William (Bill) Wright

Bill Wright is a partner in the Philadelphia office and the Washington, D.C. Metro office located in Arlington, Virginia. He is also the chair of the firm’s International Employment Practice Group. Bill counsels employers on various global employment, compensation and benefit issues related to employees abroad, as well as foreign nationals working in the U.S. and the employment of U.S. permanent residents and citizens abroad. Bill has worked with compliance issues related to hiring, retention and separation of employees in a multitude of jurisdictions. His experience with global employment issues has helped him assist our clients with international operations on all seven continents, including Antarctica. Bill has assisted clients with the implementation of strategic planning and policy development with respect to global HR practices and policies. He has also assisted clients with the management of litigation and employment controversy matters in numerous international jurisdictions. Bill has also counseled clients based outside the United States with the special considerations that are required when complying with U.S. employment and employee benefit rules and regulations. Bill regularly becomes involved with resolving questions related to privacy and data protection issues.

On the domestic front, Bill started his career as an Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) attorney and he remains an active member of the firm’s Employee Benefits Practice Group. He is familiar with all aspects of employee benefits, including the concerns unique to pension and welfare plans sponsored by state and local government entities, international and cross-border issues related to employee benefits and executive compensation, employee benefit plans sponsored by nonprofit organizations, private health and welfare benefit plans, private defined benefit and defined contribution retirement plans and Taft-Hartley retirement and welfare funds. In addition, Bill has assisted clients with the challenges related to recent changes in the areas of group health insurance, health reform and welfare plan compliance issues.

Bill has been a speaker on global employment issues in Europe, Canada and South America. He has contributed employee benefits-related articles to the International Pension Lawyer, Metropolitan Corporate Counsel and other publications. He has participated in several employee benefits related programs, including those offered by the International Pension and Employee Benefits Lawyers Association, the American Bar Association’s Section on International Law, the Law Society of England & Wales, Society of Human Resources Management, and the Association of Corporate Counsel National Conference, as well as many other programs sponsored by business organizations and local bar associations. Bill also serves on the Board of Directors of the International Employers Forum and is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and is the editor of the firm’s Cross Border Employer Blog.