Desalina A. Williams

Desalina is an experienced civil and commercial litigator who represents clients through all phases of litigation. She is well-versed in identifying issues and developing solutions, including advising her clients about changes in the law that may affect their professional careers or businesses. Her practice focuses on the representation of medical practitioners, healthcare organizations, and commercial entities on a variety of issues related to employment, health law, trademark prosecution, and contract disputes.

Prior to joining Milligan Lawless, P.C., Desalina was an attorney in the Phoenix, Arizona office of a national insurance defense law firm. During law school, Desalina was a research assistant to Professor Bruce Ottley for his book Understanding Product Liability Law (2nd ed.) and his 2012 supplement to Illinois Tort Law (4th ed.). She served as an editor for the DePaul Business and Commercial Law Journal and hosted a symposium called “The Cloud: Emerging Issues in Business and Intellectual Property Law.” She was also a law clerk for Rush University Medical Center in 2014, and was an intern with the American Medical Association in its Office of the General Counsel in 2013.

Experience

Labor and Employment

Desalina represents employers and employees in employment-related disputes. Her experience includes advising clients and litigating employment matters involving restrictive covenants, wage claims, and workplace discrimination. Desalina has resolved multiple disputes arising from employment agreements, and she uses her experience to draft comprehensive employment agreements and handbooks for her clients.

Healthcare Law

Desalina defends healthcare practitioners and organizations in disputes involving federal and Arizona state regulatory entities. She advises healthcare practitioners on Medicare and/or Medicaid enrollment, reporting, and revocation issues. She provides guidance on the National Practitioner Data Bank reporting requirements and dispute process. She has also worked with clients to dispute enforcement actions initiated by the Arizona Department of Health Services.

Trademark Prosecution

Desalina protects clients’ trademarks in trademark prosecution actions. She litigates trademark disputes brought before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board and federal courts. She advocates on behalf of her clients in trademark and domain name infringement cases. Her experience also consists of handling domain name disputes in accordance with ICANN.

Associations and Memberships

State Bar of Arizona, member
Arizona Society of Healthcare Attorneys, member
American Health Law Association, member
American Health Law Association’s Leadership Development Program for the Health Care Liability and Litigation Practice Group, Participant (2021-2022)

Credentials

Education

DePaul University College of Law
J.D. 2014 – Business Law Certificate; DePaul University College of Law Achievement Scholarship; DePaul University Health Law Institute Fellow; Just the Beginning Foundation Scholarship Recipient; Illinois’ Women’s Bar Foundation Scholarship Recipient

Loyola University of Chicago
B.B.A. 2011 – International Business, magna cum laude

Bar and Court Admissions

State of Arizona, 2014
U.S. District Court, District of Arizona, 2016
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, 2022

Publications

John Conley and Desalina Williams, and Karina Shipman The Federal Trade Commission Seeks to Ban Non-Compete Clauses, Milligan Lawless (March 7, 2023)

Miranda Preston and Desalina Williams, Revocation of Medicare Participation as a Result of Failure to Report Enrollment Changes to CMS, Arizona Society of Healthcare Attorneys (November 4, 2022)

Desalina Williams, Dental Services Provider Paid $350,000 for Alleged Improper Medicaid Billing, Milligan Lawless (August 30, 2021)

Desalina Williams, The Cloud: Emerging Issues in Business and Intellectual Property Law, DePaul Bus. & Com.  L.J., Vol. 12, Issue 4 (Summer 2014)