William J. Walls

Bill manages the Workers' Compensation Practice Group 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.

Bill 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, the insurance carrier or the TPA. Most of the settled matters resolved 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 1975 graduate of Washington & Jefferson College, and he received his juris doctor in 1980 from Duquesne University School of Law. He served on active duty with the U.S. Army, Judge Advocate General's Corps from 1981 to 1985 and continued with the U.S. 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 and casino prosecution sections until October 1990. He returned to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as corporate counsel for 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.