Lonnie J. Williams Jr. Class of 1972

Managing Partner, and Equity Partner – Stinson LLP

Lonnie J. Williams Jr. graduated from THS in 1972, where he was Senior Class President and a member of the 1970 and 1971 football championship teams (All City selection). He attended the University of Arizona on an academic/leadership scholarship from the former owners of Old Tucson, Robert, and Carolyn Shelton. Lonnie graduated from the University of Arizona with Highest Distinction in 1976 and attended Yale Law School.

Lonnie started his practice in Phoenix at the largest law firm in the state. In 1985, he became a partner, the first in a major law firm in Phoenix. Over his long legal career, he has received the most legal accolades available locally and nationally. Some of Lonnie’s honors include being named on numerous occasions as one of the Top 100 Most Powerful Employment Lawyers in America, one of the 500 Leading Litigators in America, a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers (the most exclusive organization of trial lawyers in North America). He was honored by the AZ Business Leaders for his leadership as a “catalyst for Arizona’s economy”, named to the Top 50 Attorneys in Arizona, selected by the Phoenix Business Journal as Most Admired Leader, selected as a Southwest Super Lawyer from 2007 to the present in Business Litigation and Employment. Lonnie has also been presented with a Living History Award from the Phoenix Links, the Arizona Black Bar Lifetime Achievement Award, and the 2021 President’s Award by the State Bar of Arizona for his exceptional contributions to enhancing and promoting the legal profession and inducted to the Maricopa County Bar Association Hall of Fame.

Outside the courtroom, he is an established leader. Lonnie has served on the Phoenix Urban League Board and the Phoenix Memorial Hospital Board, rising to Chairperson. He is past president of the National Conference of Bar Presidents and the Maricopa County Bar Association. In addition, he has been recognized as one of the Most Admired Arizona Business Leaders in Arizona. He is currently the Managing Partner of Stinson’s Phoenix Office and serves on Stinson’s Board of Directors.