Deborah D. Williamson

Member


For more than 30 years, clients have turned to Deborah Williamson for leadership and advice on bankruptcy and restructuring matters. Deborah is a national leader in bankruptcy law, and she leverages her experience and insight to advise clients across industries on counter-party risk, bankruptcy litigation, and asset acquisition.

Deborah is widely recognized as one of the top bankruptcy lawyers in the United States and one of the top lawyers—period—in Texas. She was selected to serve on the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) Bankruptcy Reform Commission, received lifetime achievement awards from both ABI and The San Antonio Business Journal, and is recognized in legal publications such as Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, The Best Lawyers in America, and Super Lawyers.

In 2016, Deborah authored the second edition of When Gushers Go Dry, The Essentials of Oil & Gas Bankruptcy to address new realities in the oil fields, the first guide to oil and gas bankruptcy. She had previously co-authored the first edition of Bankruptcy Litigation for the Commercial Litigator.

Deborah has been named a leader in her field by Chambers USA since 2003 and clients recognize her as the “go to” practitioner in the insolvency ad restructuring space. She was listed by Texas Super Lawyers among the “Top 100 Lawyers in Texas,” the “Top 50 Women Lawyers in Texas,” and the “Top 50 Lawyers in Central Texas” since that honor’s inception. She has also been included in The Best Lawyers in America©for more than 20 years.

She has served as co-chair of the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Litigation Committee of the Litigation Section of the American Bar Association and chair of the SBOT Bankruptcy Law Section.

…a powerhouse and a formidable adversary. Deborah provides excellent legal advice and is very aware of the needs and expectations of her clients.
Client feedback, Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business
      • University of Houston Law Center, J.D., cum laude, 1981
      • The University of Texas at El Paso, B.A., with honors, 1977
  • Bar Admissions

    • Texas, 1982
  • Court Admissions

    • United States Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit
    • United States District Court Northern, Southern, Western and Eastern Districts of Texas
    • Martindale-Hubbell® AV® PreeminentTM Peer Review Rating, 1993-Present

    • Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, 1995-2024

    • Named to "Lawdragon 500 Leading U.S. Bankruptcy & Restructuring Lawyers," 2020, 2022, and 2023

    • Recognized by San Antonio Magazine in "San Antonio's Top Attorneys" for Bankruptcy & Workout, 2019-2023

    • Named a Texas Leading Lawyer in Bankruptcy/Restructuring by Chambers USA, 2003-2023

    • Named to The American Lawyer's "South Trailblazers" list, 2022

    • Recognized by S.A. Scene, as an "Outstanding Women in Law" for Bankruptcy, 2022

    • Recognized as one of the "Top 50 Lawyers in Central/West Texas," Texas Super Lawyers®, 2022 and 2023

    • Recognized in Texas Super Lawyers® for Bankruptcy: Business, 2003-2023

    • Recipient of the San Antonio Business Journal's 2019 Outstanding Lawyers Award 
    • Recipient of the Michelle A. Mendez Award of Excellence for outstanding service to the Bankruptcy Law Section, 2017
    • Finalist in Bankruptcy for the "Go-To-Guide," Texas Lawyer, 2007 and 2012
    • American Bankruptcy Institute, "Lifetime Achievement Award", 2011
    • Named "San Antonio Bankruptcy & Creditor-Debtor Rights Lawyer of the Year," The Best Lawyers In America®, 2011
    • Selected for inclusion as a "Top Lawyer," Corporate Counsel® - January 2010 Annual Guide
    • Selected for inclusion in the "Top 50 Women Lawyers in Texas," Law and Politics Magazine
    • Selected for inclusion in the "Top 50 Women Lawyers in Texas" Texas Super Lawyers®
    • Euromoney Guide to Leading U.S. Insolvency Lawyers 
    • Recognized by S.A. Scene in "San Antonio's Best Lawyers" for Bankruptcy
    • Strathmore's Who's Who
    • State Bar of Texas, Bankruptcy Law Section, Chair, 2006-2007
    • Texas Bar Foundation, Life Fellow

    • American College of Bankruptcy, Fellow (1998), Director, and Board of Regents, 2013-present 

    • American Bankruptcy Institute, President, 1997-1998

    • US Mexico Bar Association, Board of Directors, 2008-2013

    • American Board of Certification, Treasurer, 2007

    • Texas Board of Legal Certification, Chair Bankruptcy Law Commission, Chair, 2003-2006

    • American Bar Association Litigation Section, Bankruptcy and Insolvency Litigation Committee, Chair, 2010-2013

    • National Association of Federal Equity Receivers (NAFER), Member

    • Dykema Executive Committee, 2015-2018

    • San Antonio Public Library Foundation, former Director and Member of the Executive Committee
    • Hope for the Future, Scholarships for Catholic Education, Former Board Member

    • On the Way – Ándale! Co-Chair for San Antonio Archdiocese Capital Campaign

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