Theodore "Ted" Von Wells, Jr. (born April 28, 1950) is an American trial lawyer and defense attorney known for his practice in white-collar crime cases. He is a partner and co-chair of litigation at the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. From 2010 to 2025, he was one of twelve fellows of the Harvard Corporation, the governing board of Harvard University.

After graduating from the College of the Holy Cross in 1972, Wells earned his JD from Harvard Law School and his MBA from Harvard Business School in 1976. He is known for his representation of prominent financial and political figures, including Scooter Libby, Raymond Donovan, Mike Espy, Michael Milken, Frank Quattrone, and governors Eliot Spitzer and David Paterson.

Early life and education Wells was born in Washington, D.C., on April 28, 1950, and grew up in a rowhouse. He has a younger sister, Toni, and several half-brothers and half-sisters on his father's side. His mother, Phyllis Wells, was a mail clerk at the U.S. Department of the Navy from Virginia. His father, Theodore V. Wells Sr., was a taxi-driver. After his parents separated during his childhood, Wells was raised by his mother. He graduated from Calvin Coolidge High School in 1968, where he played center for the school's football team. In his junior year, he received athletic scholarships to play football at the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania State University, Boston University, and North Carolina A&T State University.

After high school, Wells initially committed to play football at Pittsburgh, but withdrew to attend the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, to study economics instead, enrolling there on a scholarship provided by Tom Boisture. As an undergraduate at Holy Cross, Wells was classmates with U.S. Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas, poet Edward P. Jones, and roommates with running-back Ed Jenkins. He played football for the Holy Cross Crusaders but withdrew after his freshman year to focus on coursework. He co-founded the college's Black Student Union (BSU) and became its chairman in his final year. In his senior year, Wells was named the Fenwick Scholar, the college's highest academic honor. He graduated from Holy Cross with a Bachelor of Arts in economics in 1972 with membership in Alpha Sigma Nu.

After graduating from Holy Cross, Wells won a full scholarship to pursue graduate studies at Harvard University, where he simultaneously enrolled in both Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School, earning his Juris Doctor (JD) and his Master of Business Administration (MBA), respectively, in 1976. In law school, he studied under law professors Derrick Bell, Morton Horwitz, and Phillip Areeda, and was classmates with Kenneth Chenault, Franklin Raines, and Charles Ogletree. He was also elected an editor of the Harvard Civil Rights–Civil Liberties Law Review and worked as a summer associate at PwC, Arnold & Porter, and Alston & Bird. He was one of only 43 black students at Harvard Law School at the time.

Career From August 1976 to August 1977, Wells served as a law clerk for Judge John Joseph Gibbons of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. He was Gibbons' second black clerk—the first being Arthur Martin, a fellow classmate at Holy Cross. Gibbons had met Wells when Wells was an undergraduate in 1969, and Gibbons became his close friend and mentor. During his time as a clerk, Wells met Samuel Alito, then a clerk for Judge Leonard I. Garth, and described him as "one of the smartest lawyers I’ve ever met."

After finishing his clerkship, Wells joined the law firm of Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker in Los Angeles, California. Shortly afterwards, he moved to Lowenstein Sandler in Roseland, New Jersey. In 1983, Wells gained fame for his successful representation of Harold Ruvoldt, a Hudson County state prosecutor accused of bribery and extorting $115,000 from a real estate developer, despite having never tried a case at the time. Ruvolt was found not guilty and was acquitted of all charges on February 3, 1983, after being represented by Wells during the trial. Then in 1987, Wells became the lead defense attorney for U.S. Secretary of Labor Raymond Donovan, who went to trial for fraud charges that year. Wells received national attention when his representation of Donovan during the case's eight-month trial resulted in Donovan being found not guilty on all of his more than 100 counts.

Wells stayed at Lowenstein Sandler for over 20 years before moving to the white-shoe firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison.

