Litigator William Marsillo ’94 Achieves New Success as General Counsel for PrimeLine Utility Services

William Marsillo ’94 may not be psychic, but his knowledge of engineering, problem solving skills and litigation experience have given him an uncanny ability to head off potential legal challenges for his employer, PrimeLine Utility Services.

Then again, Marsillo’s talent for perceiving – and preparing for – the future might be innate. “I was interested in the law from an early age,” he says. “I also really liked math and science, physics especially, and the prospect of a career in engineering. I liked learning how the world works. When I learned from a family friend that I didn’t need a pre-law or political science undergraduate degree to apply to law school, attending Stevens made perfect sense. I could pursue my love for engineering and then, if I still wanted to, could study law.

Once at Stevens Marsillo discovered the variety of disciplines that fall under the engineering umbrella, finally settling on materials engineering. “I was attracted to the prospect of learning about the development of new materials,” he says.

While a student Marsillo served on the Stevens Honor Board, including a year as chair. “It had a law-like aspect that appealed to me,” he says.

He also made Stevens history with his achievements as a soccer midfielder. Marsillo was a three-time All-Independent Conference honoree and was twice named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-Region team. A 1993 College Soccer Association of New Jersey All-State pick, Marsillo was the first-ever CoSIDA Academic All-American in the history of the Stevens men's soccer program for his performance in athletics and academics. He won both the Joel Crouch and Manny Sambade Men's Soccer awards and was the Gear & Triangle Best Athlete Senior Class honoree in 1994. A three-time All-Jersey 9 performer, Marsillo remains among program leaders in assists and assists in game as No. 4 for both. His 11 assists in the 1994 season lists fourth in the single-season record book.

It turns out that Marsillo did, in fact, remain interested in law. After graduating from Stevens, he attended Harvard Law School and clerked for federal judges in the District of Massachusetts and the Northern District of New York. He joined Boles Schiller Flexner LLP in 1999, staying with the firm for more than 22 years and earning his place as partner.

“I was a litigator, a role I loved,” he says. “I enjoyed constantly learning about new industries and constructing arguments. At Stevens I learned to bring rigor to the analysis of a problem. The logic you practice through the study of engineering and the proofs you need to provide are invaluable in structuring a legal argument.”

The time management skills he developed at Stevens have served him as well. “The Stevens curriculum is intense,” he says. “Balancing course work, soccer and other activities teaches you how to plan ahead and get things done.”

As his reputation as a litigator grew, Marsillo found that he was fielding more questions about how to avoid legal problems before they reached the courtroom. “I was having more conversations about strategy, and about looking around the corner to see what might be developing,” he says.

By the time he was considering the general counsel role at PrimeLine, Marsillo had become interested in using his experience, and his well-honed prescience, to help an organization grow. “Most companies look for a corporate lawyer, rather than a litigator, to serve as general counsel,” he points out. “But because I had already dealt with so many different problems in the courtroom, I could help the company see and address issues at an early stage. That enables me to provide strategic insights from a different perspective than someone without that experience.”

The 2013 Stevens Athletic Hall of Famer remains dedicated to his alma mater. “Soccer was really important to me,” he says. “I loved playing and being part of the team. I made great friends and had a lot of fun during the season and throughout the year, while learning so much about leadership and teamwork.”

Marsillo is also a generous supporter of the Stevens Men’s Soccer program and is helping to shape the future of Stevens athletics as a volunteer advisor. “I am looking forward to connecting with today’s scholar-athletes,” he says. “Alumni have so much to offer in terms of guidance and networking. For my part, I would be happy to introduce more students to law as a possible career path.”

“A law career might be an unusual choice for a Stevens graduate,” Marsillo admits, “but part of the reason for that might be that students have not had a chance to fully consider it. In the end, though, I hope to encourage students to have confidence that the education they are receiving at Stevens will serve them well, regardless of the career they choose.”