William M. Sullivan, Jr.
Partner at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP in Washington, D.C., admitted pro hac vice as co-counsel for Rep. Nancy Mace in Mace v. Bowman (2025) and public spokesperson during the House Ethics Committee inquiry.
William M. Sullivan, Jr. is a partner at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, based in Washington, D.C. He served as co-counsel for U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace in the defamation action Congresswoman Nancy R. Mace v. Eric Bernard Bowman and acted as a public spokesperson for Mace in connection with the House Ethics Committee inquiry.
Role in the Mace litigation
Sullivan was admitted pro hac vice on July 10, 2025 to appear in Congresswoman Nancy R. Mace v. Eric Bernard Bowman, No. 2025-CP-10-02733 (Charleston County Court of Common Pleas), with Andrew B. Moorman, Sr. of Moorman Law Firm, LLC serving as required local counsel. The Post and Courier identified Sullivan as part of Mace's legal team in its coverage of the defamation suit. Sullivan also spoke publicly on Rep. Mace's behalf in connection with the House Ethics Committee inquiry into her conduct, as reported by Fox Carolina in coverage from December 2025 through March 2026; the inquiry is ongoing and no findings have been issued. Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, the firm at which Sullivan is a partner, also worked on Mace's side in the related GLT2, LLC v. Mace matter (No. 2025-CP-10-00981) in 2025, submitting attorney-fee billing in that sanctions proceeding.
House Ethics Committee response
On December 17, 2025, Sullivan issued a written response to the OCC referral findings on Mace's behalf, characterizing the report as "fundamentally flawed." Speaking for Mace, he stated that the report "appears to incorporate unverified assertions and materials that may have originated from, or been influenced by, Rep. Mace's former fiancé." Sullivan continued to represent Mace publicly through the Ethics Committee's March 2, 2026 release of the full OCC report. Sullivan's characterization is an attributed denial; the OCC's findings are those of its Board vote, which was 6-0; no Ethics Committee finding of a violation has been issued.
Office contact
- Firm: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
- Office: 1200 Seventeenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036
- Phone: (202) 663-8000
- Website: https://www.pillsburylaw.com
Sources
- Nancy Mace's Lawyers: A Timeline of Counsel
- Court Filings: Mace v. Bowman
- Rep. Nancy Mace files defamation lawsuit against Eric Bowman, The Post and Courier, May 12, 2025
- Rep. Nancy Mace under investigation by House Ethics Committee, Fox Carolina, Mar. 2, 2026
- Washington Examiner, Nancy Mace ethics inquiry alleged improper reimbursement (Mar. 2, 2026)
- WIS-TV, Rep. Nancy Mace under House Ethics Committee investigation (Mar. 2, 2026)