Our dear friend, partner and mentor William F. Haug (Bill to everyone) passed away on Thursday, December 12, 2024, surrounded by loved ones. Bill will be remembered for his passion and commitment to family, the law, the bar, and service to his community.
A native Arizonan, Bill was born in Globe, Arizona and resided in the Phoenix area for most of his life. He attended Phoenix Union High School, and later went on to attend Phoenix College. Bill completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Arizona where he majored in accounting. In 1956, he received his law degree from the University of Arizona. While attending the University of Arizona, Bill met his wife, Nancy. The couple celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary this past summer.
After graduating from the University of Arizona in 1956, Bill joined what was then the largest law firm in Phoenix, the 14-lawyer firm of Jennings, Strouss & Salmon, where he practiced for the next 25 years. In 1981, he became a partner of Jennings, Kepner & Haug (now known as Jennings Haug Keleher McLeod Waterfall) where he practiced until his retirement.
Bill acted on his belief that lawyers should serve their communities. His community involvement included serving for 10 years as an elected member of the Creighton Elementary School District Board, where he was Board President on three occasions. Bill was also an Elder and President of the Memorial Presbyterian Church in Phoenix, where he and Nancy are members, and also found the time to serve as President of the Camelback Little League.
Many are more familiar with Bill’s service to the legal community. For several years, Bill served on the Maricopa County Bar Association’s Board of Directors, gladly accepting the role of President of the organization from 1974-1975. In addition, Bill spent many years serving on the Board of Governors of the Arizona State Bar He served as President of the Arizona State Bar from 1982-1983.
In 2006, the Construction Law Section of the Arizona State Bar, of which Bill was a founding member, honored him for his 50 years of exemplary service in the field of construction and surety law with a special Award of Recognition.
Bill was involved in the creation of the Arizona Foundation for Legal Services and served as the Foundation’s President in 1994. In June of 2004, Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano showed her appreciation for his dedication to the Foundation for Legal Services by recognizing him with the Silver Star Award for his instrumental role in creating the Foundation. In 2007, Bill was the recipient of the Walter E. Craig Distinguished Service Award from the Arizona Foundation for Legal Services. This award is presented by the Foundation to an attorney who has manifested adherence to the highest principles and traditions of the legal profession, and service to the public in the community in which he lives.
Bill was also a founding member of the Maricopa County Bar Foundation, the charitable arm of the county’s bar association. In 2006, he received the Volunteer Lawyers Program Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing his leadership in the establishment of laws that protect the rights of all citizens.
As his contributions to Arizona and the legal community indicate, Bill never assumed that just showing up is enough. In virtually every aspect of his life, Bill donned the mantle of leadership and was willing to serve and to give of himself. His Arizona colleagues may not realize how far these qualities carried him on the national level, where Bill Haug served in various leadership capacities for the Torts and Insurance Practice Section of the American Bar Association and the Fidelity and Surety Law Committee of that Section. Bill was Chairman of the Fidelity and Surety Law Committee and also served as the Secretary/Treasurer for the Torts and Insurance Practice Section. In January 2001, the American Bar Association’s Fidelity and Surety Law Committee presented him with the Martin J. Andrew Lifetime Achievement Award to recognize his substantial contributions to the committee, as well as to the fidelity and surety industry. Likewise, the surety industry, through the Surety Association of America, awarded Bill the SIO Silver Award in 1998, recognizing his outstanding contributions to the development of surety law nationwide.
While Bill was not a man of large physical stature, he was a giant in every way that mattered. Thanks to his legal acumen, his national reputation, his dedication to serving the community and the bar, and in his role as husband and father, Bill positively impacted the lives of many. He believed strongly in professionalism and treating everyone with respect and collegiality, legal adversaries included. Bill is survived by a large and loving family, former clients, colleagues throughout the country and his former partners. We here at Jennings Haug Keleher McLeod Waterfall feel truly blessed by the time he spent with us, the example he set, and the legacy he leaves.
