Deborah R. Willig
Deborah R. Willig has served as Willig, Williams & Davidson’s managing partner since the firm’s founding in 1979. A determined advocate for workers, Deborah has focused her practice on labor relations and employment law since 1976.
As a labor and employment attorney, Deborah has been involved in representing a wide range of labor unions including teachers, and non-professional public school employees, public health, social, and recreation workers, firefighters, teamsters and orchestra musicians. For decades Deborah has been involved in every major contract negotiation involving the employees of the City of Philadelphia and its School District. Her work for both public and private sector unions includes contract negotiations, presenting interest and grievance arbitrations, and advising clients on internal union governance and staff matters.
Deborah also maintains an active practice in the representation of employee benefit funds, including jointly administered funds in the public and private sectors. One of her sub-specialties in connection with the health and welfare plans she represents is the negotiation of health care benefits, including the analysis, review and implementation of benefit designs and the negotiation with benefit fund providers. Deborah secured a major arbitration victory requiring a large Philadelphia employer to provide domestic partner benefits.
Resident in the firm’s Philadelphia office, Deborah is committed to community service, including legal, academic and charitable endeavors. She has held numerous leadership positions with the Philadelphia Bar Association during her career, including becoming the organization’s first woman Chancellor in 1992. Deborah continues to serve as an active member of the bar association while maintaining her rigorous legal practice and sharing her expertise as a guest lecturer at the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, Temple University Beasley School of Law, and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. In addition, Deborah is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and a member of the Pennsylvania and American bar associations. Deborah was elected as a member of the American Law Institute, and is a member of the Pennsylvania Association for Justice, the Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association. She also served as a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Judicial Evaluation Commission.
Deborah currently serves as President of the French International School of Philadelphia, a nonprofit independent school offering a dual curriculum in French and English.
Deborah has received a wide array of highly prestigious awards and honors including the Agent of Change Award from Women's Way, the Sandra Day O’Connor Award from the Philadelphia Bar Association, the Labor Human Rights Award from the Jewish Labor Committee, the Israel Labor Medal from the State of Israel Bonds, the Vocational Service Award from the Rotary Club of Philadelphia, the Outstanding Service Award from Pennsylvania Citizen's Action and the Attorney of the Year Award from the Jewish National Fund.
“Best Lawyers in America” has listed Deborah as one of the field’s top labor and employment lawyers since 1990. Philadelphia Magazine has named Deborah a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer since 2004, and listed her among the Top 50 Women Lawyers in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 2007, 2008 and 2009. The magazine also selected her as one of the Top 100 Women Lawyers in Philadelphia in 2009. Education - Temple University School of Law, J.D., 1975
Dean’s List; Commencement Speaker, Class of 1975;
Student Bar Association (First woman President) - University of Pennsylvania, B.A., Cum Laude, 1971
Experience - Willig, Williams & Davidson, Managing Partner, 1979-Present
- Markowitz & Kirschner, Associate, 1976-1979
- Honorable Lisa A. Richette, Law Clerk, 1975-1976
- Governor’s Commission on the Status of Women, Summers 1973 & 1974
Court Admissions - United States Supreme Court, 1975
- Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1975
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 1975
- Bar of the Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia, 1978
- United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, 1980
- United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, 1980
Professional Affiliations - AFL-CIO Lawyers Coordinating Committee, 1982-Present
- American Bar Association, 1975-Present
- Philadelphia Bar Association, 1975-Present
- Pennsylvania Bar Association, 1975-Present
