William Venema

Bill Venema (Law ’81 CM) recently published his second novel, Dawn in Dallas.

Set in the late 1980s, the book follows the journey of Robert E. Clark, the protagonist from Death in Panama, as he leaves the Army JAG Corps and embarks on a career in private law practice. He secures a position at Underwood & Crockett, a prestigious law firm in Dallas, Texas, even though his young daughter and ex-wife reside in Pemberton, Georgia, the small town where he grew up. 

Things get complicated when Robert receives disturbing news from home at the same time he is confronted with unethical behavior by one of the senior partners in the firm.  The challenges of his new career and his responsibilities as a father pull him in opposite directions, and he doesn’t always make the right decision. 

Dawn in Dallas has its share of plot twists and interesting characters and along the way reveals some of the darker secrets of life inside a large law firm and the serious deficiencies of the court system.

Currently, Bill is Of Counsel in the Austin office of Jackson Walker LLP. He and his wife live in Georgetown, Texas.

William H. Venema (Law ’81 L/M) has written a novel that is loosely based on a murder case he prosecuted in Panama shortly after graduating from law school.

Death in Panama tells the story of Captain Robert E. Clark who arrives in Panama on his first tour of duty as a lawyer. He struggles to reconcile his Southern upbringing and West Point training with a strange new environment. Panama is a muddled mix of conflict and corruption, where, among other things, marriage vows don’t mean what they did at the First United Methodist Church of Pemberton, Georgia. When Clark is assigned to prosecute a murder case involving the death of a thirteen-month old little girl, his ambition causes him to neglect his wife and daughter more than usual and—even worse—bend the rules in ways that call into question what kind of man he is and what he truly values.

Death in Panama has been described as an intriguing, thought-provoking tale of unrestrained ambition and its consequences. Death comes in many forms, each lethal in its own way.

Bill Venema is a Distinguished Graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He also earned an MBA from Georgia State University and a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law. His legal career spans over thirty years and includes time in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps, in law firms, and as in-house counsel in major corporations.  He has written extensively on legal topics and published a book entitled The Strategic Guide to Selling Your Software Company.  Prior to entering private practice, Bill served in the U.S. Army in Germany, Panama, and several stateside assignments. He is a graduate of the Army’s Airborne and Ranger schools, as well as the Command and General Staff College. His author website is at: www.williamhvenema.com.