White and Williams LLP is a law firm, headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founded in 1899 by Thomas Raeburn White. White and Williams currently has approximately 225 lawyers and serves clients from nine offices located throughout Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts. White and Williams has been designated a Tier 3 Best Law Firm by U.S. News and World Report in the area of insurance law. In the 1950s, White and Williams assisted in enforcing the desegregation of public schools in the south when W. Wilson White, son of Thomas Raeburn White, was called upon by U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower to author legal opinions supporting the use of federal troops in Little Rock, Arkansas. In 1961, the firm became one of the first Philadelphia headquartered law firms to elect a woman, Virginia "Ginny" Barton Wallace, to the partnership.
Practice areas
As a multi-practice law firm, White and Williams' lawyers handle a wide array of transactions and litigation that touches a number of areas including business, insurance, healthcare and subrogation.
School "Adoption" Program
White and Williams has "adopted" several public schools. From 2012 to 2014, White and Williams "adopted" three public schools in the School District of Philadelphia. Each school has received a donation as well as other gifts. Gifts have included scholarships, school supplies, and winter clothing. In 2014, White and Williams donated $10,000 to Chester A. Arthur School, a K-8 public school, toward the purchase of Chromebooks for the school's middle school students.
White and Williams has a "strategic alliance" with the Xue Law Firm in Shanghai and the Winners Law Firm in Tianjin, in order to better serve U.S. companies doing business in China as well as Chinese companies looking to do business in the U.S.
The World Trade Center of Greater Philadelphia selected White and Williams as 2012 Member Company of the Year for Pennsylvania. The firm was honored during WTCGP's 10th anniversary celebration and dinner on May 17, 2012, at the Bellevue Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Trade mission to China
In November 2012, Gary Biehn, Chair of the China Business Group, was part of a Philadelphia delegation, led by Mayor Michael Nutter, traveling to Philadelphia's Sister City of Tianjin, China. The goal of the trip was to raise Philadelphia's international profile, drum up business opportunities, and renew discussions about direct flights between the Philadelphia and China.
Coverage College
Since 2007, White and Williams LLP has held an annual conference on insurance coverage issues called Coverage College. The "College" provides an opportunity for insurance claims professionals to engage in a study of an insurance coverage curriculum. White and Williams' lawyers serve as the faculty and lecture on a variety of insurance coverage issues. White and Williams Partner Gale White has served as dean of the college from its inception.