Wells was selected by The National Law Journal as one of America's best white-collar defense attorneys. In 2006, Wells became the co-chairman of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. In 2010, Wells became one of twelve fellows of the Harvard Corporation, the primary governing board of Harvard University. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2020.

Representation and clients Wells has been considered one of the most prominent litigators in the United States.

In 2019, Wells represented ExxonMobil in People of the State of New York v. Exxon Mobil Corp., a suit alleging that the company misled the company's investors about management of risks posed by climate change.

Wells represented Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Jr.,National Law Journal, June 19, 2006. who was convicted on March 6, 2007, in the CIA leak grand jury investigation for perjury, obstruction of justice, and lying to the FBI. Wells filed an appeal of Libby's convictions,CNN.com, March 7, 2007. but dropped the appeal in December 2007 after President Bush commuted Libby's 30-month prison sentence.CNN.com, December 10, 2007.

Some of Wells' more notable clients include Michael Espy, Senator Robert Torricelli, and Congressman Floyd Flake.The New York Times, November 5, 2005. He represented former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer against allegations stemming from his alleged involvement in a prostitution ring.The New York Times, March 14, 2008.

In 2008 Wells won a $364.2 million verdict for Citigroup in a trial against Parmalat. Parmalat had been asking for $2 billion in damages. The jury found that Citi was not liable, and gave Citi the highest verdict award permissible.

Wells also has represented several major corporations during class action lawsuits including Merck, Philip Morris, and Johnson and Johnson.

In November 2013, the National Football League hired Wells to prepare a report on a bullying incident with the Miami Dolphins involving Richie Incognito. The report, released on February 14, 2014, made headlines for its finding of "a pattern of harassment".

Wells also served as the national Treasurer to Democrat Bill Bradley's presidential campaign.

In 2015, Ted Wells was again hired by the NFL, this time to investigate the New England Patriots' alleged "Deflategate" infractions. His report concluded that it was "more probable than not" that Tom Brady was "generally aware" of tampering with NFL game footballs during the 2015 AFC Championship Game. Ted Wells's independence and impartiality has been called into question in the wake of the report because of his extensive prior business relations with the NFL, his use of a scientific consultancy with a reputation for questionable client-serving results, and because of his track-record of success exculpating high-profile clients and corporations during public scandals. Eventually, Judge Richard Berman overturned Tom Brady's suspension in the Deflategate saga that had been based on Wells's report; however the Second Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated it in 2016.

Personal life Wells married his high school girlfriend, Nina Mitchell, in 1971. He and his wife reside in Livingston, New Jersey.The Washington Post, February 21, 2007., State of New Jersey, backed up by the Internet Archive as of December 31, 2007. Accessed February 24, 2011. "Secretary Wells and her husband, Ted Wells, Esq. reside in Livingston, NJ and have two grown children, Teresa and Phillip." He has two children: Teresa and Philip.

Notes

References "Profiles in Power: The 100 Most Influential Lawyers in America", National Law Journal, June 19, 2006. Linton Weeks, "Ted Wells, Center Of the Defense: Scooter Libby's Attorney Makes His Case for the Powerful", The Washington Post, February 21, 2007. Eric Lichtblau, "A Libby Lawyer Long Used to the Legal Spotlight", The New York Times, November 5, 2005. Alan Feuer and Benjamin Weiser, "For Spitzer, Lawyers Both Formidable and Familiar Prepare to Do Battle", The New York Times, March 14, 2008. Michael Reardon, "THE PROFILE: Theodore V. Wells Jr. ’72" , Holy Cross Magazine, Fall 2005; accessed April 9, 2008. Kevin Bohn and Paul Courson, "Democrats to Bush: Don't pardon Libby", CNN.com, March 7, 2007; accessed April 9, 2008.

Ken Bensinger and Ralph Vartabedian, "Toyota Calls in Exponent Inc. as Hired Gun, "The Los Angeles Times", February 18, 2010; accessed May 14, 2015. Lloyd Grove, "The Scandal Guru", The Daily Beast, March 11, 2010; accessed May 14, 2015.

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