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. 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 currently serves 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.
Professional
- American Bar Association
- President, 2024-present
- President-Elect, 2023-2024
- ABA House of Delegates
- Chair, 2018-2020
- Member, 2002-Present
- Chair, Nominating Committee, 2018-2020
- ABA Board of Governors
- Member, 2014-2020, 2023-Present
- Executive Committee, 2015-2016, 2018-2020, 2023-Present
- ABA Section of Litigation
- Chair, 2012-2013
- ABA Standing Committee on Bar Activities and Services
- Chair, 2009-2012
- Member, 2006-2012
- ABA Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession
- Member, 2012-2014
- The Missouri Bar
- Board of Governors, 2005-2009
- Co-Chair, Civic Education Committee, 2006-2007
- Chair, Advisory Committee on Citizenship Education, 1992-1994
- The Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis
- President, 2001-2002
- Chair, Executve Director Search Committee, 2006, 2020-2021
- 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
- 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
Community
- The Missouri Lawyer Trust Account Foundation (IOLTA)
- Board of Directors, 2004-2011
- FOCUS St. Louis
- Executive Committee, 2008-2012
- Nominating Committee Chair, 2008-2009
- Board of Directors, 2006-2012
- Selected Participant, Leadership St. Louis, 1996-1997
- Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis
- Chair, Executive Director Search Committee, 2006
- President, 2001-2002
- St. Louis Bar Foundation
- President, 2002-2003
- Legal Services of Eastern Missouri
- Bar Campaign Leadership Committee, 2009-2011
- Volunteer Lawyer Service Award, 1994
- Listed in The Best Lawyers in America (by BL Rankings), 2012-2025
- Listed in the POWER List for Business Defense by Missouri Lawyers Media, 2023-2024
- 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
- Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis
- President Award, 2007, 2021
- Listed in Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers (by Thomson Reuters), 2013-2019
- 2017 Spurgeon Smithson Award
- Honor awarded by The Missouri Bar Foundation for outstanding service towards the administration of justice
- Distinguished Lawyer Award, 2017
- The highest honor awarded by The Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis
- St. Louis Magazine’s inaugural Excellence in Law Awards
- “Leadership” Honoree, 2016
- American Law Institute, Class of 2016
- Missouri Lawyers Awards
- Influential Lawyer, 2013
- Missouri Bar President’s Award, 2002