Deborah S. Davidson

Partner

Deborah S. Davidson is a partner in Morgan Lewis's Labor and Employment Practice. Ms. Davidson represents clients on a wide range of labor and employment matters, with a particular emphasis on class action and multi-party litigation arising under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and other federal employment laws. She has litigated extensively in federal district and appellate courts and federal and state administrative agencies.

Ms. Davidson's ERISA litigation background includes lawsuits alleging breach of fiduciary duty in connection with employer securities, 401(k) plan fees, mutual funds as 401(k) investment options, retiree medical benefits and early retirement programs; interference with benefits; cutback or elimination of accrued benefits; reporting and disclosure violations; denial of pension and welfare benefits; and state-law claims preempted by ERISA. She has published and presented multiple articles and papers on ERISA litigation topics.

Ms. Davidson is co-chair of the Ethics Subcommittee for the Employee Benefits Committee within the American Bar Association's (ABA) Labor and Employment Section. She has previously served as co-chair of the Retention Subcommittee for the ABA Employee Benefits Committee and has also been an active member of the Fiduciary Responsibility Subcommittee of the ABA Employee Benefits Committee. Ms. Davidson is also a member of the national faculty of the ABA's Joint Committee on Employee Benefits. In addition, Ms. Davidson served as the 2006-07 chair of the Chicago Bar Association's Employee Benefits Committee after having served as vice chair (2005-06) and secretary (2004-05) of that committee. Ms. Davidson is the membership chair of the Metropolitan Family Services Metro Board.

Ms. Davidson earned her J.D. from Washington University in St. Louis in 1998, where she served as the executive notes and topics editor of the Washington University Journal of Urban and Contemporary Law, in which she was also published. Ms. Davidson earned her B.A. in psychology, with honors, from the University of Tulsa in 1995.

Ms. Davidson is admitted to practice in Illinois and before the U.S. Supreme Court; the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Sixth, Seventh, and Tenth Circuits; the U.S. District Courts for the District of Colorado, Eastern District of Texas, Eastern District of Wisconsin, Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan, and Northern and Central Districts of Illinois; and the Illinois Supreme Court.