- OVERVIEW
- INSIGHTS
- NEWS & EVENTS
INDUSTRIES
PRACTICES
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Education
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University of Michigan Law School,
J.D., cum laude
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University of Missouri-Columbia,
B.A., cum laude
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Admissions
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Missouri
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Illinois
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Florida USDC, Northern District
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Illinois USDC, Central District
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Illinois USDC, Northern District
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Illinois USDC, Southern District
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Indiana USDC, Northern District
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Indiana USDC, Southern District
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Kansas USDC
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Missouri USDC, Eastern District
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Missouri USDC, Western District
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Ohio USDC, Northern District
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US Ct Appeals, 7th Circuit (IL, IN, WI)
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US Ct Appeals, 8th Circuit (AR, IA, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD)
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US Ct Appeals, 11th Circuit (AL, FL, GA)
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Affiliations
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American Bar Association
President, 2024-present
President-Elect, 2023-2024
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ABA House of Delegates
Chair, 2018-2020
Member, 2002-Present
Chair, Nominating Committee, 2018-2020
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ABA Board of Governors
Member, 2014-2020, 2023-Present
Executive Committee, 2015-2016, 2018-2020, 2023-Present
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ABA Section of Litigation
Chair, 2012-2013
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ABA Standing Committee on Bar Activities and Services
Chair, 2009-2012
Member, 2006-2012
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ABA Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession
Member, 2012-2014
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The Missouri Bar
Board of Governors, 2005-2009
Co-Chair, Civic Education Committee, 2006-2007
Chair, Advisory Committee on Citizenship Education, 1992-1994
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The Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis
President, 2001-2002
Chair, Executve Director Search Committee, 2006, 2020-2021
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Court Appointments
Co-Chair, Commission on Racial and Ethnic Fairness, 2015-2023
Co-Chair, Joint Task Force on the Future of the Profession, 2015-2017
Co-Chair, Commission on Women in the Profession, 2013-2015
Member, Joint Committee on Gender & Justice, 2009-2013
Missouri Lawyers Trust Account Foundation, 2004-2011
Missouri Board of Law Examiner Grader, 2000-2006
Merit Selection Panels for Consideration of the Reappointment of a U.S. Magistrate Judge, 2000, 2002
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Member Other Bar Associations
Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis
Missouri Bar Association
Illinois State Bar Association
Mound City Bar Association
Women Lawyer's Association
Lawyer's Association of St. Louis
St. Louis County Bar Association
Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers
National Native American Bar Association
National Bar Association
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Recognitions
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Listed in The Best Lawyers in America (by BL Rankings), 2012-2025
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Listed in the POWER List for Business Defense by Missouri Lawyers Media, 2023-2024
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Named Lawyer of the Year for Litigation - Banking and Finance in St. Louis by The Best Lawyers in America (by BL Rankings), 2013, 2017, 2019, 2021
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Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis
President Award, 2007, 2021
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Listed in Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers (by Thomson Reuters), 2013-2019
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2017 Spurgeon Smithson Award
Honor awarded by The Missouri Bar Foundation for outstanding service towards the administration of justice
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Distinguished Lawyer Award, 2017
The highest honor awarded by The Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis
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St. Louis Magazine's inaugural Excellence in Law Awards
"Leadership" Honoree, 2016
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American Law Institute, Class of 2016
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Missouri Lawyers Awards
Influential Lawyer, 2013
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Missouri Bar President’s Award, 2002
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Employment
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Thompson Coburn LLP
Partner
Chair, Client Relations Committee, 2002-2014
Chair, Employment Committee, 1995-1999
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Community
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The Missouri Lawyer Trust Account Foundation (IOLTA)
Board of Directors, 2004-2011
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FOCUS St. Louis
Executive Committee, 2008-2012
Nominating Committee Chair, 2008-2009
Board of Directors, 2006-2012
Selected Participant, Leadership St. Louis, 1996-1997
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Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis
Chair, Executive Director Search Committee, 2006
President, 2001-2002
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St. Louis Bar Foundation
President, 2002-2003
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Legal Services of Eastern Missouri
Bar Campaign Leadership Committee, 2009-2011
Volunteer Lawyer Service Award, 1994
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Bill Bay represents major corporations in high-stakes litigation nationally and is also at the forefront of leadership in the legal profession as president of the American Bar Association.
He achieves favorable results for clients in state and federal courts across the country, and frequently serves as regional or national counsel for clients facing suits and regulatory actions in multiple venues.
An integral member of the legal community, Bill has long been an active leader in the American Bar Association and assumed the role of president in 2024. In August 2023, Bill was elected as the ABA's president-elect. He served as the 2018-2020 Chair of the ABA House of Delegates, the policymaking body of the association. Bill is also a past Chair of the ABA Section of Litigation, the largest section in the ABA, and a past member of the ABA Board of Governors, serving as the chair of the Board's Finance Committee. He was also selected to be a member of the American Law Institute, the leading independent organization in the United States that works to improve the law. Bill has been selected as chair of multiple statewide commissions, examining critical issues in the practice of law. He previously served as the co-chair of the Supreme Court of Missouri's Commission on Racial and Ethnic Fairness.
Bill's clients vary from major financial institutions, to manufacturers, to post-secondary institutions. He litigates cases on behalf of companies facing high-risk litigation and helps businesses manage and respond to large portfolios of litigation in multiple jurisdictions. These matters include highly complex and document-intensive cases involving breach of contract, fraud, corporate governance, insurance coverage, lost profits, lender liability, and tortious interference. Bill's extensive litigation experience includes insurance coverage cases as well as trust and estate litigation, including issues relating to fiduciary obligations.
TCLEs
Recent Court Decisions in Student Disputes That You Should Know About
Minimizing Litigation Risk As To Student-Related Disputes
Blogs
Higher ed braces for flood of lawsuits over retirement plans
News
Thompson Coburn Earns Recognition in Missouri Lawyers Media Top Law Firms and Power Lists
Bill Bay Begins Tenure as American Bar Association President
Bill Bay Named to Defense POWER List
Thompson Coburn Attorneys Named to Missouri Top 100 Power List
Thompson Coburn Partner Bill Bay Selected as ABA President-Elect
Congratulations to our 2021 Best Lawyers ‘Lawyers of the Year’ and ‘Ones to Watch’
Congratulations to our 14 ‘Lawyers of the Year’ for 2019
Bill Bay elected chair of the ABA House of Delegates
Thompson Coburn honors Civil Rights pioneer Frankie Muse Freeman
Bill Bay receives Spurgeon Smithson award
Bill Bay to receive Distinguished Lawyer Award at 2017 Law Day festivities
Missouri Joint Task Force on the Future of the Profession releases 2016 report
Bill Bay named a 2016 ‘Excellence in Law’ award winner by St. Louis Magazine
Congratulations to our 2017 ‘Lawyers of the Year’
Bill Bay elected to American Law Institute’s class of 2016
Bill Bay elected chair of ABA Board of Governors’ Finance Committee
Bill Bay elected to ABA Board of Governors
DirectWomen to host gender pay equity program on April 7-8 in St. Louis
Happy 97th birthday to legal pioneer Frankie Freeman
Bill Bay named co-chair of Joint Commission on Women in the Profession
Bill Bay live-tweets Eric Holder, Hillary Clinton speeches at ABA Annual Meeting
Bill Bay invites Litigation journal readers into ‘The Black Box’
Bill Bay hosts Gideon v. Wainwright anniversary panel, live stream
Bill Bay named Influential Lawyer by Missouri Lawyers Media
19 Thompson Coburn partners named 2013 St. Louis Lawyers of the Year