Deborah Williamson Named 2026 Belva Lockwood Outstanding Lawyer

Dykema, a leading national law firm, proudly announces that Deborah D. Williamson has been named the 2026 recipient of the Belva Lockwood Outstanding Lawyer Award by the Bexar County Women’s Bar Association and Foundation. She will be honored at the Bexar County Women’s Bar Association and Foundation’s annual Autumn Affair on November 5, 2026, at the Witte Museum in San Antonio.

The Belva Lockwood Awards recognize women attorneys who embody the principles of Belva Ann Bennett Lockwood, a pioneering lawyer and advocate for women’s rights. Recipients are selected based on their contributions to the legal profession and the community through charitable and volunteer work, as well as their experience, reputation, and standing in the legal community. Lockwood was one of the first female lawyers in the United States and the first woman admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court.

For more than 40 years, Williamson has advised clients on complex bankruptcy and restructuring matters across industries. She is widely regarded as a national leader in bankruptcy law, with deep experience in bankruptcy litigation, counter-party risk, asset acquisition, and restructuring matters.

Throughout her career, Williamson has held numerous leadership positions within the legal profession. She previously served as President of the American Bankruptcy Institute and as a member of its Bankruptcy Reform Commission. She has also served as Chair of the State Bar of Texas Bankruptcy Law Section, Chair of the American Bar Association Litigation Section’s Bankruptcy and Insolvency Litigation Committee, and as a Director and member of the Board of Regents of the American College of Bankruptcy.

Her professional leadership and service have earned significant recognition, including the American Bankruptcy Institute’s Lifetime Achievement Award, the San Antonio Business Journal’s Outstanding Lawyer Award, and, earlier this year, The Center for American and International Law’s Michelle Mendez Serviam Award. Williamson has also been recognized for more than two decades by The Best Lawyers in America and has been ranked by Chambers USA as a leading Texas bankruptcy and restructuring lawyer since 2003.

Williamson earned a J.D., cum laude, from the University of Houston Law Center and a B.A., with honors, from The University of Texas at El Paso.