William H.Neukom

Bill Neukom is the Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of the World Justice Project, an organization devoted to promoting the rule of law throughout the world.  He is a retired partner in the Seattle office of the international law firm K&L Gates and is a lecturer at Stanford Law School, where he teaches a seminar on the rule of law.

Following eleven years of a diverse practice including civil rights cases and representation of community organizations, Neukom was the lead lawyer for Microsoft Corporation for nearly 25 years managing its legal, government affairs, and philanthropic activities. He retired from Microsoft as its Executive Vice President of law and corporate affairs in 2002, then returned to his law firm and served as its chair from 2003 to 2007.

He is a trustee emeritus of University of Puget Sound and Dartmouth College, where he served as chair of the board from 2004 to 2007. Neukom was president of the American Bar Association from 2007 to 2008, following service in prior years as chair of the Young Lawyers Section, secretary of the Association, and state delegate for the State of Washington. He received the ABA Medal in 2020. Neukom was Chief Executive Officer of the San Francisco Giants baseball team from 2008 through 2011. He joined the board of directors of Fortinet, Inc. in 2013 and was elected lead independent director in 2018. 

He serves on the board of several not-for-profit organizations, including the Asia Foundation, the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford, Ecotrust, and the William D. Ruckelshaus Center. He is a member of the Dean’s Council at Stanford Law School and served as its chair 2012-2016. In 1995, Mr. Neukom and his four children founded the Neukom Family Foundation, which supports not-for-profit organizations in the fields of education, the environment, human services, justice, and public health. 

Neukom earned his A.B. from Dartmouth College and his LL.B. from Stanford University, and has honorary degrees from Dartmouth College, Gonzaga University, the University of Puget Sound, and the University of South Carolina.

He and his wife, Sally, live in Seattle and together have five children and sixteen grandchildren.