Deborah R. Willig Named to City & State PA Law Power 100 List

Deborah R. Willig

Willig, Williams & Davidson managing partner recognized as one of the most influential attorneys in Pennsylvania

PHILADELPHIA (June 2022) – Pennsylvania labor, employment and workers’ compensation law firm Willig, Williams & Davidson is pleased to announce that managing partner Deborah R. Willig has been named to City & State Pennsylvania’s Law Power 100 list. This honor is bestowed on those deemed by the publication City & State Pennsylvania as the most influential legal professionals in Pennsylvania.

“Pennsylvania has been a center of all things legal almost since the forming of the commonwealth itself,” City & State said in announcing the 2022 Law Power 100 list, adding “The 2022 Law Power 100 takes an in-depth look at the district attorneys, federal prosecutors, white-collar defense attorneys, public interest lawyers, law school deans and bar association leaders who are shaping the direction of the state politically, legally and otherwise.”

City & State Pennsylvania said Willig was chosen for her service as “a lifelong champion of workers,” noting that “For more than four decades, she has advised and represented labor unions across industries – firefighters, teamsters, musicians, schoolteachers, and hotel employees. Over that time, Willig has been involved in every collective bargaining negotiation between the City of Philadelphia, its school district, and their respective union employees. Willig was also the first female chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association.”

A trailblazer in the Pennsylvania legal community, Willig maintains a robust legal practice focusing exclusively on labor and employment law. She advises and negotiates on behalf of labor unions whose members represent workers from a myriad of professions, and most recently worked to secure the first-ever collective bargaining agreement for the National Women’s Soccer League Players Association.

Willig helped to set the stage for women as leaders in the legal profession in the Philadelphia region after being elected the first female chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association in 1992. She has been recognized for her work and advocacy with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Legal Intelligencer Lifetime Achievement Award, the Sandra Day O’Connor Award from the Philadelphia Bar Association, the Philadelphia Business Journal Women of Distinction Award, the Labor Human Rights Award from the Jewish Labor Committee, and The Agent of Change Award from Women’s Way.

Willig also has been inducted as a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, one of the highest recognitions by a labor lawyer’s colleagues of sustained outstanding performance in the profession, exemplifying integrity, dedication, and excellence.

About Willig, Williams & Davidson – Willig, Williams & Davidson (www.wwdlaw.com) is one of the largest and most respected union-side labor law firms in the United States. The firm has offices in Philadelphia, Harrisburg, and Jenkintown Pa., as well as Haddonfield, N.J., and Chicago, Ill. Founded in 1979, Willig, Williams & Davidson focuses on representing labor unions, employee benefit funds and individual working people and their families on a variety of legal fronts, including national, regional and local contract negotiations; election and campaign finance; dispute resolution through mediation, arbitration and litigation; family law matters; benefits law design and compliance issues; discrimination, overtime and unpaid wages, and other employment matters; prepaid legal services for union members; social security disability; and workers’ compensation matters in Philadelphia and beyond. Workers inspire us.