H. Lauren Williams
Car Accident Attorney
Attorney H. Lauren Williams moved around a lot when she was a kid and remembers that when her family would meet new people, they would always ask what she wanted to be when she grew up. According to her mom, from the moment Lauren knew what the question meant, she always answered that question by stating, “I want to be Batman.” Lauren says, “I know you’re probably laughing and that’s okay. I don’t want to be Batman because he is wealthy or has amazing technologies. I’ve always wanted to be Batman because he gave the people of Gotham City what they needed most: hope and justice.”
Lauren grew up the daughter of two United States Army Veterans. Her dad was a Police Officer for years and she remembers when he made detective, she was really young, but was extremely proud of him. He was young, but dedicated to justice. She wanted to be like her dad. He has and always will be her hero.
Growing up, Lauren’s parents instilled in her brother and her three main values: (1) family is everything, (2) pursuing the American Dream matters, and (3) education will open doors for you. For Lauren, the idea of the American Dream means doing better than her parents did. The next logical step always seemed to be for her to become an attorney.
Lauren’s family moved from Southern Arkansas when she was around ten, and spent the next three years in Colorado. Running around the mountains, climbing, skiing, and hiking, was incredible and something that she misses from time to time. They left Colorado and moved to Rochester, New York. As she started high school, she knew that college was next. Lauren worked hard and was accepted to attend Southern Methodist University in the Fall of 2007.
Going to SMU was an amazing experience for Lauren. SMU was the only school in college football history to receive the so-called Death Penalty. She got a job working as an Athletic Trainer for the university’s sports teams and had the opportunity to work with the football team. Lauren was apart of the team that broke the bowl game drought and was in Hawaii when they won the Hawaii Bowl for the first time in twenty-five years. Winning that game and feeling that emotion is a feeling that she will never forget.
With those memories fresh her my mind, when it was time to apply for law schools, Lauren took the Top 25 College Football Rankings and applied down the list. She loves college football. On Saturdays you can find her on her couch with her dad watching the game and cheering – sometimes yelling.
In the wake of applying for graduation from college and law schools, her world stopped – her dad called and said that he and her mom had been in a motor vehicle accident. She knew her dad was okay, but her mom was still in the hospital. The next few hours were a blur, but she cried like a baby when she finally was able to talk to her mom.
When Lauren was finally able to visit them, they were broken, but not beaten. Her parents retained an attorney who promised them things that he could never produce. They spent the next year or so frustrated and confused. She watched the turmoil and emotion they went through and vowed to always be honest and upfront with her clients.
In the end, prior to graduating from SMU, she chose to attend Michigan State University College of Law. Lauren is the first person in her family to attend law school. In the spring of 2011, she walked across the stage and received degrees in Liberal Arts, Political Science, and Ethics from SMU.
Lauren began the next chapter of her life at MSU. She participated in the Geoffrey Fieger Trial Practice Institute, where she worked with practicing attorneys to learn how to try cases from beginning to end. She took the opportunity and worked in the Immigration Law Clinic. She loved working with the clients and learning their incredibly harrowing stories.
Lauren interned with the Monroe County Public Defender’s Office and the United States Army’s Judge Advocate General’s Corps. Serving alongside active duty soldiers helped to shape her practice and reminded her that helping people was the most important thing she could do. She fought for victims of sexual assault and learned valuable lessons about how to practice and fight the good fight. Working with the Public Defender’s Office allowed her to see both sides of the argument and begin to become a more well-rounded attorney.
After graduation, Lauren came back to Upstate New York. She passed the bar exam and got a job working for a firm that specialized in real estate law. She was very proud to be a practicing attorney and to be able to carry on her father’s legacy. While she learned a lot about the practice of law, she wasn’t helping people like she wanted to. Lauren needed to help people. She needed to be Batman. So, she applied at William Mattar, P.C. and was offered a position. Lauren said that “Taking this position is one of the best decisions that I have ever made.”
Working with the clients at William Mattar has been incredibly rewarding and constantly reminds her that she made the right decision. Lauren is right where she needs to be. Working alongside her colleagues and our staff has been very educational and she learns something new everyday. Having the opportunity to help those in the wake of motor vehicle accidents has allowed her to become kinder and more understanding. Getting to know her clients and how these collisions have altered their lives has allowed her to fight for them and get them the justice that they deserve. Lauren always keeps in the back of mind what happened to her parents, and strives to provide the best legal representation that she can for her clients.
Outside of the office, Lauren spends as much time as possible with her family. She enjoys hiking and exploring mountain sides and parks that shes never seen before with her dog Huck by her side. She has recently began renovating her home and learning more about those projects. Lauren and her dad are working hard at turning her house into a home. She also loves to cook, watch movies, and listen to true crime podcasts.
Practice Areas:
Education:
- Southern Methodist University, Dallas Texas (B.A.), 2011
- Michigan State University College of Law, East Lansing, Michigan (J.D.), Cum Laude, 2014
Bar Admissions
- New York State, 2015
- U.S. District Court, Western District of New York, 2019
Professional Associations & Memberships
- New York State Trial Lawyers Association (Western New York Chapter)