About William R.
William R. Wright built a career at the intersection of law and business. He completed a B.B.A. in Business Administration at the University of Southern Mississippi in 1968, followed by an MBA there in 1970. He earned his J.D. from The University of Mississippi School of Law in 1974. Those academic years set the stage for a long practice that spans trial work, appellate filings and firm leadership.
He is admitted to practice in Mississippi and has credentials that allow appearances before the 5th Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court. He also maintains admission to the U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of Mississippi. His professional record includes serving as president of Wright, Gregg & Proctor, P.A., in 1996. More recently, in 2021, he became a partner at Heidelberg Patterson Welch Wright.
Most of Wright’s work centers on family and matrimonial law. His practice has covered contested divorce proceedings, complex asset division and child-related litigation. He has taken cases to trial and handled appeals, drawing on courtroom experience and procedural familiarity at both state and federal levels. Colleagues describe a practice that spans fact development, trial advocacy and appellate briefing.
Professional affiliations have played a steady role in his career. He has been a fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers since 1994 and joined the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers in 2004. He became a member of the American College of Family Trial Lawyers in 2009. He has participated in the American Bar Association’s Family Law Section since 1994. Locally, he has been involved with Leadership Jackson since 1991 and served as a trustee of the Mississippi Bar Foundation from 2004 to 2005.
Wright also held leadership positions within the Mississippi Bar’s Family Law Section, chairing the group twice in the 1990s and 2000s. He was chair from 1994 to 1995 and again from 1999 to 2000. Those roles involved organizing CLE programs, coordinating policy efforts within the section and working with other practitioners on practice-level issues.
His background in business—an undergraduate degree and an MBA—often informs how he approaches disputes that involve corporations, investments or closely held enterprises. He draws on both financial literacy and courtroom experience when addressing the economic dimensions of family law cases. He currently practices at Heidelberg Patterson Welch Wright PLLC, focusing on family law and matrimonial matters.
