PHILADELPHIA and READING, PA, December 19, 2022 – Stevens & Lee is pleased to announce that William P. Thornton, Jr. has been elected President and CEO of the firm. He will begin serving in that position on January 1, 2023.
Current Chairman, President and CEO, Ernie Choquette, will continue to serve as Chairman.
“We have been actively engaged in succession for many years and planned for this transition as part of our overall leadership succession strategy,” said Mr. Choquette. “Bill has devoted his entire career to the firm and our clients. He and I have worked together for more than 30 years and I have come to know him as a genuine leader who cares deeply about our company, our employees and our clients. I look forward to working with him as we continue our efforts to find innovative ways to provide higher levels of service and value to our clients.”
“I’m honored to serve as the next leader and excited to be working with our talented and committed team of attorneys and professionals. Stevens & Lee has a long tradition of serving clients at the highest level, and our leadership team and Platform members are dedicated to our core values of client service, collaboration, mutual respect and trust,” said Mr. Thornton.
Mr. Thornton has been a key leader at Stevens & Lee over the past several years, serving on the firm’s Executive, Management, Pension and Finance Committees. He also has been Co-Chair of the Litigation Department since 2019 and heads the firm’s securities litigation practice.
A dedicated and active member of many professional and community organizations, Mr. Thornton is a member of the Board of Directors of Tower Health, Vice Chair of its Governance Committee, and a member of the Finance Committee. Since 2012, he has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the Caron Foundation where he Chairs the Audit, Compliance and Risk Management Committee and serves on the Executive and Investment Committees.
In his distinguished career as a securities litigator, Mr. Thornton has represented investment managers nationwide in all manner of claims related to the purchase and sale of securities and financial products. His clients include large broker-dealers, banks, Fortune 100 life insurance companies, directors and officers of public companies, registered investment advisers, institutional and private investors, and individuals charged with violating federal or state securities laws.
A graduate of the Villanova University School of Law and Dickinson College, Mr. Thornton is a former college basketball player and coach who was inducted into the Dickinson College Sports Hall of Fame in 2002. He began his career at Stevens & Lee in 1991.
