Will Hilyerd holds a B.S.B.A, a J.D., and a M.B.A. from the University of Louisville and has been licensed to practice law in Kentucky since 1996. He also holds a M.L.S. from the University of Kentucky. Will started his library career at the Legal Aid Society in downtown Louisville in 1996. In 1997, he left Legal Aid to become the head librarian for the Kentucky Department of Public Advocacy and in 2002 was promoted to Information Resources Branch Manager with the responsibility for overseeing both the library and the Information Technology Department.

While at DPA, Hilyerd conducted regular presentations on legal research for DPA employees and visited various prisons in Kentucky each year to teach the prison legal aides how to conduct legal research as part of the Legal Aid Training Program. He has written bibliographies for The Advocate, DPA’s professional journal, and was responsible for the creation of much of the DPA Internet page.

In December of 2002, Hilyerd decided to return to an academic career at the University of Louisville. Since returning to UofL, he has published several articles and conducted numerous Continuing Legal Education Classes on Legal Research.