Attorney Profiles
William J. Walls Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| Shareholder | |
| phone | (412) 803-1159 |
| fax | (412) 803-1188 |
| wjwalls@mdwcg.com | |
William J. Walls currently manages the workers' compensation team in the firm's Pittsburgh office. He concentrates his practice in defending employers, carriers, and third party administrators in workers' compensation litigation.
Bill has represented a large number of resident care facilities, trucking companies, and powdered metal industry companies in workers' compensation litigation. He has successfully defended or resolved death cases with widow and minor dependents. Of the approximately 850 workers' compensation litigation matters handled to date--of those that went to decision--approximately 50 percent were favorable to the employer/carrier/TPA. Most of the settled matters settled significantly below the initial demand.
In one noteworthy case, Bill successfully argued by brief to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court that a claimant cannot receive total disability benefits for two separate injuries concurrently. See, L.E. Smith Glass Co. v. WCAB (Clawson), 813 A.2d 634 (Pa. 2002).
On a different matter, through the use of a toxicology expert and a traffic engineering/reconstruction expert, Bill was able to bring the settlement demand down from $1,700,000 to $550,000.
Bill is a graduate of Washington & Jefferson College (1975) and Duquesne University School of Law (1980). He served on active duty with the US Army, Judge Advocate General's Corps, from 1981 to 1985, and continued with the US Army Reserve until his military retirement in 2005 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
After active duty, Bill was appointed a Deputy Attorney General, Division of Criminal Justice, New Jersey Attorney General's Office, and served in the Medicaid Fraud Section and the Casino Prosecutions Section until October 1990. He returned to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as Corporate Counsel, Duquesne Light Company, practicing in-house workers' compensation defense and black lung litigation for five years.
Bill dedicates time and effort to the American Heart Association's Pittsburgh Chapter, helping with the Annual Heart Ball.
- Year Joined Organization:
- 1995
- Bar Admissions:
- Pennsylvania, 1980
- U.S. District Court Western District of Pennsylvania, 1980
- U.S. District Court District of New Jersey, 1985
- U.S. Court of Appeals 3rd Circuit, 1993
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, 1981
- West Virginia, 2011
- U.S. District Court Southern District of West Virginia, 2011
- Education:
- Duquesne University School of Law, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
1980
J.D.
Honors: Candidate for Law Review based on Academic Achievement, 1977 - Washington and Jefferson College,
1975
B.A.
Honors: Kappa Scholar 1972
- Published Works:
- Hearing Loss under Act I of 1995, Defense Digest, Marshall, Dennehey, Warner, Coleman & Goggin
- Representative Cases:
- L.E. Smith Glass Company v. WCAB (Clawson), 32 WAP 2002 (PA Supreme Court 2002)
- Classes/Seminars Taught:
- Workers' Compensation Update, Pennsylvania Chamber of Commerce, 2006
- Honors and Awards:
- AV Peer Review Rating by LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell
- Pennsylvania Super Lawyer (2009)
- Professional Associations and Memberships:
- Allegheny Bar Association, Elected to Workers' Compensation Section Council, May 2008, for a two- year term
- Pennsylvania Bar Association
- Past Employment Positions:
- United States Army, Judge Advocate General's Corp., 1981 - 1985
- Division of Criminal Justice, New Jersey Attorney General's Office, Deputy Attorney General, 1986 - 1990
- Duquesne Light Company, 1990 - 1995