With mixed emotions, we announce the retirement of our co-founder and beloved partner, William (Bill) K. Hoskins.
Bill, for over 50 years, has been a dedicated servant to his advisory clients, Fortune 100 companies as their General Counsel and to the legal profession at large. With the utmost certainty, he has earned the right to step back and focus his energy and time on his 5 children, 15 grandchildren, and 7 great grandchildren.
We will sorely miss Bill’s insights, perspectives, and guiding hand that have been instrumental in creating the modern practice of settlement counsel. He designed Resolution Strategies with value distinction that has earned the trust of both the legal and business communities.
Bill’s career has been marked by many extraordinary professional and personal achievements. Bill often reminds us, in the sum of what has made him a remarkable and successful man, was his guiding light – his elegant life partner – Elizabeth Hoskins.
We know many who look at Bill’s early achievements in Cincinnati and Kansas City as hallmarks of an impressive career. Others would point to his legendary run as general counsel of successive international pharmaceutical companies as his mark (which includes shepherding the Daubert decision through to conclusion before the US Supreme Court, perhaps one of the most impactful developments in the evolution of American jurisprudence).
From the Resolution Strategies’ perspective, our esteemed partner’s final chapter in his professional life will be his pinnacle accomplishment – the founding and leadership of the first law firm, solely committed to the practice of early dispute resolution as settlement counsel.
Early dispute resolution has been the subject of endless ruminations over the past century – a resounding need recognized by both clients and the legal profession. While many insightful articles and books have articulated the theory of dispute resolution, Bill Hoskins delivered the execution and validation of the theory.
In 2001, Bill came together with two like-minded attorneys. They defined a new approach to a legal practice. Their pioneering work gave life to the early dispute resolution processes written about by Roger Fisher[1] and others. Bill was not only “in the room where it happens” – he opened the door, set the agenda and made it happen. Bill will be remembered as one of those who reshaped the course of the legal profession by giving definition to the role of settlement counsel.
We have been linked arm-and-armed with Bill for over 20 years solving cases “that couldn’t be settled”, saving our clients’ thousands, millions, and even billions of dollars. Our work is now recognized for not only fostering good judgment, but as a hallmark of good business.
To us, Bill is the father of modern settlement counsel and we are honored to have had Bill as our founder, partner, and beloved dear friend.
Our heartfelt thanks to you Bill – and we look forward to your continued support of Resolution Strategies and early dispute resolution options.
[1] What about Negotiation as a Specialty?, Roger Fisher, American Bar Association Journal, September 1983, Volume 69, Page 1221; He Who Pays the Piper, Roger Fisher, Harvard Business Review Magazine, March 1985.