William McDevitt centers his practice on professional liability defense, primarily focusing on attorneys, physicians, medical service corporations, architects, engineers, insurance brokers and accountants. Bill’s professional liability cases arise from both basic services and complex undertakings. Bill also has extensive litigation experience in invasion of privacy claims; libel and slander claims; premises liability; toxic tort (individual and class action); creditors’ rights (FDCPA, RESPA, FCEUA); consumer protection statutes (individual and class action); and employment disputes. Bill practices before administrative boards as well as state and federal courts.

Bill regularly mediates cases for Philadelphia County’s Eviction Diversion Program and acts as an arbitrator for Philadelphia County’s Complex Litigation Center. He is a past lecturer for the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Professional Liability Committee and actively participates on education initiatives through the Pennsylvania Bar Association.

Areas of Focus

Lawyers
Bill prides himself on delivering high-quality legal services to the most demanding clients – other lawyers. He defends attorneys in professional liability claims in Pennsylvania’s state and federal courts. Cases involve professional negligence, breach of contract, wrongful use of civil proceedings, abuse of process, libel, slander, invasion of privacy, RICO, bankruptcy, trusts and estates disputes, banking issues and regulatory suits, including claims brought under the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act, Fair Credit Extension Uniformity Act and Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act.

Banking & Financial
Bill supports Wilson Elser’s broad spectrum of banking and financial services, primarily through representing attorneys, officers and directors, and corporate clients in commercial litigation arising from judgment enforcement, securities issuance, bankruptcy representation, and creditors’ rights. Bill has extensive experience handling cases involving FDCPA, FCEUA, RESPA, and consumer credit claims. The firm draws on a multidisciplinary team of attorneys to approach complex financial issues from many angles, including professional liability, commercial transactions, bankruptcy, real estate and commercial litigation, to provide the best results for clients.

    Education

    • Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law (J.D., 1997)
      • Temple International and Comparative Law Journal, articles editor
    • Radford University (B.A. in Criminal Justice, magna cum laude, 1993)
    • Middlesex University (Exchange Student)

    Bar Admissions

    • Pennsylvania
    • New Jersey

    Court Admissions

    • Supreme Court of New Jersey
    • Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
    • U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit
    • U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey

    Professional Affiliations

    • Pennsylvania Bar Association Professional Liability Committee; Animal Law Committee; Cannabis Law Committee
    • Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Arbitration Program: Arbitrator
    • Philadelphia County Eviction Diversion Program: Mediator
    • New Jersey Bar Association
    • Stagecrafters Community Theatre, Philadelphia: Stage Manager/Volunteer/Performer
    • Germantown Jewish Center, Member, Board of Directors

    Awards & Honors

    • Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America®, 2026
    • Selected for inclusion in Pennsylvania Super Lawyers, 2015, 2016
    • Selected for inclusion in Pennsylvania Rising Stars, Professional Liability Defense, General Litigation, 2006, 2007, 2011
    • Panel Counsel for carriers endorsed by the Pennsylvania Bar Association

Events

William McDevitt centers his practice on professional liability defense, primarily focusing on attorneys, physicians, medical service corporations, architects, engineers, insurance brokers and accountants. Bill’s professional liability cases arise from both basic services and complex undertakings. Bill also has extensive litigation experience in invasion of privacy claims; libel and slander claims; premises liability; toxic tort (individual and class action); creditors’ rights (FDCPA, RESPA, FCEUA); consumer protection statutes (individual and class action); and employment disputes. Bill practices before administrative boards as well as state and federal courts.

Bill regularly mediates cases for Philadelphia County’s Eviction Diversion Program and acts as an arbitrator for Philadelphia County’s Complex Litigation Center. He is a past lecturer for the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Professional Liability Committee and actively participates on education initiatives through the Pennsylvania Bar Association.

William F. McDevitt

McDevitt Secures Summary Judgment Dismissal in Slip-and-Fall Case

William McDevitt (Partner-Philadelphia, PA) obtained a summary judgment dismissal from the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. The matter involved an employee of a medical waste removal company who claimed to have slipped on a substance in the parking lot of a dialysis clinic.

Plaintiff alleged that he fell on a puddle of "goop" while moving boxes onto a panel truck. He purports that he lost consciousness and sustained injuries to his lower back, neck and wrist. He later underwent surgical removal of a right wrist ganglion that his physicians attributed to the fall. He subsequently went on disability and eventually settled a workers' compensation claim for $75,000.

Plaintiff was unable to establish the source of the substance and could not show the dialysis clinic had notice that it was there. On summary judgment, opposing counsel unsuccessfully argued a) the clinic had a duty to provide additional lighting in the parking lot area and b) the clinic may be assumed to have had constructive knowledge of the hazard because leaves were found on the substance. The Court rejected these arguments and granted summary judgment motions filed by both the clinic and its landlord.

William F. McDevitt

Privacy Settings
Your Privacy Choices
We value your privacy. Under privacy laws in your jurisdiction, you have the right to control how your personal information is used, including the right to opt out of the “sale” or “sharing” of your personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. You may also limit the use of your sensitive personal information.

Below, you can review and adjust your cookie and data sharing preferences. For more information about how we use your data, please see our Privacy Policy.

Your Rights and Choices

Opt Out of Sale or Sharing: You may opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information for advertising and analytics purposes by turning off Advertising & Targeting Cookies. We will honor your choice and will not sell or share your personal information for these purposes unless you enable these cookies again. Wilson Elser does not sell or share personal information in any other manner.

Limit Use of Sensitive Personal Information: If we collect sensitive personal information, you may limit its use to only what is necessary to provide requested services by adjusting your preferences here. Please contact privacy@wilsonelser.com with any questions.

Global Privacy Control: We honor browser-based opt-out signals, such as the Global Privacy Control (GPC). If we detect such a signal, your opt-out preference will be automatically applied.
These cookies are essential for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually set in response to actions made by you, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in, or filling in forms.
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalization. If you do not allow these cookies, some or all of these services may not function properly.
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They may be set through our site by us or our analytics partners to understand your interests and deliver more relevant content to you. If you do not allow these cookies, we will not know when you have visited our site