Business Insider Names William A. Brewer III Among New York’s Best-Dressed Lawyers
NEW YORK – William A. Brewer III, founder of Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors, was named one of New York’s best-dressed lawyers by Business Insider.
Brewer is among nine attorneys selected for Business Insider’s feature on the city’s standout legal style. The profile highlights Brewer’s signature approach to dressing – from Bruce Cameron Clark shirts and tailor-made Oxxford Clothes and Zegna suits, to his collection of watches and affinity for embroidered Ralph Lauren jeans. The profile notes that his “old-school polish” has become a hallmark of the firm.
During the interview, Brewer also discussed his longstanding appreciation for watches and the tradition of gifting them to members of his leadership team. Last Christmas, he purchased more than a dozen watches from Ralph Lauren. “You give somebody a timepiece, you’re telling them their time is now,” Brewer told Business Insider.
“William’s style shines in the details: the tailoring, the ties, and even the watches,” said Joi-Marie McKenzie, judge and Editor-in-Chief of Life at Business Insider. “He stood out to me, however, for how he can expertly move from a traditional suit to a casual look without feeling like he’s trying too hard. He just gets it.”
Read more: Meet 9 of New York City's Best-Dressed Lawyers - Business Insider
William A. Brewer III on What Teen Debaters Can Teach the World
In an article for Equality in Forensics, Brewer Foundation Founder and Chairman William A. Brewer III and Jasmine McClure, program coordinator of the International Public Policy Forum (IPPF), examine what high school debaters can teach adults about advocacy and constructive disagreement.
Founded in 2001 by the Brewer Foundation and now jointly administered with New York University, the IPPF is the world's only international competition that challenges high school students to debate matters of public policy in writing and in person.
The article, "What Teen Debaters Can Teach the World," reflects on the 2026-27 topic for the IPPF, which asks students to consider the rights of women and girls alongside questions of state sovereignty. Brewer draws on his experience with the program to examine how young people approach difficult questions.
Brewer and McClure argue that "debate"- as an academic competition, is about more than learning how to win an argument. It teaches students to listen, engage with opposing views, and build their arguments around evidence and reason. Those skills, they write, have value far beyond the competition itself—particularly at a time when public discourse too often turns disagreement into division.
In the IPPF, Brewer and McClure see firsthand how disagreement can coexist with respect and intellectual curiosity. Their example underscores the overarching purpose of the program: preparing young people to become thoughtful future leaders.
"Debate equips its participants with the tools to lead, to question, and to speak with purpose," Brewer and McClure write. "The IPPF and other programs like it are not just a competition; they are a proving ground for tomorrow's policy thinkers and public voices."
Read more here.
Brewer Secures Injunction for Wholesale Payments in Fight Against Trade Secret Theft
LUBBOCK, TEXAS — August 19, 2026 — Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors secured a preliminary injunction on behalf of Wholesale Payments, Inc. (“WPI”), a Texas-based payments company, in its trade-secret action against ClearPay Processing, LLC (“ClearPay”). The order bars ClearPay from using WPI’s confidential merchant information to solicit identified WPI merchants, marking a major victory in WPI’s ongoing campaign to protect its enterprise from corporate espionage.
U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix of the Northern District of Texas found that WPI is likely to succeed on its claims under the Defend Trade Secrets Act and the Texas Uniform Trade Secrets Act. The Court also denied the defendants’ challenge to the exercise of personal jurisdiction in the case pending Credit Wholesale Company, Inc. v. ClearPay Processing, LLC, Case No. 5:26-cv-00177-H (N.D. Tex. Lubbock Division).
The federal injunction is an important milestone in WPI’s broader, multi-front campaign to dismantle "shadow pipelines" built by rogue former agents and rival processors. Over the past year, WPI has taken aggressive action to stop former contractors from breaching their agreements and funneling millions of dollars into the coffers of WPI’s competitors.
This latest ruling reinforces a central theme of WPI's case: competitors who attempt to act as corporate safehouses for rogue agents and smuggled trade secrets will be held strictly accountable.
“This ruling sends a clear message that former agents who steal protected merchant information will be pursued,” said Counsel for WPI William A. Brewer III. “The Court correctly recognized that trade secret theft causes irreparable injury and took decisive action to protect our client’s interests.”
WPI is represented by lead counsel William A. Brewer III alongside partner Joshua Harris and associates Valerie Evans, Jordon Smith, and Amir Saada.
Digiday, MediaPost Examine Evidence in Foster Amended Complaint
Coverage of Richard Foster's amended complaint continued at Digiday and MediaPost. Foster, the former CEO of WPP's Motion Content Group, alleges that WPP improperly retained value generated by clients' advertising spend. The amended complaint further alleges that Sony Group Corporation, one of WPP's largest clients, launched an independent investigation into those practices.
Digiday reported on what it described as WPP's stalled turnaround, detailing former executives' accounts of "the transformation that never was," due to organizational problems and major client departures. Digiday connected those accounts to the new allegations surrounding Sony's investigation.
MediaPost dug into the evidence cited in Foster's amended complaint, including the financial records, internal emails, and WPP tracking documents allegedly presented by Sony — highlighting the complaint's allegations that WPP representatives had "no answer to give" when confronted with "black box" rebates funding media discounts.
The amended complaint in Foster v. WPP was filed on August 13, 2026 in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, New York County (Index No. 659721/2025). Lead counsel for Foster is William A. Brewer III, a partner at Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors.
Read the Digiday article on new court filings and WPP's stalled turnaround.
Read the MediaPost article on Foster's amended complaint and Sony's investigation.
