Sheppard Mullin Mourns Loss of Partner, Arthur "Bill" William Brown, Jr.
Bill Brown, a corporate partner who had been with Sheppard Mullin his entire career, passed away Saturday, December 6, following a heart attack. He was 57.
"Our entire firm is deeply saddened. We have lost an extraordinary human being. In addition to being a generous, upbeat and positive partner who always made sure to ask how you and your family were, Bill was dedicated to recruiting the best talent for the firm he believed in wholeheartedly," said Guy Halgren, Chair of the Executive Committee. "He will be sorely missed."
Born in Denver, Colorado, in 1946, Brown received his B.S. from Northwestern University in 1968. He served in the United States Army as an infantry first lieutenant from 1968 until 1971, including a tour of duty in Vietnam. He received his M.B.A. and J.D. degrees from the University of Southern California, in 1972 and 1975, respectively. He graduated a member of the academic honorary, Order of the Coif. While attending law school, he was an editor of the Southern California Law Review.
Brown joined Sheppard Mullin in 1975. While associated with Sheppard Mullin, Brown worked for a year in Tokyo, Japan, with the Anderson Mori firm as part of an exchange program between that firm and Sheppard Mullin. This started the development of his international practice, which continued throughout his career.
Brown's legal practice also focused on corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, and technology licensing for a wide variety of business clients, including venture start up to seasoned companies. He served actively in the firm recruiting and continuing education programs.
He was a joint author of a treatise entitled "Organizing Corporations in California" and was a lecturer at many publicly and privately organized training programs for attorneys and businessmen, both in California and overseas. Brown was a member of the Executive Committee of the Business and Corporations Law Section of the Los Angeles County Bar.
A resident of Rancho Palos Verdes, California, Brown was married in 1971 shortly after separating from the service. His daughter is currently in college attending a semester abroad in Italy. Brown was an avid hiker and outdoorsman and is survived by his wife, Sally, daughter, Jenny, his mother, Margaret Brown, and two sisters, Dorothy Crain and Marlene Wilson.
The memorial service will be held on Monday, December 15 at 11:00 a.m.
at Rolling Hills United Methodist Church, 26438 Crenshaw Boulevard, Rolling Hills Estates, CA, (310) 377-6771.
There will be a reception at the church immediately following the service.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Yosemite Association, P.O. Box 230, El Portal, CA 95318 or the American Heart Association, Gift Processing Department, 1710 Gilbreth Road, Burlingame, CA 94010.
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