Corpus Christi attorney William ‘Bill’ Edwards died at 91
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to correctly state the year Bill Edwards began his legal career and that he moved into an independent living community after his wife, Sally, suffered a stroke.
William “Bill” Ryle Edwards Jr., founder of The Edwards Law Firm in Corpus Christi and pioneer in personal injury law in Texas, died last week. He was 91.
Bill Edwards worked as a trial lawyer in Texas for more than 60 years, according to his obituary. He served on Texas Supreme Court committees and was a past president of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates and a fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, according to his law firm‘s website.
Bill Edwards was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, on Aug. 25, 1931, according to his obituary. He grew up in Virginia and graduated from Staunton Military Academy. He received his bachelor’s degree in political science and juris doctor degree from the University of Virginia, where he was a diving champion.
In 1953, Bill Edwards served as the first lieutenant in the US Army. He began his legal career in Houston in 1958, then moved to Corpus Christi and started a law firm a year later.
Later in his life, he moved into an independent living community after his wife, Sally, suffered a stroke.
His son, William “Billy” Edwards III, has been a partner at The Edwards Law Firm since 1986. Billy Edwards’ three siblings all became lawyers, a legacy that the younger Edwards attributed, in part, to the emphasis his father placed “on obtaining a thorough education.”
“His practice of law was his life, and so it was all part of our lives, too,” Billy Edwards said.
Bill Edwards was