William G. Paul

William G. Paul, a proud member of the Chickasaw Nation, is recognized as one of America's premier lawyers. Growing up on his family's dairy farm in Pauls Valley, he always had ambitions to be a lawyer. Paul was on the varsity debate team at the University of Oklahoma (OU) where he graduated with honors in 1952. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps for two years then returned to OU to earn a law degree. Paul was elected president of the Oklahoma County Bar Association in 1971 and became president of the Oklahoma Bar Association (OBA) in 1976.

He was elected as a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers in 1978 and served as general counsel and senior vice president of Phillips Petroleum Company 1985 to 1995. Paul is one of only two Oklahomans to ever serve as president of the American Bar Association (ABA). As ABA President, Paul worked to improve diversity within the legal profession. He staunchly supported racial and ethnic diversity initiatives in an effort to maintain public trust and confidence in the criminal justice system. Paul worked to create scholarships and opportunities for historically underrepresented groups in the legal profession. He launched efforts to increase access to affordable legal aid. In addition to his leadership roles, Paul was a managing partner at the oldest and largest law firm in Oklahoma, Crowe & Dunlevy.

In 2000 he was the recipient of the OBA's Lifetime Achievement Award and two years later Paul received the ABA's Spirit of Excellence Award for Commitment to Diversity in the Legal Profession. He was inducted into the OU Law Hall of Fame in 2011.