Irwin W. Aronson
Irwin W. Aronson is the partner in residence of Willig, Williams & Davidson’s Harrisburg, Pa., office. A respected appellate advocate, Irwin concentrates his practice in labor and employment law, employee benefit matters, governmental affairs and legislative drafting and analysis. He possesses a broad range of experience in litigation and legislative matters ranging from fair labor standards and unemployment compensation, to housing and urban development, to elections and voting rights.
Among other notable verdicts and settlements, Irwin served as lead counsel for the prevailing party or prevailing intervenor in matters that: established the applicability of public labor and employment regulation to private construction projects partially supported by public funds; established that unions may participate as parties in prevailing wage enforcement cases; established a method of computing benefits for workers who sustain injuries after only a short period of employment; and secured railroad yard safety by prohibiting the replacement of workers with electronic signaling devices.
Irwin is a frequent lecturer and has authored numerous articles. He serves or has served as an instructor for Pennsylvania State University’s Department of Labor Studies and Industrial Relations, the Union Leadership Academy, Pennsylvania State University’s Capitol College (adjunct faculty member), the Pennsylvania Bar Association and the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, among others. Irwin is also a dedicated member of his community, serving on many boards and committees benefitting others and co-founding the Keystone Research Center, a Pennsylvania-based public policy research institute.
The recipient of several prestigious awards, Irwin received the Keystone Research Center’s highest honor, the Sol Hoffman Award for Outstanding Service to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in 2005. As a candidate for the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania in 2001, he was the only Democratic nominee to receive the Pennsylvania Bar Association Judicial Evaluation Commission’s coveted “Highly Recommended” rating. That same year, the Chester County Labor Council named him “Citizen of the Year. Since 1987, Irwin has been recognized as a LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell AV® Peer Review Rated attorney. He has been consistently selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® in the fields of Labor, Employment and Employee Benefits Law (Copyright 2010 by Woodward/White, Inc., of Aiken, S.C.) since 1987. In 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2011, Irwin was named a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer® by Thomson Reuters, published annually in Philadelphia magazine.
Irwin is AV® rated by LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell® a registered certification mark of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Education - Dickinson School of Law, J.D., Cum Laude, 1982
- Pennsylvania State University, B.A., Magna Cum Laude, 1972
Experience - Willig, Williams & Davidson, Partner, 2001-Present
- Johnston, Aronson & Diamond, Principal, 1998-2001
- Handler, Gerber, Johnston & Aronson, Principal, 1987-1998
- Handler, Gerber, Johnston Strokoff & Cowden, Associate, 1982-1987
- Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, Research and Education Director, 1978-1982
- Pennsylvania AFL-CIO News, Editor, 1978-1982
- Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, Lobbyist, 1974-1982
- Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, Staff, 1973-1982
Court Admissions - Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1982
- United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, 1982
- United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, 1984
- United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, 1984
- United States Supreme Court, 1987
Professional Affiliations - AFL-CIO Lawyers Coordinating Committee, 1982-Present
- Beth El Temple of Harrisburg Board of Directors, 1990-1995
- Council of Large Public Housing Authorities Attorneys’ Working Group, 1987-Present
- Dauphin County Bar Association, 1982-Present
- Jewish Community Center of Harrisburg, Board of Directors, 1986-1991, First Vice-President 1988-1991
- Pennsylvania Bar Association, 1982-Present
- Pennsylvania Labor History Society, 2005-Present
- Pennsylvania State University College of Liberal Arts Board of Advisors, 1999-2007
- Philadelphia Bar Association, 2001-Present
- State of Israel Bonds Labor Advisory Committee National Board, 1982-2005
- United Jewish Community of Harrisburg Board of Directors, 1987-1991
Honors - Best Lawyers in America, 1989-2012
- Pennsylvania Super Lawyers, Philadelphia Magazine, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2011
- Sol Hoffman Award for Outstanding Service to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Keystone Research Center, 2005
- Citizen of the Year, Chester County Labor Council, 2001
- Highly Recommended Rating as Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania candidate, Pennsylvania Bar Association Judicial Evaluation Commission, 2001
Publications - “Work Sharing and Unemployment Insurance,” Keystone Research Center, 2009
- “Overcoming Historical Amnesia: The Lessons of the Arts and Construction for Coping with Employment Stability,” Keystone Research Center, 1999
Speaking Engagements - “PA Workers’ Compensation Law,” Pennsylvania Bar Association Workers’ Compensation Committee, Harrisburg, Pa., 2007
- Course: “American Public Policy,” Pennsylvania State University, Middletown, Pa., 2004, 2005 (spring semesters)
- Seminars: Stewards’ Training, Union Leadership Academy, throughout Pennsylvania, 1973-2004
- “PA Unemployment Compensation Law,” Pennsylvania Bar Institute, Harrisburg, Pa., Philadelphia, Pa., and Pittsburgh, Pa., 1999-2001
Articles & News - Pennsylvania Labor Attorney Irwin Aronson Co-Hosts Special Three-Hour Presidents' Day Edition of The Rick Smith Show
February 20, 2012 - Willig, Williams & Davidson Partner Irwin Aronson Speaks about Gov. Corbett's Budget Message on The Rick Smith Show
February 8, 2012 - Willig, Williams & Davidson Partner Irwin Aronson Addresses Employee Rights Issues in Relation to "Term Limits" Imposed by Some Employers
February 4, 2012 - Labor Law Attorney Irwin Aronson Discusses American Labor Laws and Workers' Rights on The Rick Smith Show
January 25, 2012 - Labor Law Attorney Irwin Aronson Co-hosts The Rick Smith Show with Dr. Steven Herzenberg of the Keystone Research Center
January 11, 2012 - Labor Law Attorney Irwin Aronson Explores the Misclassification of Workers on The Rick Smith Show
January 5, 2012 - Labor Law Attorney Irwin Aronson Interviewed on The Rick Smith Show about a Pennsylvania Public Education and Student Advocates Victory
December 14, 2011 - Nine Willig, Williams & Davidson Lawyers Included in U.S. News & World Report Best Lawyers in America 2012
September 13, 2011 - Nine Willig, Williams & Davidson Lawyers Named to 2011 List of
Pennsylvania Super Lawyers
May 24, 2011 - Eight Willig, Williams & Davidson Lawyers Included in U.S. News & World Report Best Lawyers in America 2011
March 3, 2011 - Philadelphia Labor and Employment Lawyer Irwin W. Aronson Presented at Public Housing Authorities Directors Association / Rutgers University Executive Director Education Program
January 10, 2011
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