William

G.

Klain

BILL KLAIN, a Director of Fennemore Craig, has practiced in the areas of complex corporate and commercial litigation for over thirty years, representing clients in trial and appellate courts providing mediation and arbitration services. 

Bill has served on the State Bar of Arizona’s Civil Practice and Procedure Committee since 2000, and chaired the Committee from 2011-2014.  He is an appointed member of the Arizona Judicial Council’s Committee on Superior Court.  Previously, Bill served as Co-Chair of the Court’s Task Force on the Arizona Rules of Civil Procedure and as a member of the Court’s Advisory Committee on the Rules of Evidence, Committee on Civil Justice Reform, Business Court Advisory Committee, and Committee on Civil Rules of Procedure for Limited Jurisdiction Courts. 

Through these committees and task forces, Bill has been involved with the restyling of the Arizona Rules of Civil Procedure, Arizona Rules of Civil Appellate Procedure and Arizona Rules of Evidence, the drafting of the 2018 Civil Justice Reform Amendments and Justice Court Rules of Civil Procedure, the design of the Maricopa County Superior Court’s Commercial Court, and a host of other civil rules projects.  

He was awarded the Chief Justice of Arizona’s Outstanding Contribution to the Courts Award in 2016, the State Bar of Arizona’s Member of the Year Award in 2013, the Scottsdale Bar Association’s Award of Excellence in 2012, and the State Bar of Arizona President’s Award in 2008. 

Bill is a frequent presenter on civil practice and procedure, and has chaired or served on the faculty of more than 75 CLE programs for the State Bar and other professional associations. He taught a course on Civil Pretrial Practice for five years as an adjunct professor at Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law.  

Bill received his J.D. from the University of Denver and B.A. from the University of Richmond. He lives in Phoenix with his lovely wife and their two daughters.