William L. Horton, Jr. is senior vice president, deputy general counsel and corporate secretary of Verizon. He is responsible for the corporate secretary function and for providing legal advice on Verizon's public reporting and disclosures and its corporate governance practices.

From 2008 until he was named to his current position in 2009, Horton was vice president and associate general counsel of Verizon, responsible for the corporate and disclosure practice group.

Prior to joining Verizon, Horton was a partner in the Washington, DC office of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP. His practice focused on securities offerings and compliance, mergers and acquisitions and general corporate representation.

Horton holds a juris doctor degree from the University of Virginia, a master's degree in government administration from the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor's degree in politics and economics from Wake Forest University.

September 2009