- French International School of Philadelphia, Board of Directors, 2007-Present
- District of Columbia Bar Association, 1978-Present
- Pennsylvania Association for Justice (formerly Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association), 1986-Present
- National Association of Women Lawyers, 1990-Present
- American Arbitration Association, Philadelphia Region Labor Advisory Committee, 1992-Present
- Board of Visitors, Temple University School of Law, 1992-1996
- Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania Hearing Committee, 1979-1986
- Philadelphia Bar Foundation, 1986-1993
- Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association, 1983-Present
- Tau Epsilon Rho Law Society, 1980-Present
- Temple University Law Alumni Executive Committee, 1976-1982
Honors - The Legal Intelligencer Women Lawyers of Distinction Award, 2010
- Best Lawyers in America, 1990-2010
- Pennsylvania Super Lawyers Top 100 Women Lawyers in Philadelphia, Philadelphia Magazine, 2009
- Pennsylvania Super Lawyers, Philadelphia Magazine, 2004-2010
- Pennsylvania Super Lawyers Top 50 Women Lawyers in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Magazine, 2007-2009
- Temple University League for Entrepreneurial Women Hall of Fame, 2009
- Martindale - Hubbell, AV Rated
- Founder’s Day Award, Temple Law Alumni Association, 2002
- Agent of Change Award, Women’s Way, 2002
- Sandra Day O'Connor Award, Philadelphia Bar Association, 1995
- Labor Human Rights Award, Jewish Labor Committee, 1994
- Israel Labor Medal, State of Israel Bonds, 1993
- Mary Philbrook Award, Women's Law Caucus of Rutgers Law School, 1993
- Vocational Service Award, Rotary Club of Philadelphia, 1993
- Attorney of the Year Award, Jewish National Fund, 1992
- Achievement Award, American Association of University Women, 1992
- Achievement Award, Temple University Women's Law Caucus, 1992
- Rosh Pinah Award, American Jewish Congress, 1991
- Outstanding Service Award, Pennsylvania Citizens’ Action, 1990
- Spirit of Life Award, City of Hope National Medical Center, 1987
Publications - "Proceedings of the 39th Annual Meeting, National Academy of Arbitrators,” Arbitration of Discrimination Grievances: Arbitral and Judicial Competence Compared, BNA Books, 1986
- “The Freedom of Information Act and the National Labor Relations Board: Recent Developments,” The Labor Lawyer, BNA Books, 1985
Speaking Engagements - “Public Sector Labor Contracts in Philadelphia: Challenges vs. Rhetoric,” Pennsylvania Bar Institute, Philadelphia, Pa., 2007
- Panel Member, Annual Symposium on Municipal Unions and Municipal Governance, University of Pennsylvania Law School, Philadelphia, Pa., 2002
- Panel Member, “Negotiations in the Practice of Law,” ALI-ABA Committee on Continuing Professional Education Training Video, Philadelphia, Pa., 1997
- Panel Member, Seminar on Negotiations, Temple University School of Law, Philadelphia, Pa., 1997
- Panel Member, “Persuasion Principles,” Philadelphia Bar Association, Philadelphia, Pa., 1996
- Panel Member, “Determining Damages in the Employment Case,” PBA-PBI, Employment Law Institute, Philadelphia, Pa., 1995
- Guest Lecturer, "Negotiating a Labor Contract," Wharton School of Economics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa., 1993-1995
- "Workplace Issues: Sexual Harassment", Trends and Developments in Pennsylvania Public Employment Conference, LRP Publications, Hershey, Pa., 1993
- “Advanced Arbitration Advocacy,” Training Needs of the Advanced Advocate, American Arbitration Association, Atlantic City, N.J., 1993
- "Collective Bargaining in Philadelphia in 1992," University of Pennsylvania Law School Labor Law Forum, Philadelphia, Pa., 1993
- "To Be A Lawyer, “ Rutgers School of Law – Camden, Camden, N.J., 1992
- "Exploring Our Freedoms: A Bill of Rights Symposium,” Teaching Humanities in the Schools/Philadelphia Renaissance in Science and Math, St. Joseph's University, Philadelphia, Pa., 1992
- "The Role of the Legal Secretary in the Profession,” Philadelphia Association of Legal Secretaries, Philadelphia, Pa., 1992
- "The Bill of Rights and Citizenship,” Law Day Naturalization Ceremony, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa., 1992
- "Women Making History," National Association of Women Business Owners, Philadelphia, Pa., 1990
- "Privacy issues in the Workplace," American Arbitration Association, Philadelphia, Pa., 1988
- "Drug Testing: Balancing the Rights of Employers and Employees," Philadelphia College of Pharmacy Symposium, Philadelphia, Pa., 1987
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