Attorney William H. Shaheen was born and raised in Dover, New Hampshire. He received a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of New Hampshire in 1965. Upon graduation, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army and, within two years, attained the rank of Captain. In 1973, Bill graduated second in his law class, receiving a Juris Doctorate with Honors from the University of Mississippi School of Law. After graduation, he began his law career in Dover, New Hampshire.

Over the past twenty years, Bill has successfully tried many personal injury and divorce cases on behalf of his clients. He has received substantial monetary awards for his personal injury clients, as well as obtaining favorable judgments for his divorce clients. In conjunction with his successful personal injury and divorce trial work, Bill has had significant success in representing business and corporate clients in strategic planning and business formation. Bill continues to represent many local, regional and national multi-million dollar businesses.

Along with a successful civil trial and business practice, Bill is very active in politics. He co-chaired the successful 1976 New Hampshire Presidential Primary Campaign for Jimmy Carter. In 1977, President Carter appointed him as U.S. Attorney for the District of New Hampshire. At that time, he was the youngest U.S. Attorney in the country. During Bill's tenure as U.S. Attorney, he met and hired Steve Gordon as Assistant U.S. Attorney. After leaving his post as U.S. Attorney, he and Steve started their law practice together.

In 1981, Governor Hugh Gallen appointed Bill as Judge of the Durham District Court. Bill presided over the Durham District Court for fifteen years until 1996 when he resigned to focus on his wife Jeanne's three successful campaigns for Governor of New Hampshire. In 1999 and 2000, he served as Chairman of Vice President Al Gore's successful New Hampshire 2000 Presidential Primary Campaign.

Bill is a member of the New Hampshire and Mississippi Bars; he is a member of the United States Supreme Court Bar and the First Circuit Court of Appeals. He is also a member of the Federal District Courts for the States of New Hampshire and Mississippi.