Deborah R. Willig Recognized in City & State PA ‘Who’s Who in Labor’

PHILADELPHIA (September 2025) – Pennsylvania labor, employment, workers’ compensation and family law firm Willig, Williams & Davidson is pleased to announce that managing partner Deborah R. Willig has been named to City & State Pennsylvania’s 2025 list of Who’s Who in Labor. This guide provides an overview of the most influential leaders in Pennsylvania’s labor sector.

“They train the next generation of commonwealth plumbers and pipefitters, ensure a stable workforce for the state’s evolving energy and infrastructure needs, advocate for education and healthcare workers – and fight for jobs that pay well and sustain families across myriad sectors,” City & State said in announcing the 2025 Who’s Who in Labor honorees, adding that those on this year’s list are “a dedicated group of educators and advocates who power the Keystone State’s key industries.”

City & State Pennsylvania notes that for more than four decades, Willig has advocated on behalf of a wide range of labor unions for higher wages, better living standards, and strong pension and health care benefits. The publication also highlights Willig’s honor as a 2023 recipient of the Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award from the American Bar Association’s Commission on Women in the Profession for her “groundbreaking career as a model for women in the legal profession.” Given annually, the award honors up to five women who have achieved professional excellence and paved the way for other women in the law. Past honorees include Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Professor Anita Hill, Judge Norma Shapiro, and Philadelphia attorney Roberta ‘Bobbi’ Liebenberg.

A trailblazer in the Pennsylvania legal community, Willig has focused her career exclusively on labor and employment law. She advises and negotiates on behalf of labor unions whose members represent workers in such fields as education, public health, social services, emergency services, and the hospitality industry. Her many notable accomplishments include serving on the advisory committee for the Women’s National Basketball Players Association’s collective bargaining negotiations, working to secure the first-ever collective bargaining agreement for the National Women’s Soccer League Players Association, and decades of leading negotiations on behalf of unions that represent employees of the City of Philadelphia and the School District of Philadelphia.

Willig led the way for women as leaders in the legal profession in the Philadelphia region; in 1992, she was elected the first female chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association. 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.