Ryan A. Hancock

Ryan A. Hancock

Philadelphia, PA recognized lawyers icon Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2018
Willig, Williams & Davidson

18 Best Lawyers awards

Willig, Williams & Davidson logo

Awarded Practice Areas

Employment Law - Individuals Litigation - Labor and Employment

Biography

Ryan Allen Hancock is of counsel at Willig, Williams & Davidson and Chair of the firm's Employment Law Group. Prior to joining Willig, Williams & Davidson, he was Assistant Chief Counsel with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, the Commonwealth's civil rights enforcement agency. As Assistant Chief Counsel, Mr. Hancock successfully litigated a wide range of discrimination matters including but not limited to claims of: sexual orientation, religious accommodation, disability race, sex, and denial of employment based on a criminal record. He is the principal author of the Commission's proposed policy entitled Disparate Impact Discrimination Implications Related to a Denial of Employment Based on a Criminal Record. Mr. Hancock received his law degree from Rutgers School of Law in 2003 and subsequently clerked in Camden County Superior Court, Criminal Division for the Honorable David G. Eynon. He co-founded and is currently Board Chair for the Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity (PLSE) and its Criminal Record Expungement Project (C-REP).

Mr. Hancock is the author of The Double Bind: Obstacles to Employment and Resources for Survivors of the Criminal Justice System, 15 U. Pa. J.L. & Soc. Change 515 2011-2012 and has served on the board of Penn Law’s Journal of Law & Social Change. He also served as the supervising attorney for Penn Law’s International Human Rights Advocates (IHRA), was a member of the Bethesda Project’s Young Professional Advisory Board, and co-convened the Drexel Summer Theory Institute at the Earle Mack School of Law from 2011-2013. Mr. Hancock has also been a Part-time Lecturer on Trial Advocacy at Rutgers School of Law from 2016 to the present.

Willig, Williams & Davidson

18 Best Lawyers awards

Willig, Williams & Davidson logo

Overview

  • Rutgers University–Camden, J.D., graduated 2003
  • Rutgers University–Camden, J.D., graduated 2003
  • University of the Arts, B.F.A., graduated 1999

  • New York, 2015

  • MENTOR, First Judicial District of PA - Steering Committee
  • National Employment Lawyers Association -
  • Philadelphia Bar Association -
  • Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity - Co-Founder and Board Chair
  • Rutgers School of Law - Part Time Lecturer

  • Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
  • United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennslvania
  • The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
  • New York, 2015
  • MENTOR, First Judicial District of PA - Steering Committee
  • National Employment Lawyers Association -
  • Philadelphia Bar Association -
  • Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity - Co-Founder and Board Chair
  • Rutgers School of Law - Part Time Lecturer
  • Rutgers University–Camden, J.D., graduated 2003
  • Rutgers University–Camden, J.D., graduated 2003
  • University of the Arts, B.F.A., graduated 1999
  • Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
  • United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennslvania
  • The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

Client Testimonials

Awards & Focus

Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2026 for work in:
  • Employment Law - Individuals
  • Litigation - Labor and Employment
Awards:
  • Philadelphia's 3rd Senatorial District Community Service Award, 2017
  • Philadelphia's 3rd Senatorial District Community Service Award, 2017
  • "Pro-Bono Partner of the Month," Public Interest Law Center, August 2015
  • Pennsylvania Super Lawyers, 2017-Present

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