Born in Chicago and raised in San Mateo Park, CA, Bill Neukom led an active life in law, higher education, philanthropy, and baseball. After graduating from Dartmouth and Stanford Law School, Neukom moved to Seattle, serving as a law clerk in the King County Superior Court before starting private practice. Through the American Bar Association, he met Bill Gates, Sr., who became a mentor and role model. Through Gates, Neukom met Bill Gates, Jr., who had just moved his new company, Microsoft, to Seattle.

Neukom represented Microsoft as outside counsel starting in 1978, joined as General Counsel in 1985, and retired as Executive Vice President in 2002 to return to private practice. He also served as president of the American Bar Association, college trustee, managing partner and CEO of the San Francisco Giants, and founder and CEO of the World Justice Project. Neukom died in Seattle in July 2025.

This image shows Bill Neukom in 1980, when he ran unsuccessfully for Attorney General of Washington state.

Caption information source: “William H. (Bill) Neukom, Obituary”, The Seattle Times: Obituaries, July 23, 2025. obituaries.seattletimes.com/obituary/william-neukom-1092998225. Retrieved November 21, 2025.