Danny C. Williams

For Danny Chappelle Williams (JD ’91), choosing to attend law school was more than just a career decision.

“I'm a third-generation lawyer. My grandfather, Peter Addison Chappelle, came to Tulsa in 1913 and was one of the three lawyers that represented plaintiffs whose houses and businesses had been destroyed during the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre,” he said. “My uncle was a practicing lawyer when I was in college and in law school, so the law school was always an integral part of my life.”

Williams was inspired to attend The University of Tulsa’s College of Law by his uncle, Carlos J. Chappelle (JD ’80), the first black presiding judge in the 14th District Court in Tulsa.

“I would visit during the summers and go to court with Carlos,” Williams said. “I got a chance to see where the law school was, sit in on a couple of classes. TU just seemed like a natural fit to me. When I got accepted, the first people I called were my grandparents. My grandfather said he would pay for law school if I chose TU. So, I came to TU on the Chappelle Scholarship, and the rest is history.” When Chappelle died in 2015, Williams helped establish the Judge Carlos J. Chappelle Memorial Law Endowment Fund in his honor.

Following graduation from TU Law, Williams worked in a series of impressive legal roles, including serving as the assistant district attorney for Tulsa County, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma, and more recently as a partner with Conner & Winters LLP. Currently, he is a partner with Frederic Dorwart Lawyers PLLC, which serves as general counsel to Oklahoma’s largest financial institution and maintains a mission dedicated to promoting social, civic, and business development in Tulsa through substantial pro bono services.

Outside of his legal work, Williams is active in the Tulsa community, serving as a commissioner for the Tulsa City County Library and Booker T. Washington Foundation for Excellence.

“TU is important because it’s the university of the city. TU’s identity is intertwined with the city of Tulsa,” he said. “The fact that we have new leadership with President (Brad) Carson and what he’s done to reinvigorate TU and the students and the campus, I really see TU as the center of Tulsa and that to continue as it expands over the next few years.”