William J. Van Ness, Jr.

Member

Bill Van Ness is a founding partner of Van Ness Feldman. His practice focuses on representing clients on policy issues before Committees of Congress, federal administrative and regulatory agencies and agencies of state governments.

Mr. Van Ness served as Special Counsel (1966-1969) and Chief Counsel (1970-1977) to the Energy and Natural Resources Committee of the United States Senate under Chairman, Senator Henry M. Jackson (D-WA).

During his service with the Senate, Mr. Van Ness was an active participant in the development of many landmark natural resource, environmental and energy laws. Measures for which he was primarily responsible include the National Environmental Policy Act, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Authorization Act, and the Energy Policy and Conservation Act.

Mr. Van Ness works out of the law firm’s Seattle, WA and Washington, D.C. offices. He is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia, the State of Washington and the State of Alaska, as well as before the United States Supreme Court. Mr. Van Ness serves as President of the Henry M. Jackson Foundation. He also has served on the Board of Directors for the University of Washington Academic Medical Center, where he was the Chair of the Board’s special Review Committee, which undertook a major study of UW Medicine’s compliance with federal health care billing regulations. The Committee’s Report, Achieving Excellence in Compliance, is available at www.depts.washington.edu/uwmbrc.

Government Service

• Chief Counsel, Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, U.S. Senate, 1970-1977
• Director, U.S. Senate National Fuels and Energy Policy Study, 1972-1974
• Special Counsel, Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, U.S. Senate, 1966-1969

Professional and Civic Affiliations

• American Bar Association