Bill specializes in business and corporate matters, including mergers and acquisitions, ownership transition programs, and counseling on the formation and structuring of new ventures and existing businesses. He acts as general counsel for many of his clients who don’t have in house counsel.
Bill has helped develop ownership transition programs for a number of the leading professional service firms in California for over 25 years, and also speaks extensively on the topic. Since 1992, Bill has given presentations at AIA National Conventions, SMPS/PSMA conferences, and other professional gatherings concerning ownership transition and mergers-acquisitions programs for service firms. Bill is the co-author of “Architect’s Essentials of Ownership Transition“, a recently published book on ownership transition for the design profession and other service businesses. He also counsels professional service firms in related areas such as contract negotiation, risk prevention, dispute resolution, and employment law.
Bill and his partner, Laura Howard, have over 40 years of combined experience working with A/E clients. The duo has handled transactions ranging in size from $1 million to $250 million in enterprise value. Bill and Laura are the authors of ‘Merger, Merger Everywhere‘, the feature article in the Winter/Spring 2012 issue of the ACEC CA trade magazine, Engineering and Surveying Business Review.
Bill graduated from the University of California, Berkeley (Boalt Hall School of Law) in 1969 and prior to that time received his Bachelors degree in Accounting at the University of Southern California. He is also a Certified Public Accountant, having worked at both Ernst and Young and Deloitte and Touche in San Francisco prior to becoming an attorney. Bill began his legal career with the San Francisco law firm of Jackson, Tufts Cole & Black.
Bill was a member of the Board of Trustees of The Head Royce School, an independent school located in Oakland, California for nine years and served as Chairman of its Finance Committee. Bill and his wife are the proud parents of seven children and nine grandchildren. Bill is also an avid cyclist and squash player.
