The Raymond A. Mason School of Business Congratulates Professor William L. Stauffer, Jr.
The Raymond A. Mason School of Business is dedicated to educating well-rounded students with the skills to be successful in all fields of business. One essential skill for successful management is an appreciation and understanding of business law and ethics, subjects taught by Professor William Stauffer. This year, Professor Stauffer has been honored for the 11th consecutive year by being named one of the Best Lawyers in America (in two categories: (i) commercial litigation and (ii) litigation – banking and finance).
Each year Best Lawyers, one of the oldest and most respected peer reviews in the legal profession, releases a list of Best Lawyers in America, encompassing the top 5% of lawyers in the nation. According to Best Lawyers, “Attorneys named to The Best Lawyers in America were recognized by their peers in the legal industry for their professional excellence in 145 practice areas. For the 2019 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America, 7.8 million votes were analyzed, which resulted in almost 60,000 leading lawyers being included in the new edition.”
Professor Stauffer attended William & Mary Law School before practicing law for forty-four years in Northern Virginia, Richmond, and Hampton Roads. Throughout that time, he spent nearly twenty-four years in management of law firms of all sizes, concentrating his work in business litigation. His career has taken him from courtrooms and boardrooms across the country, to the classrooms of William & Mary.
In 2010, Stauffer became an adjunct lecturer at William & Mary’s School of Business teaching the undergraduate course, “The Legal Environment in Business”. Since becoming a full-time professor in 2014, he has twice received the “Faculty Excellence Award” from the BBA classes of 2015 and 2017. He was previously honored by the University’s Seven Society for his commitment and contribution to the college community. In 2015, he was named to the class of Leaders of the Law by Virginia Lawyers Weekly, recognizing lawyers “who are setting the standard for other lawyers in Virginia.” Professor Stauffer now teaches multiple classes at the undergraduate and graduate levels, including “Ethical Accountability,” “Critical Legal Issues for Business”, and (advanced) “Business Law”.
Last year, Professor Stauffer retired from the active practice of law to dedicate his time to serving students. Along with his teaching, he is very passionate about connecting his students with future professional opportunities. Each semester, he meets in person with each of his undergraduate students, at least once, to get to know their future goals and assist them in achieving those goals.
“I’m very appreciative of the Best Lawyers’ honor,” said Stauffer, “but, I believe the real benefit is it underscores to my students that their instructor has actually ‘been there and done that,’ and has been repeatedly recognized in the business community for those achievements.”
The Raymond A. Mason School of Business at William & Mary is proud to congratulate Professor William Stauffer for his 11th consecutive year being named to Best Lawyer’s list of Best Lawyers in America for the year 2019. Well done, Professor Stauffer!
