory compliance; commercial and government contracts and procurement issues; licensing agreements; and telecom-related intellectual property and restructuring issues.

Mr. Cook also represents communications and media clients in the federal courts and before regulatory bodies, both in the US and overseas, including the FCC, state public utility commissions, local cable franchising authorities, and various federal agencies, including the US Department of Justice. Also a member of DLA Piper's Government Affairs Group, Mr. Cook focuses on the formulation and utilization of public policy, and related legislation and regulations, at the local, state, and national levels for clients in the communications and media industries.

Mr. Cook comes to DLA Piper from Alston & Bird, where he headed that firm's telecommunications practice.

Active in Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia, Mr. Cook represents clients from those regions on matters involving communications & media law, as well as on the national security aspects of US law, including the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS), the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA), the Patriot Act and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).

During his long service with the US government, Mr. Cook served as General Counsel of the Immigration & Naturalization Service. Prior to that assignment, he served as Senior Counsel in the Office of Legislative Affairs (OLA), Department of Justice, where his portfolios included national security, national defense, and immigration matters. His government service also includes assignments at the National Security Agency (NSA) and in the Office of Intelligence Policy and Review (OIPR), Department of Justice.

Mr. Cook also has extensive litigation experience as a trial attorney with the Department of Justice’s Civil Division and in the United States Attorney’s office in Baltimore, Maryland, where he represented the US Food and Drug Administration in several high-profile seizure actions.

A commander in the US Navy Reserves, Mr. Cook is a combat veteran of Operation Desert Storm, where he served on the staff of COMIDEASTFOR and as naval liaison officer to the Government of Kuwait and as naval advisor to the Kuwaiti Navy. He is also a veteran of combat contingency operations in Grenada and Lebanon and served on the Sixth Fleet Counter-Terrorism Task Force.

Mr. Cook also serves nonprofits in The District. He is past chairman of the board of governors of the George Washington University Club, past president of the Heifetz International Music Institute, and a founding member of the board of directors of the Washington, DC Technology Council. He currently serves as general counsel of the Friends of Cancer Research.