William T. Plybon

• Created a litigation management infrastructure and developed internal budget controls for multi-national legal department, resulting in a 20 percent reduction in in-house legal costs in the second year of implementation.
• Experienced with internal investigations of sensitive corporate matters, particularly regarding financial issues, and provided recommendations regarding necessary changes for compliance with various regulations and internal controls.
• Provided strategic leadership and legal advice related to mergers and acquisitions, focusing on process improvements and addressing interests of all related constituents.

Bill Plybon focuses his practice on providing legal advice and management expertise to public companies and general counsel. From 2007 to 2014, he was vice president, secretary and deputy general counsel of Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc. (CCE). As corporate secretary, Bill was responsible for board relations and corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance matters, disclosure, securities compliance, internal investigations and litigation. He was a member of the core management team that negotiated and led the $14 billion sale and reorganization transaction with The Coca-Cola Company in 2010. He also led the creation of the company’s ethics and compliance function.

Before becoming secretary, Bill was vice president, director of litigation at CCE. In this role, he was responsible for litigation and claims management, with focus on class actions, labor and employment law, intellectual property, and multi-party commercial disputes.

Prior to joining CCE in 2004, Bill was a partner in the Litigation and Trial Practice Group at Alston & Bird. He is a member of the Boards of Trustees of The Westminster Schools and LaGrange College, and is a member of the Southeast Region Board of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF.

Bar Admissions

• Georgia

Education

• Emory University (J.D., 1986)
• University of Kansas (B.S, 1982)