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For 125 years, White and Williams has fostered a culture of camaraderie and collaboration among our attorneys and staff.
We are proud of our history and our values, and we are committed to:
In 1924, White bought all of the common voting stock of the Legal Intelligencer from the heirs of Howard W. Page. The Legal Intelligencer became a daily and the firm continued to do the editorial work for the Legal Intelligencer and the case selection and head notes for the District and County Reports of Pennsylvania under the leadership of Wayland Elsbree.
After a few years of teaching, writing about, and practicing law, White formed a partnership with George G. Parry, William A. Schnader, and Albert S. Maris under the name White, Parry, Schnader and Maris.
In 1933, Mr. Schnader left the firm, and with the addition of a few new attorneys, including a new partner, the name of the firm was changed to White, Maris and Clapp; after which, it became White and Staples. During this time, the firm retained the name of White and Staples until it merged with the firm of Brown and Williams in 1944.
In addition, the relationship with The Legal Intelligencer ended in 1936, when Albert B. Maris resigned all connections with the paper when he was appointed to the federal judiciary.
In the late 1940’s, Hugh Scott joined the firm and the new partnership became known as White, Williams and Scott. Subsequently, when Mr. Scott was elected to the United States Senate as a Senator from Pennsylvania, the firm made its last name change and became known as White and Williams.
Virginia Barton Wallace, former commanding officer in the Army Air Corps in WWII, joins White and Williams as a legal secretary. After two months, she was made an associate.
W. Wilson White served as President Eisenhower’s counsel and authored the legal opinions which supported President Eisenhower’s directing Federal troops to enforce the court order requiring the integration of public schools in Little Rock, AR.
Virginia Barton Wallace is named the first female partner at White and Williams LLP. She was the first female partner of any law firm in the City of Philadelphia.
Jan E. DuBois was appointed by former President Ronald Reagan to a seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania vacated by Judge Clifford Scott Green. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on July 26, 1988, and received commission on July 27, 1988. He assumed senior status on April 15, 2002.
In 1983 the firm opened the Wilmington, DE office.
In 1989, the firm opened its office in the Lehigh Valley, the third largest metropolitan area in the state.
White and Williams celebrates its 100th Anniversary.
White and Williams begins hosting Coverage College, an annual conference on insurance coverage issues founded by former partner, Gale White. The “college” provides an opportunity for insurance claims professionals to engage in a study of insurance coverage curriculum.
Patricia Santelle is elected Managing Partner and Chair of the Executive Committee at White and Williams, the first woman in the firm’s history and in the City of Philadelphia to serve in that role at a major law firm.
The Stamford, CT office opens which helps to further align the firm with the financial services, insurance and real estate industries headquartered in the region.
Pike and Gilliss, a firm focused on fidelity, construction, insurance, creditors’ rights, and commercial litigation joins White and Williams, which helps to expand the firm’s geographic reach into the Mid-Atlantic region.
White and Williams celebrates 125 years in business, having grown to over 200 attorneys proudly serving clients globally.
