Education

Baylor Law School, J.D.

St. Mary's University School of Law, Honorary Degree

Dickinson College, Honorary LLD

Flagler College, Honorary Degree

Davis & Elkins College, Honorary Degree

McMurry University, Honorary Degree

Baylor University, B.S., Political Science and Economics

Bar Admissions

Texas
District of Columbia

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William S. Sessions

Partner
Washington
t: 202-419-2410

William S. Sessions is a Partner in Holland & Knight's Washington, D.C. office. Judge Sessions' practice focuses primarily in Alternative Dispute Resolution procedures.

Judge Sessions serves as an arbitrator and mediator for the American Arbitration Association, the International Center for Dispute Resolution and for the CPR Institute of Dispute Resolution as a District Panelist, National Panelist of Distinguished Neutrals and on the Arbitration Appeal Panel.

Following 10 years of private practice with the firm of Haley, Fulbright, Winniford, Sessions & Bice in Waco, Texas, Judge Sessions served as the Section Chief of the Government Operations Section of the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., the United States Attorney for the Western District of Texas, United States District Judge for the Western District of Texas, Chief Judge of that court and as the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Judge Sessions has received several honorary degrees.

Professional Honors & Awards

  • Martindale-Hubbell AV Rated
  • Lawyer of the Year, Baylor University Law School, 1988
  • Price Daniel Distinguished Public Service Award, 2002
  • The Best Lawyers in America guide, Corporate Governance and Compliance Law, 2007-2008
  • Constitution Project's Inaugural Constitutional Champion Award, 2008
  • Holland & Knight's Chesterfield Smith Award, 2008

Memberships

  • The Council for Excellence in Government
  • San Antonio Bar Association
  • Federal Bar Association
  • American Bar Association
  • Judicature Society
  • American Bar Foundation
  • William S. Sessions American Inn of Court
  • National Association of Former U.S. Attorneys
  • Governor's Anti-Crime Commission (Texas)
  • Governor's Task Force on Homeland Security for the State of Texas, Vice Chairman
  • State Bar of Texas, Judiciary Relations Committee Member
  • Waco-McLennan County Bar Association, Former President
  • Federal Bar Association of San Antonio, Former President
  • District Judges Association of the Fifth Circuit, Former President
  • Federal Judicial Center (Washington, DC), Board of Directors, Former Member
  • American Bar Association, Committee on Independence of the Judiciary, Initial Chair (1997)
  • American Bar Association, Advisory Commission to the Standing Committee on the Law Library of Congress
  • Coastal Texas 2020, Steering Committee
  • Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Holiday Commission, Former Member
  • Texas Commission on Judicial Efficiency, Former Member (1995-1997)
  • Texas Commission on a Representative Student Body, Former Member (1997-1998)
  • Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project, Honorary Board Member
  • The Center for the Study of the Presidency, Signatory
  • Commission on Safety and Abuse in America's Prisons, Commissioner
  • American Bar Association, Member of the Commission on Civic Education and the Separation of Powers
  • Baylor University, George W. Bush Presidential Library Steering Committee Member
  • American Bar Association, Task Force on Domestic Surveillance in the Fight Against Terrorism
  • American Bar Association, Task Force on Presidential Signing Statements and the Separation of Powers
  • Philmont Scout Ranch, Member, Philmont Scout Ranch Committee
  • Global Legal Information Network Foundation (GLIN), Chairman, Advisory Council
  • The George Washington University Homeland Security Policy Institute, Steering Committee, Member
  • The Constitution Project, Member, Liberty & Security Initiative; Member, Death Penalty Initiative; and Member, First Amendment & Government Secrecy Initiative
  • American Bar Association, Commission on the 21st Century Judiciary, Honorary Co-Chair (2002)
  • Innocence Commission for Virginia, Advisory Board Member

Court Admissions

  • U.S. Supreme Court

Speaking Engagements

  • The FBI Laboratory Program on the Forensic Use of DNA for Identification Harvard Journal of Law and Technology, Harvard Law School, November 13, 2008

Published Articles & Books

  • "Public Faces, Private Fears," Litigation, The Journal of the Section of Litigation, American Bar Association Vol. 32 No. 1 , Fall 2005