William L. Banton Jr.

An experienced trial attorney, William has represented clients in medical malpractice and long-term care litigation for nearly 30 years. He also practices in the areas of mental health (including foster care abuse and sexual abuse), general liability and civil rights defense. William has also defended major asbestos manufacturers in toxic tort matters and has represented the interests of numerous municipalities in the state of Pennsylvania in various civil rights cases litigated in federal court.

Throughout his tenure with Marshall Dennehey, William has served in numerous leadership capacities, including as a member of the Human Relations Committee and as vice-chair of the Hiring Committee. He is the past assistant director of the Health Care Department, and currently serves as co-chair of the Behavioral Health Risk and Liability Practice Group.

At the request of the Philadelphia Court, William currently serves as a mediator to assist in reducing the COVID-induced backlog of significant medical malpractice and long-term care cases. In addition, as a senior member of the Philadelphia Medical Malpractice bar, William serves on the Philadelphia First Judicial District Court’s committee to formulate strategies/policies and procedures to reduce the court’s backlog of medical and long-term care cases.

William is member of the American Board of Trial Advocates and the International Academy of Trial Lawyers. He was also selected for membership into the American College of Trial Lawyers. Since 2006, William has been named a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer in the area of personal injury defense – medical malpractice, long-term care, and behavioral health care. He is also the president of the Latham Park Home Owners Association and served on the board of directors of Intercommunity Action, Inc.

William has lectured on various health care related topics, with the goal of educating physicians and long-term care staff about the litigation process. He has also participated in mock trial seminars, including a seminar for the Philadelphia Aids Law Project whose goal is to educate the public on issues of discrimination encountered by people with a diagnosis of HIV/Aids. William was also invited by the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas to participate in a mock trial at the National Judicial College in Reno, Nevada. Additionally, he participated in a mock trial competition for high school students in the Philadelphia School District in association with the Temple University Beasley School of Law.

William is a graduate of Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Following graduation, he attended the Southern University Law Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he obtained his juris doctor. William returned to the Philadelphia area and accepted a clerkship with the Honorable Theodore A. McKee, formerly of the Court of Common Pleas and currently of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Upon completion of a challenging one-year clerkship, William served as an assistant city solicitor and eventually obtained the status of assistant chief city solicitor for the Philadelphia Law Department. In this role, he tried numerous cases involving alleged civil rights violations by the Philadelphia Police Department and corrections officers for the Philadelphia prisons. William subsequently entered private practice and refined his skills in a wide variety of litigation matters before joining Marshall Dennehey.