William S. Barker

William S. Barker was born on February 13, 1924, in Oakland, California, to Leon and Marian Barker. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II, landing at Omaha Beach on D-Day and later taking part in the liberation of the Buchenwald concentration camp. After the war he returned to California and attended the University of California at Berkeley. He later moved to Las Vegas in 1955, working in the accounting office of the Desert Inn Hotel.

Through the Junior Chamber of Commerce, Bill came to know John Mendoza, Tom Bell, Bill "Wildcat" Morris and other young attorneys who encouraged him to pursue the law. He attended the American University Law School in Washington, D.C., and, upon completing his studies, went to work with District Attorney John Mendoza. In 1963 he became the first full-time city attorney for North Las Vegas.

In 1966 Bill entered private practice with George Cromer, and Kent Michaelson later joined the firm. Over the course of his career he tried many product cases alongside Arnold Siegel, and was eventually joined in practice by Gerry Gillock and Jan Brown, among others. At the close of his career he served as "of Counsel" to Barker, Brown, Busby, Chrisman & Thomas. Bill was one of the founding Masters of the Howard D. McKibben Inn of Court, working diligently to establish and sustain it, believing the Inn and its members were foundational to fostering a high level of legal practice and to better serving the community.