David Worby ’76 Reflects on Decades-Long Career and Historic 9/11 Case

August 26, 2026–David Worby ’76 spent more than 40 years working as a trial lawyer, with specialties ranging from personal injury to contracts to business disputes to zoning. Among his proudest achievements is representing over 10,000 rescue workers affected by toxic exposure during post-9/11 cleanup. But giving back to and “uplifting others” has been a theme throughout his career and life. It also helped bring him to Villanova. 

Worby knew from a young age that he wanted to be a litigator. After completing his undergraduate degree at Cornell University, he was drawn to Villanova Law for its strong sense of community. “I felt like I was getting spirituality from being a Villanovan, and that ended up being very important to me,” Worby explained. “I found that I was so welcomed at Villanova, and it was as warm as law school can be.” 

Following his graduation, Worby fielded offers from national and international firms in Philadelphia but paused before accepting any position. “What was really important to me was my independence. I really wanted to try cases, and so I instead went [to work] with an insurance defense firm so I could get my foot in the door of the courtroom.” 

Three years later, Worby set out on his own and built what was then the largest firm in Westchester County, New York: Worby Vecchio Edelman, LLP. The firm had lawyers across corporate, zoning, banking, state and litigation departments and was later scaled to a boutique-sized firm in favor of a greater work-life balance. He then received a pivotal request: to represent emergency responders involved in the September 11, 2001 attacks. 

He was the first lawyer to take on such a case, spending years uncovering the link between cancer and exposure to Ground Zero and the Fresh Kills Landfill on Staten Island, where 9/11 debris was processed. After several years, the number of plaintiffs surpassed 10,000. 

“At the time, I couldn’t go anywhere without being called by CBS, NBC, papers in Italy, Japan, or people from all over the world coming to my office,” Worby said. “I did close to 500 interviews over the course of several years. The idea and the strategy were that the world was against us, and I had to turn the world of public opinion in favor of these emergency workers. I didn’t feel relief until everyone was taken care of.” 

Today, Worby is globally recognized for this work, which was instrumental in passing the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010. The law provides medical monitoring, treatment and financial compensation to 9/11 responders and survivors.

Since this groundbreaking experience, Worby’s celebrated career has continued alongside his passions and commitments outside of the legal space. He is also a successful composer and playwright and a steadfast philanthropist. In the spirit of varied interests, Worby encourages incoming and current law students to view their studies as an opportunity for wide-ranging exploration.

“If you’re a singer, you sing. A songwriter writes songs,” he said. “Doctors have to specialize, and most lawyers do specialize, but there are so many areas of interest for lawyers...white collar, zoning, real estate, et cetera. Within the various fields, there’s so much that lawyers can and do, do. I think it’s a great profession, and Villanova has produced more than its share of wonderful lawyers.”