Bill Hallman Jr.
William P. Hallman, Jr. passed away on November 30, 2020. With him goes an era marked by incredible family and friends, substantial legal transactions, humorous life anecdotes, and a life well-lived.
Bill co-founded the law firm, Kelly Hart & Hallman, in 1979. He was a respected tax attorney in Dallas who came to Fort Worth to talk to Dee Kelly and Mark Hart about practicing law. As I heard the story, Dee and Mark were looking for a real estate attorney, and Bill instantly morphed from a tax attorney to a real estate attorney during those discussions.
And a premier real estate attorney he was…working on some of the largest transactions in the country, including the purchase and sale of the Plaza Hotel in New York City, the acquisition of American Savings Bank (which at the time was the largest failed savings and loan in the country during the time of many failed thrifts in 1988), and numerous other deals that spanned from East Coast deals to Hawaii hotels.
When trying to sum up who Bill Hallman was, his fellow law partners and friends all agree: Bill was a true Renaissance Man.
In addition to his premiere legal mind, he loved music, art and literature, and he had an encyclopedic knowledge of all three areas.
I benefitted from that knowledge when I was a young associate. A small video/music store on Main Street was going out of business and had vastly reduced the price on all the classical music CDs. I wanted to take advantage of the sale but did not know where to begin. Bill offered to help make some selections.
I remember he showed no hesitation. Bill went at the task with a vengeance — and didn’t consult with me on anything. He was on a mission. And he not only had various composers and pieces of music he wanted to select, but he had particular orchestras he wanted for the selections he made.
I still have those CDs and have gotten countless hours of enjoyment from them. But that was quintessential Bill. He knew everything about everything.
Bill was an artful negotiator. As firm partner Bob Grable noted, Bill was masterful at understanding the parties, the conflict, and the timing. His clients always knew that Bill would not ever unnecessarily leave any money on the table during a deal.
Kelly Hart partner Pati Meadows put it well: “Bill had a unique negotiating style that served our clients exceptionally well. I loved watching him across the table from ‘big city’ lawyers. With his slow Texas drawl and friendly banter, Bill would lean back, roll up his sleeves, and listen to the other lawyers make their self-important speeches.”
“He would let them pontificate about unimportant issues, and then he would calmly draw a line in the sand on the real deal points,” Pati continued. “Though others might rant and rave – Bill spoke with a calm authority that drowned out the noise. Bill always came away with an excellent outcome for our client – and the opposing counsel left with huge respect for this Texas lawyer. To use one of his favorite phrases, Bill was indeed a ‘prince of a fella.’”
And everyone he mentored had the same takeaway: Bill had a huge impact on their lives and the kind of attorneys they became.
As former Kelly Hart partner John Fant stated: “Bill was one of the greatest men I’ve known in all respects and had a deep influence on me and all he dealt with.”
Dee Kelly Jr shared that sentiment: “I can tell you that as a 22-year-old graduate of law school, I was worried about going to work for a small firm in FW with my intimidating father. I’ll always give Bill credit for being the guy who put his arm around me and convinced me Kelly Hart was the right place for me and my future. Some thought Bill was a bit of a curmudgeon, but he was as genuine a man as I’ve ever known.”
Dirk Eshleman, who worked with Bill Hallman as a young associate and eventually as his partner, said that he believes what placed Bill above other incredibly sharp legal minds was that Bill was an astute and insightful student of human nature: “It was that quality that made him so successful with his clients and being able to guide contending parties toward the successful conclusion of transactions and resolution of conflicts.”
Billie Ellis, who practiced for years with Bill, pointed out that he learned early on much from Bill. Of course, he was able to see Bill in action and view his negotiating skills, but he learned some practical things.
On Billie’s first business trip with Bill, they flew out to the West Coast to meet with a client, and in the short span of a few days, Bill taught Billie how to appreciate good scotch, smoke a fine cigar, and play poker…life-long skills which he says have stood him in good stead.
Bill Hallman possessed many exceptional qualities; indeed, generosity and selflessness were among them.
Marianne Auld, now managing partner of Kelly Hart & Hallman, remembers: “Years ago, Bill and I had been working with some other lawyers out of town, and I came down with a stomach bug. I was pretty green by the time we got to the airport to fly home. As our flight was called, Bill handed me his first-class ticket and took my coach ticket from me. I tried to protest, but he just smiled and said, ‘Don’t even think about trying to stop me.’ I later learned that, while I took a nap in his first-class seat, Bill sat in the middle of a packed row next to a baby that screamed for the duration of the flight. I, of course, was horrified, but he just laughed. He was genuinely a class act.”
Bill Hallman led a good life.
He worked at what he loved—and was both fiercely intelligent and remarkably loyal.
He had a robust sense of humor and possessed a strong wit.
He had a deep love for this city, his friends, and his clients.
He treasured happiness.
He combined a carpe diem attitude with devotion to his family and untarnished professionalism at work.
Everything Bill Hallman did, he did with integrity.
Bill Hallman led a good life, and he will be sorely missed. There will not be another one like him.
Sharon Millians is a corporate transactional partner specializing in real estate matters at Kelly Hart & Hallman in Fort Worth.