William Stauffer

Biography

William L. Stauffer, Jr., Esq., is Clinical Associate Professor, Emeritus, for the Raymond A. Mason School of Business, at William & Mary. He was, until February of 2017, when he retired from the active practice of law, a senior trial partner/shareholder and then of counsel with a regional AmLaw 200 law firm, resident in its Newport News, Richmond, and Tysons, VA offices.

Mr. Stauffer’s law practice focused on complex business trials and disputes, primarily involving the financial institution, mortgage banking and real estate industries. He has decades of experience litigating and resolving disputed matters in state and federal courts and is admitted to practice law in the Commonwealth of Virginia (and, prior to 2019, in the District of Columbia). Mr. Stauffer is further admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, the United States Court of Appeals of the Fourth Circuit, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the United States Tax Court, and the Supreme Court of the United State.

For almost 25 years, Mr. Stauffer was managing partner or office managing partner of local, regional or national law firms (in Tysons, Virginia). Locally, he served as President and Director of the Newport News Bar Association. Mr. Stauffer has been recognized by Virginia Business magazine on multiple occasions as one of the state’s “Legal Elite” for civil litigation. The Best Lawyers in America has recognized Mr. Stauffer, for twelve (12) consecutive years, as a top lawyer in the areas of commercial litigation and also banking and finance litigation. Mr. Stauffer was named Best Lawyers’ 2014 Norfolk Litigation – Banking and Finance “Lawyer of the Year.” Virginia Super Lawyers has also recognized him for business litigation. Martindale-Hubbell has rated Mr. Stauffer an AV attorney, its highest rating available, and also awarded him its highest possible Peer Rating. On August 25, 2015, Virginia Lawyers Weekly announced that he had been named to the 2015 class of Leaders of the Law, which recognizes lawyers across the Commonwealth “who are setting the standard for other lawyers in Virginia.” Leaders are “recognized for changing the law, serving the community, changing practice or improving Virginia’s justice system, among other accomplishments.”

In the fall of 2010, Mr. Stauffer became an Adjunct Lecturer at Raymond A. Mason School of Business where he first taught the undergraduate course, “The Legal Environment of Business.” In August of 2014, after a national search had been conducted by the College, Mr. Stauffer was selected to be a full-time Clinical Associate Professor. He taught “The Legal Environment of Business” (to approximately 260+ undergraduate students each year) and has designed and taught “Ethical Advocacy” (EMBA and FlexMBA), “Critical Legal Issues for Business” (EMBA and FlexMBA), and (advanced) Business Law (MAcc) courses to approximately 150+ graduate students each year.

On May 17, 2015, on May 14, 2017, and again on May 12, 2019, Professor Stauffer received the “Faculty Excellence Award” from William & Mary’s BBA Classes of 2015, 2017, and 2019, respectively. Previously, he received the Seven Society’s formal recognition, as a faculty member, for “his tremendous commitment and contribution to the College Community” at William & Mary. In 2019, he was selected by The Bishop James Madison Society to present his “Final Lecture,” an honor extended to a single departing professor or staff member with “an exceptional reputation for service to the University and beyond.” The Board of Visitors awarded Professor Stauffer Emeritus status as of the fall of 2019.

Professor Stauffer is a graduate of The Pennsylvania State University and The Marshall-Wythe School of Law, William & Mary.