If you’ve been accused of saying or publishing something harmful about another person or business – or if someone has damaged your reputation with a false statement – you’re probably hearing legal terms like defamation, libel, and slander. Illinois defamation law can feel complicated, but understanding the basics can help protect you, your business, and your good name.
Comments from Counsel – December 2025 Newsletter
In this issue: Holiday Fun, Guide to Trade Secrets, and New Associates
Holiday Fun
The WilliamsMcCarthy team ended 2025 on a fun note with a high-stakes holiday party. Judging by the photos, it hit the jackpot on holiday revelry.
Publications
Protecting What Matters: A Guide to Trade Secrets Law for Manufacturers and Innovators
In today’s competitive business world, ideas, processes, and know-how are often more valuable than physical assets. For manufacturers, engineers, and innovators, trade secrets—like proprietary formulas, customer lists, or manufacturing techniques—can be the key to long-term success. Understanding how to protect these assets under Illinois and federal law is critical.
WilliamsMcCarthy LLP News
Welcome New Associates Morgan E. Knight and James W. Roddy
Before joining WilliamsMcCarthy LLP, Morgan Knight served as a law clerk for the City of Champaign Legal Department from 2023 to 2025, where she gained experience in local government and municipal law. During the summers of 2023 and 2024, she was a summer associate at WilliamsMcCarthy LLP, gaining broad experience across a variety of practice areas. Her practice will focus on family law, employment law, and municipal/local government law.
James Roddy worked as an extern for the inhouse legal counsel at RSA, a cybersecurity company, where he focused on contract drafting and corporate matters. He also served as a summer associate at WilliamsMcCarthy LLP in 2024, gaining broad experience across both litigation and transactional practice areas. His practice will focus primarily on business and corporate law, real estate, and estate planning.
Wilmac in the Community
Our commitment to the success of our region runs deep. This year, Wilmac attorneys served on myriad boards and the firm financially supported organizations like Anderson Japanese Gardens, Greater Rockford Chamber of Commerce, Severson Dells Nature Center, Rockford Family Justice Center, Natural Land Institute, Veterans’ Drop-in Center, Laurent House Foundation, Rosecrance, Rockford Art Museum and more. We look forward to continued involvement in our community in 2026!
Stay Informed
We regularly share insight in publications and our quarterly e-newsletter, Comments from Counsel.
Meet Our 2026 Summer Associates
Each summer, WilliamsMcCarthy welcomes law students into the firm to work alongside our attorneys, take on real assignments, and get a feel for what practicing
When a Typosquatter or Cybersquatter Targets Your Brand
Every established brand eventually faces the same problem. Someone notices that your customers occasionally mistype your domain name, registers the misspelled version, and waits. It’s called typosquatting, and here’s what you can do to protect your brand.
Choosing Rockford: Tim Rollins Attorney Spotlight
Learn more about partner Tim Rollins’ journey to Rockford in this attorney spotlight.
Defamation, Libel, and Slander in Illinois and Wisconsin: A Plain-English Guide
If you’ve been accused of saying or publishing something harmful about another person or business – or if someone has damaged your reputation with a false statement – you’re probably hearing legal terms like defamation, libel, and slander. Illinois defamation law can feel complicated, but understanding the basics can help protect you, your business, and your good name.