AdWeek and ADOTAT Examine Sony's Investigation, Alleged Fraud Evidence, and WPP's Investor Messaging
AdWeek analyzed the new claims in an amended complaint filed on behalf of former WPP executive Richard Foster, focusing on the complaint's allegations regarding an independent Sony investigation of WPP's rebate practices and alleged evidence of fraud. The outlet later wrote that the case "reawakens age-old debates in Adland" surrounding principal media arrangements, rebates, and agency-client transparency.
ADOTAT also examined Sony's investigation, highlighting the complaint's allegation that WPP's general counsel described the potential exposure as "existential."
In a related piece published the next day, the outlet examined the widening gap between WPP's investor messaging and its internal reality, noting CEO Cindy Rose's previous descriptions of the company as having "lost its way" and being "very complicated" stood in stark contrast to WPP's earlier promise of a "radically simpler" WPP Media — which the outlet called "the plaintiffs' best evidence."
The amended complaint was filed on August 13, 2026. The case, Foster v. WPP, remains pending in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, New York County (Index No. 659721/2025). Richard Foster is represented by William A. Brewer III of Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors.
Read the AdWeek article on Sony's investigation and alleged rebate fraud.
Read the ADOTAT article on WPP Media's strategy and investor messaging.
Industry Analysts and International Press Weigh In on Foster Filing and the Breakdown of Agency-Client Trust
Trade analysts and international outlets reported on Richard Foster's amended complaint, filed August 13, 2026. Foster, the former CEO of WPP's Motion Content Group, alleges wrongful termination after reporting the company's alleged misuses of client rebate ad revenue. The amended filing alleges that Sony Group Corporation, one of WPP's largest clients, launched an independent investigation into WPP's rebate practices, raising concerns similar to Foster's.
Media Leader broke down seven key takeaways from the latest filing, quoting Nick Manning, an industry veteran and expert witness for the plaintiff, who called it "the most revealing" look at the "inner wiring" of the industry.
More About Advertising's Omar Oakes examined the complaint's account of what happened when Sony "stopped trusting WPP," using the alleged retention of 76% of Sony's China rebate funds to explore the deeper breakdown of trust between agencies and their clients.
MediaCat, in Turkish, focused on the significance of the alleged Sony review.
The filing was also covered by Business Insider, EMARKETER, Marketing Magazine Asia, and Adformatie.
Foster v. WPP (Index No. 659721/2025) is before the Supreme Court of the State of New York, New York County. William A. Brewer III of Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors is lead counsel for Richard Foster.
Read the Media Leader article here.
Read the More About Advertising article here.
Read the MediaCat article here.
Campaign's Global Network Reports on Foster Amended Complaint and Alleged $350 Million in Retained Rebates
An amended complaint filed by Richard Foster, former CEO of WPP's Motion Content Group, is drawing wide coverage in the advertising and business press. Reporting centers on Foster's termination, the alleged $350 million in retained rebates, and the complaint's allegations regarding a Sony Group Corporation investigation.
Campaign UK and its sister publications, Campaign US, Campaign Asia, Campaign India, and Campaign Canada reported on Foster's amended complaint. The complaint alleges that Sony, a WPP client, launched an investigation that found WPP retained $350 million in client rebates, including a "broker model that concealed the full value of rebates from clients."
Campaign Asia also questioned the implications for advertisers in a separate article, asking, "Is our CMO minding the store?"
Campaign UK reported on WPP's response to Foster's lawsuit, with WPP characterizing the case as a "naked attempt" to seek an "exorbitant payout."
The case, Foster v. WPP, is pending in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, New York County (Index No. 659721/2025). The amended complaint was filed on August 13, 2026.
Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors represents plaintiff Richard Foster. Firm partner William A. Brewer III is lead counsel.
Read the Campaign UK article on Foster's WPP lawsuit.
Read the Campaign US article on Foster's WPP lawsuit.
Read Campaign Asia's analysis of the WPP-Sony controversy.
Read Campaign India's report on Foster's amended complaint.
Read Campaign Canada's report on Foster's amended complaint.
Business Insider Reports Sony Investigation Found “Global Crime Scheme” Within Foster’s Whistleblower Amended Complaint v. WPP
NEW YORK – Business Insider reports that Sony commissioned an investigation into WPP’s media rebate practices and, according to a new filing in whistleblower Richard Foster’s lawsuit against WPP, concluded that the advertising giant operated a “global crime scheme” that improperly withheld millions in rebates from clients.
According to Foster’s amended complaint, Sony presented WPP with its investigative findings in 2025. The Sony presentation describes the practice in China and other markets as a “fraud scheme,”attributing its design to the same senior WPP executives identified in Foster's whistleblower reports. The Sony investigation allegedly draws on their review of a criminal trial involving WPP executives in China, interviews with former WPP and GroupM executives, and WPP’s own contractual, financial and tracking records.
A Sony slide titled “impact for WPP Advertisers – China 2024” claims approximately $110 million went back to clients that year, while $350 million remained in WPP’s rebate pool “for later utilization.”
Sony’s report provides significant support for Foster’s allegations in his legal battle with WPP. Namely, that WPP’s media investment operation used clients’ collective advertising spend to generate rebates, routed those rebates through intermediary brokers, and retained a portion of the resulting value as profit rather than returning it to the clients whose spending generated it.
For Foster, Sony’s findings reinforce the various warnings he raised for years inside WPP – warnings he alleges the company answered by firing him when he refused to stay silent.
"Richard Foster asked a question any agency should be prepared to answer: Are your profits derived from loyal service to your clients, or not?" said William A. Brewer III, partner at Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors and lead counsel to Foster. “When Mr. Foster concluded that Defendants did not have honest answers to that question, he informed the CEO — and was summarily fired."
Read the Business Insider article on Sony's investigation into WPP's alleged rebate practices.