William Neukom '64 was practicing law at a medium-sized firm in Seattle about 20 years ago when the managing partner of the firm told him about his son who was running a two-year-old computer software company in Albuquerque, NM.
The son was moving the software company up to Seattle, and he wanted Neukom to be responsible for the company's legal needs. All he knew was that the son was named Bill Gates, and he was about to help him out with his venture called Microsoft.
Neukom has never known exactly why he was considered well-suited to take the position. Nobody knew much about computer technology at the time, and Neukom was in the midst of practicing full-service law.
He nevertheless took the offer -- hardly aware that the decision would propel him to becoming the chief council in what has been called one of the landmark antitrust trials of the century.
Twenty years later, Neukom sat for an interview with The Dartmouth in the lounge of the Hanover Inn before attending an event with his fellow members of the Board of Trustees. Taking a break from his work representing Microsoft in the U.S. Justice Department's lawsuit against the corporation, he discussed his days as a student at the College and his times as a lawyer.
Philosophy and fratting
After attending a public high school in San Mateo, Calif., he found Dartmouth to be "a step up in terms of academic demands," and he was impressed by the curriculum, small classes, accessibility of the faculty and intellectual life at the College.
Neukom majored in philosophy -- a body of thought which he said has been a help to him in his pursuits as a lawyer. He said philosophy was a "rigorous" major that helped him think in different manners and exposed him to "particularly smart people who were grappling with very difficult questions and concepts."
Dartmouth's liberal arts education has helped Neukom "look at the law with a microscope and a telescope."
Active in the extracurricular life of the College as well, Neukom sang in the Glee Club and was a member of the Dartmouth Christian Union. During his senior year, he was president of Chi Phi fraternity, currently known as Chi Heorot fraternity.
Neukom fondly remembers his life as a brother in Chi Phi, a fraternity that was known for hosting parties with "particularly good bands," while also discussing issues "around themes of, quote: 'truth and beauty,'" he said, laughing.
"I liked the diversity of the people who were in my fraternity, and I liked their somewhat unorthodox approach to things," Neukom said.
Neukom recalled when one brother in the house wrote a play that was a variation on Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for Godot" for a theatrical competition, and the brother "dragooned about three or four of us to make fools of ourselves" and to act in the play.
While Neukom enjoyed his relationships with many of his classmates inside and outside of his fraternity, he said one of the greatest improvements at the College since he was a student has been coeducation.
His children Josselyn, Samantha and Jay graduated from the College in 1990, 1991 and 1997, respectively, and Neukom said it is "clear to me that it is a much better [coeducational] institution, academically and in terms of student life, in terms of preparing people for useful citizenship." Joining the Microsoft empire
After his time at the College, Neukom attended law school at Stanford University, graduating in 1967.
He worked early in his law career in a private practice, emphasizing litigation and general practice and also doing work for non-profit organizations.
Neukom later increased his focus on business law, and he currently manages the law department at Microsoft. On Neukom's recommendation Microsoft created its own law firm within the corporation in 1985.
"It's been a wonderful professional opportunity," Neukom said.
"It's an intellectual property business ... Useful technology in the form of our software products helps people be better informed, more productive, and more efficient in their working lives, and more enriched in their personal lives," Neukom said.
Neukom said the Microsoft antitrust trial is "certainly the most public lawsuit" that he has been a part of, but not all legal business for the corporation is so high-profile.
"Spotlight is not something that the company has sought," Neukom said. "When you represent a client that is so prominent, I guess you should expect a certain amount of attention to be paid, even to the legal side of that business."
Most of the law department at Microsoft focuses on writing licenses for new technology created by the company, transferring the rights to use the technology and investigating possible counterfeiters. The department also deals with employment, Federal security, patent, trademark and copyright laws -- "making sure that we have legal protection for the intellectual property that we create."
Neukom lives in Seattle and is active in many of the outdoor activities that his surroundings offer. He enjoys fly fishing, skiing, golf, hiking and long-distance running, and has participated in six marathons.
He is also a "jazz buff," and he loves to travel. Neukom has visited regions including Europe, Latin America, the South Pacific, Australia, New Zealand and Asia -- a "fringe benefit" of his work for Microsoft.
