William D. Goren is one of the country’s foremost authorities on the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. For 28 years and continuing, he has been advising on ADA compliance as both an attorney and professor—of which during his time as a full-time academic at various institutions in Chicago, he won numerous teaching awards and achieved tenure.
With the goal of making all aspects of the ADA (Titles I, II, III, V, constitutional law), the Rehabilitation Act and related laws understandable, Mr. Goren’s practice is divided into two equally important areas. First, a representation side. On the representation side, Mr. Goren will take individuals through administrative processes. Mr. Goren will also co-counsel with other attorneys on their ADA matters (both plaintiff and defense). Examples of Mr. Goren’s co-counseling include defending places of public accommodations from title III architectural barrier lawsuits and the prosecuting of an effective communication case. Finally, the representation side includes providing legal advice on ADA and related matters.
With respect to the equally important legal consulting side, Mr. Goren is very proud of his blog Understanding the ADA, which has been an ABA 100 blog for five consecutive years. The consulting side of the practice also includes helping governmental entities, businesses, places of education, etc., understand what disability discrimination issues they face and then providing training on those issues. His approach favors prevention by combining substantive expertise with firsthand knowledge of persons with disabilities. The other part of the consulting side of the practice includes serving as an ADA and related laws compliance expert witness, consulting expert, or consultant on matters in litigation.
A licensed attorney in Georgia, Illinois and Texas, Mr. Goren also brings a deep, personal understanding of what it means to have a disability, equipping him with exceptional insight on how the ADA actually works. He is deaf with a congenital bilateral hearing loss of 65–100+ decibels, but functions entirely in the hearing world with hearing aids and exceptional lip reading abilities. For reasons unrelated to his deafness, he also uses voice dictation technology to access the computer.
Mr. Goren is the author of Understanding the Americans with Disabilities Act, Fourth Edition (published by the American Bar Association, 2013). Mr. Goren has also penned numerous other articles on the rights of persons with disabilities and is a frequent presenter.
Mr. Goren was the founder, founding member, and the first President of the National Association of Attorneys with Disabilities (NAAD). Mr. Goren is also currently a member of: the EEO committee of the American Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Law section; the American Bar Association’s General Practice and Solo section; the American Bar Association’s Legal Technology Resource Center Board; the American Bar Association’s Law Practice Client Development and Marketing Committee; the Federal Bar Association Diversity Task Force; the Federal Bar Association’s Amicus Committee; the Federal Bar Association’s Education Committee; the Federal Bar Association Civil Rights Committee; the Atlanta Bar Association; and the Dekalb County Bar Association. Previously, Mr. Goren has served on the Illinois Standing Committee on Disability Law, the Texas Bar Standing Committee on Disability Issues committee, and was a co-chair of the Civil Rights/Constitutional Law committee of the Chicago Bar Association.
Mr. Goren received his B.A. from Vassar College, his J.D. from the University of San Diego, and his LL.M. in Health Law from DePaul University.
Mr. Goren resides in Decatur, Georgia with his wife and daughter. In his spare time, he is a voracious reader and loves sports.