Biography
Born in Philadelphia and raised in Des Moines, Iowa, Bill Holt moved gradually westward—with a 7-year stop in Iowa City to pick up his undergraduate and law degrees—until he got to Tacoma in 1970. He has lived and worked here in the Northwest ever since, joining GTH in 1971 after clerking for Judge William T. Beeks in the U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington.
His primary areas of practice include the purchase and sale of businesses and large commercial real estate projects, as well as intellectual property law, privacy and publicity law, public records law, and finance.
Bill is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and he was the recipient of the GTH Founders Award in 2010. He has also served on the Executive Committee of the Economic Development Board of Tacoma-Pierce County. And, proving that inside every great lawyer there lives a great actor, Bill is a past president of the Tacoma Actors Guild.
Representative Matters
Represents buyers and sellers in real estate transactions involving large commercial and residential properties.
Represents buyers and sellers in the purchase and sale of businesses.
Prepares, reviews, revises, and/or negotiates a wide variety of business contracts.
Counsels landlords and tenants on agreements concerning office space, retail shopping space, and ground leases.
Represents lenders and borrowers with respect to loan transactions.
Advises clients with respect to construction contracts and construction law.
Advises clients on the registration of copyrights and trademarks.
Professional History
EDUCATION
J.D. (with distinction), University of Iowa Law School, 1970
B.A., University of Iowa, 1967
JURISDICTIONS ADMITTED TO PRACTICE
Washington State Courts
U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington
PROFESSIONAL & BAR ASSOCIATION MEMBERSHIPS
Washington State Bar Association
- Sections on Corporation, Business and Banking Law, Real Property, and Probate and Trust
American Bar Association
- Sections on Corporation, Banking and Business Law, General Practice, Individual Rights and Responsibilities, Property and Litigation
Fellow, American Bar Foundation
PROFESSIONAL HISTORY
Joined Firm in 1971
Clerk for Judge William T. Beeks, U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington, 1970-71
GTH Board of Directors, (1998, 2001-2002); Board of Directors, Chair and Managing Partner, (2007-2012)
HONORS & AWARDS
AV Preeminent Rated by Martindale Hubbell
Listed in Who’s Who in America
Recipient of the Gordon Thomas Honeywell Founders’ Award, 2010
Adjunct Professor, University of Puget Sound Law School, 1974-75
Notes Editor, University of Iowa Law Review, 1968-70
COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES
Actively involved in the Presbyterian Church of Olympia
Past president, Tacoma Actors Guild
ARTICLES & PRESENTATIONS
Speaker on the Public Records Act at various Continuing Legal Education seminars