William “Bill” Hall, beloved husband, father, and grandfather, and prominent Chattanooga attorney, passed away, December 20, 2021, at home and surrounded by his family.
Before beginning his 40-year career as a Chattanooga attorney, Bill served his country as a member of the U.S. Marine Corps from 1960-66. After his military service, Bill went to work as a police officer, in Aurora, IL, where, during his 12-year tenure, he rose in the ranks from a beat cop to a Shift Commander. While working as a police officer, Bill earned a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology and Corrections from Aurora College; a Master of Arts in Public Administration from Northern Illinois University; and began work on his law degree. Bill earned his Juris Doctor from the Northern Illinois University College of Law in 1978 with a specialization in Public Law.
After finishing law school, Bill moved to Chattanooga to teach in the Criminal Justice program at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. During his time at UTC, Bill served as the Head of the Criminal Justice Department. Bill started his practice in Chattanooga in 1979 and established his own law practice in Soddy Daisy in 1986 and spent the next four decades helping clients from all walks of life solve their varied legal problems.
In 1995, Bill accepted a position as the coordinator of what became, thanks to his vision and leadership, the Legal Assistant Studies Program at UTC. From 1978 to 2000, he worked as a tenured associate professor in UTC’s School of Social and Community Services where he taught many students who later became members of the Chattanooga bar. After he retired from UTC in 2000, he taught in the Criminal Justice Program for another four years as a Post-Tenure Retirement Professor. In 2005, Bill accepted a position as an Assistant District Attorney in Hamilton County, retiring in 2017. Not one to rest on his laurels – or rest at all – Bill worked for the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office in the Investigative Administration and Fugitive Department until 2020 when he and his wife and partner of 27 years, Linda Hall, also a long-time Chattanooga attorney, moved to Arkansas to build their dream home on the banks of the White River.
In addition to his many legal and academic accomplishments and contributions, Bill was a gifted guitar player and singer. He was the founding member of a lawyer band affectionately called “The Pro Boners” that performed at various Pro Bono and other events in Chattanooga. Bill also was a gentleman farmer and a courageous and enthusiastic participant in countless Pilates and Barre classes with his wife and friend Sheri Fox.
Bill is survived by his wife Linda Hall; two sons, Brian Hall (Sandra Hall) of Mission Viejo, CA, and Brock Hall of Chattanooga; two grandchildren; and three dogs, Beauregard, Fuzz, and Abbie Tsu.
In keeping with his nature, Bill did not want the fuss and to-do of a funeral or memorial service.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice of the Ozarks or the American Heart Association.
