No matter the problem, no matter the need, Keller, Lisgar & Williams can help. The collective knowledge of partners Robert C. Keller, Valerie K. Williams and Scott A. Lisgar enables the firm to represent clients in matters ranging from criminal defense to personal injury to family law, and everything in between.
Keller is senior partner at the firm, which he formed in 2003. He is seasoned in all manner of misdemeanor and felony criminal cases, in areas including arson, assault, burglary, drugs and controlled substances, DUI, guns and weapons, homicide, juvenile crimes, terroristic threats, sex crimes and child pornography.
Williams has been the firm’s managing partner since its formation. She focuses on personal injury matters such as motor vehicle accidents; uninsured motorist claims; dram shop cases; construction, elevator and escalator accidents; slip and fall; medical malpractice and wrongful death; Social Security; and workers’ compensation.
Lisgar, who is also a partner in the firm, specializes in family law matters including adoption, alimony, child support, custody, division of assets, spousal support, pre-nuptial agreements and protection from abuse (PFA) orders.
Together, they form a solid foundation of expertise upon which Keller, Lisgar & Williams clients can depend. This network can be of particular help to clients whose cases touch upon more than one area of law. For example, a client with a case that involves both family law and criminal matters has the convenience of accessing experts in both arenas in the same firm.
The professional ties between Keller, Lisgar and Williams go back further than 2003. In fact, Lisgar and Williams served as clerks for Keller back when he was a solo practitioner.
“Robert and I have always had a symbiotic relationship,” Lisgar says. “He and I are not often on the same page, but most often our focus and our relationship prevail; we are a yin and yang.”
This longstanding relationship also helped determine the direction of the firm once Williams and Lisgar came on board. Before adding Williams and Lisgar to the team, Keller had been covering cases across a vast spectrum of issues; the addition of the two young attorneys, however, allowed for greater specialization within the firm.
“Over time, as the practice evolved, everyone seemed to fall into a niche,” Keller explains. “We have associates who we’ve handpicked and who have grown up with us, and can handle a lot of tasks.”
Such specialization allows for attorneys with greater depth of skill. For example, Williams’ years of experience with personal injury cases has allowed her to amass extensive knowledge of medical terminology and treatments, which enables her to be a much more effective communicator. Additionally, as Williams explains, the law in areas such as personal injury and torts changes constantly, so it is important for an attorney in these fields to not just specialize but continually update their skills.
Lisgar explains that his experience in family law has also lent itself to an invaluable and unique skill set.
“Practicing family law requires a different level of patience and a different level of relationship with the client,” Lisgar says. “You have to have both the confidence and the ability to handle tender situations. … Your client is not a corporation; your client is, typically, an emotionally charged person as opposed to being a faceless entity.”
Notably, all three of the firm’s principals have deep roots in the Philadelphia area. As Keller says, “We are home-grown, local people.”
Keller, a Delaware County native, received both his undergraduate and J.D. degrees from Temple University. He served a notable position under former Chester City Mayor Joseph Battle, and spent nearly a decade as assistant district attorney in Delaware County. Keller went into private practice after retiring from this position in 1988 and, since then, he has become a local authority on criminal law.
Keller serves the community as a member of the American, Pennsylvania and Delaware County Bar associations; president of the Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet Society; a board member and secretary for the local Court Appointed Special Advocates organization; and a big brother in Big Brothers Big Sisters. He is also president of the Delaware County Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and chaired a continuing education lecture for the group earlier this month centering on the ever-growing importance of cutting-edge technology in the courtroom.
Williams, who grew up in the small town of Millville, N.J., won the coveted title of Best Speaker in South Jersey by the South Jersey Debate League as a high school student. She stayed in the area for college, earning her undergraduate degree from Stockton State College in Galloway, N.J., in just three years, then her J.D. from Widener University School of Law in 1998. At present she is a member of the American, Pennsylvania, Delaware County and Philadelphia bar associations, as well as the American Association for Justice.
Lisgar, a native of Bucks County, has also spent most of his life in the area. He graduated from Council Rock High School in Newtown, earned his undergraduate degree at West Chester University, then earned his J.D. from Widener.
He also stays engaged in the community through his role as an adjunct professor at the University of Delaware, where he has taught for the past two years. Like Williams, Lisgar has been a partner at Keller, Lisgar & Williams since 2003, and he is a member of the American, Pennsylvania and Delaware County bar associations.
“We’re not a huge practice—we’re boutique—but, at the same time, we can offer state-of-the-art representation,” Keller says. “All three of us are very determined. … We are smart enough, clever enough and aggressive enough to handle any type of case or lawyer.”
For more information on Keller, Lisgar & Williams offices located in Havertown, Media, Philadelphia and Richboro, visit www.klwllp.com.
Photograph by Jody Robinson
