J. William Conger Takes the Helm as OBA President

Bill was born March 6, 1945, in Shreveport, La., five minutes before his twin sister, Betty. He was raised in Shreveport and was horrified when his father announced the family was moving to Bartlesville, Okla., at the end of his sophomore year. Turns out, it was meant to be. Bill met and started dating Sherry Martin during his junior year at his new high school, Bartlesville College High School. They have been married 40 years now and have three grown daughters, Christen and Jennifer of Oklahoma City and Erin of Denver, Colo. They have two grandchildren, Parker, age 7, and Julianne, age 5. Another member of the family is Bill’s blonde lab, Max.

EDUCATION AND LEGAL CAREER

Bill graduated from Oklahoma University in 1967 with a degree in history. He is a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity. He attended the law school at Louisiana State University but transferred to Oklahoma University School of Law and received his juris doctor in December 1970.

Bill began his practice with Woods Corp. (NYSE) in Oklahoma City and became general counsel. He later became a solo practitioner before founding with Larry Hartzog and Len Cason the Oklahoma City firm of Hartzog Conger Cason & Neville, where he practiced for 25 years. In 2003 he became of counsel to the law firm and moved to Oklahoma City University, where he is university general counsel and a member of the faculty at the OCU School of Law. He teaches courses in trial practice, introduction to legal practice and complex litigation. In 2005, he was named Professor of the Year.

He is a member of the American Bar Association, Oklahoma Bar Association, Oklahoma County Bar Association and the Tulsa County Bar Association.

OBA ACTIVITIES

Bill has been very active in the state bar for many years. He has served on the Board of Governors since 2003 and has served on and chaired numerous committees. He has served as Bench and Bar Committee vice chair and is the current chair of the Bar Center Facilities Committee, which is overseeing the renovation of the Oklahoma Bar Center. Bill is a member of the Access to Justice Committee and Work/Life Balance Committee. In 2004 he was chair of the OBA Task Force on Tort Reform.

OBA AWARDS

In 2004 he received the John E. Shipp Award for Ethics and the President’s Award for outstanding service to the Oklahoma Bar Association.

OKLAHOMA COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION ACTIVITIES

Bill served as Oklahoma County Bar Association president in 2000-2001 and served two terms as a director of the association. He served on and chaired numerous committees including the Law Day Committee, Fee Grievance and Ethics Committee, Legal Aid Fundraising Drive and the Work/Life Balance Committee.

AFFILIATIONS

Bill is a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers, a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and a Benefactor Fellow of the Oklahoma Bar Foundation of which he is also a trustee. He is a master emeritus of the William J. Holloway Jr. American Inn of Court, where he served as president, counselor and was an Executive Committee member. He is listed in Best Lawyers in America and was selected as an Oklahoma Super
Lawyer.

HOBBIES

Bill plays a lousy game of golf but enjoys the camaraderie. He loves to read and enjoys boating on Grand Lake.

COMMUNITY SERVICE

In addition to his bar association activities, Bill has been very active in his community. He is a past president of the Heritage Hall School Board of Trustees and is a former director of the Speck Home for Boys and was a member of the Oklahoma City Museum of Art Legacy Campaign. He currently serves on the Executive Committee for the Oklahoma City University School of Law and is a Director of the YMCA Youth and Government Program.

LEADERSHIP STYLE

“Hopefully, I lead by example,” he says. “In any event, I delegate and let people do their job. I try not to micromanage. I believe we have a very strong staff of veteran directors at the bar who manage the day-to-day operations of our association quite capably.”

Personal Trivia
What was your very first job?
Working on a survey crew for Cities Service Oil Co.

What station is your radio tuned to in the car & home?
Channel 74, satellite radio - Bluesville

If you could choose a superpower, what would it be?
Photographic memory

Early bird or night owl?
Early bird

Who has made the biggest impact on your life?
My father who was a lawyer and teacher. He taught me to love the legal profession and that teaching really is doing the greater good.

What would your career be now if you had not become a lawyer?
History professor at a small liberal arts college

What famous person (living or dead) would you most like to meet?
Abraham Lincoln

What’s your favorite sporting event?
Final Four basketball

What’s your happiest childhood memory?
Fishing with my father

What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?
Chocolate

Favorite vacation spot:
Any place with water. I love my home on Grand Lake.

Nobody knows:
Can’t tell … it’s a secret.

Who would you like to star in a movie about you?
I always like Spencer Tracy.

I wish I could sing like:
Elvis

My worst habit is:
The usual . . . procrastination

Favorite movie:
“To Kill a Mockingbird” A classic!

Name one thing you will never part with:
Elvis CDs

What inspired you to become a lawyer?
My father

What makes you laugh?
A good practical joke

Favorite food:
Barbeque from JT’s in Del City

Favorite book:
There are many, but “Winds of War” by Herman Wouk ranks right up there.

Favorite color:
Green

What do you enjoy most about teaching?
The ability to make an impact and difference ina student’s life

Best advice I could give to a new lawyer is:
The law is dynamic and constantly changing. Always stay technically competent. Work hard but have a life. Take care of yourself physically and spiritually and have a healthy work life balance. Improve yourself intellectually — take a course, teach a course, read good books — study humanities, history, philosophy, literature. This will take you to the realm of wisdom and, if you are technically competent and exercise wise judgment … you will be called —counselor.

The most important thing I learned in law school was:
Lawyering is hard work!  

J. William Conger Takes the Helm as OBA President
Published 79 OBJ 7 (January 12, 2008)