Deborah R. Willig Featured in Philadelphia Lawyer for Paving the Way for Women in the Legal Profession

Managing partner Deborah R. Willig’s nearly 50-year career fighting for marginalized communities and paving the way for women lawyers was recently highlighted in the Women in Law issue of Philadelphia Lawyer, the Philadelphia Bar Association’s quarterly magazine. The first woman Chancellor of the bar association, Willig has served as an inspiration to the Philadelphia legal community and a leader in diversity and inclusion in the legal profession.

“Deb’s tenure changed the face of the Philadelphia Bar Association,” wrote Furia Rubel Communications CEO & general counsel Gina F. Rubel, noting that Willig appointed women to chair more than half of the association’s committees. Under Willig’s leadership, every major appointment, including the Chair of the Board of Governors, the Chair of the Judicial Commission, and the Chair of the Bench-Bar Conference, was a woman.

In the piece, Rubel, a third-generation attorney, also demonstrates how Willig has embraced inclusivity at Willig, Williams & Davidson. “Perhaps the most visible demonstration of her commitment to advancing opportunities for women has been within her own firm for which she serves as managing partner. Willig, Williams & Davidson is one of the largest woman-owned law firms in the United States. The chairs of three of the four departments are women. More than half of the equity partners are women and half of the non-equity partners are women.”

Rubel notes that in 1982, Willig, Williams & Davidson became the first firm in Philadelphia to implement paid maternity leave. She quotes Willig describing her solution-oriented approach to the advancement of equality: “If you see a problem, at the end of the day, you need to stop making studies about it and do something about it. For those who say it isn’t possible, I would say, ‘Look at my firm. It can be done.’”

Read Gina F. Rubel’s tribute to Deborah R. Willig in Philadelphia Lawyer