Renowned Chicago defense attorney William V. Johnson — often referred to as a “lion” of the defense bar — died Jan. 28 at age 82.Johnson co-founded Johnson & Bell, Ltd. in 1975 with John W. Bell. He became president of the firm in 1979, a role he held until 2019.He then served as chairman of the firm’s board of directors until 2021 and became vice chairman of the board in 2022.Johnson was involved in a number of notable cases over his years in practice, including his winning representation …