About William B. Bates
William B. Bates Jr. took a steady, conventional path into the practice of law. He earned a B.S. in Business from Drake University in 2001 and returned to Drake for his J.D., which he completed in 2005. Those years in Des Moines supplied the academic grounding that preceded his pass into personal practice in Illinois.
After graduation, Bates entered the firm that could form his career. He joined Woods & Bates as an affiliate in 2008. Two years later he became a companion on the identical firm, a change that reflected the jobs he had taken on and the responsibilities he assumed within the workplace. The titles hint a clear development: early years learning the craft, followed by a quick elevation to firm management.
Colleagues describe Bates as a person who prefers the nuts and bolts of legal work. He has spent his career practicing in Illinois, dealing with matters that require familiarity with state rules and procedures. His day-to-day work has concerned advising clients, making ready filings and appearing the place important in state boards. That realistic orientation has marked his time at Woods & Bates and formed how he allocates his expert awareness.
Bates’s place of work history is concise but steady. Remaining at one firm thru both affiliate and companion ranks has given him continuity with colleagues and clients. It additionally implies that his expert community is concentrated within the same legal network the place he has practiced since becoming a member of the company. That continuity can be a useful resource in managing instances and in advising clients on expectancies in Illinois practice.
Outside of casework, Bates’s public record does not display broad academic or bar leadership roles. He has not been introduced here as a writer of law review portions nor as a holder of public office. Instead, his professional identity is built round practice at Woods & Bates and around work carried out within Illinois’s justice system. He presently practices at Woods & Bates in Illinois, representing clients in things governed by Illinois law.
