It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of William W. Horton who, at the time of his death, was co-chair of the firm’s Healthcare Industry Team and Office Head for our Birmingham office. Bill died on March 7, 2023 at home surrounded by his family after a brave battle with cancer.

Since 2014, Bill has been a partner in the firm’s Birmingham office and in the Corporate Practice Group. He represented clients around the country on major transactions, compliance, and governance issues. Bill had a national healthcare practice representing healthcare providers and other business enterprises in mergers, acquisitions, and joint ventures, securities and corporate finance law, regulatory compliance, and corporate governance matters. Prior to joining Jones Walker, Bill was a practice group leader at two Birmingham-based law firms and served as general counsel of one of the nation’s largest publicly traded healthcare providers.

Bill was involved in complex corporate finance and acquisition transactions in almost all sectors of the healthcare services industry. He represented issuers in securities offerings and periodic reporting, representation of borrowers in complex financing transactions, counseling healthcare providers on regulatory compliance, and representation of healthcare enterprises, financial services businesses, and other business clients in corporate governance matters, acquisition and divestiture transactions, joint ventures, venture investments, and other business transactions. He also had extensive experience in government and internal investigations. He was also a certified mediator for the American Health Lawyers Association Dispute Resolution Service and regularly served as a hearing officer for medical staff peer review hearings.

A very active member of the healthcare law community, Bill was a regular speaker and national author in the areas of healthcare law, corporate and securities law, and professional responsibility. He held active leadership positions in the American Bar Association's Health Law Section and the American Health Law Association for several years, serving in 2015-16 as Chair of the ABA Health Law Section and as a member of the ABA House of Delegates, as Editor-in-Chief of AHLA's Federal Healthcare Laws & Regulations and as a member of AHLA's Dispute Resolution Service Council. He also served from 2011-2014 as Chair of AHLA's Business Law and Governance Practice Group.

As a mentor and teacher in all aspects of his life, Bill also served as an adjunct professor at the University of Alabama School of Law and as a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry. Recognized by his peers as a leader in the healthcare and legal industries, Bill received many awards and honors throughout his career, including being listed by Chambers USA in Healthcare annually since 2017, receiving the BTI Client Service All-Star award in 2020, being honored by Best Lawyers® as the "Lawyer of the Year," Securities Regulation Law award for Birmingham, Alabama in 2019 and the "Lawyer of the Year," Corporate Governance Law in Birmingham, Alabama in 2018. He was also listed annually since 2007 by The Best Lawyers in America® in Corporate Compliance Law, Corporate Governance Law, Health Care Law, Securities/Capital Markets Law, and Securities Regulation.

Bill was a great advocate for diversity, inclusion, and adoption. He appreciated suspenders, fine clothes and shoes, a good meal, and travel. More than anything else, he deeply loved his family.

Our condolences and prayers go out to his entire family and loved ones.

To read Bill’s obituary, please click here. Our deepest condolences go out to Bill’s entire family.