Donna Williams Rucker

As managing partner of Tully Rinckey PLLC in Washington, D.C., Donna Williams Rucker concentrates her practice on federal employment law, representing federal employees in matters involving discrimination, harassment, disability retirement, retaliation and disciplinary and adverse actions.

Additionally, Ms. Rucker also advises state and private sector employees facing comparable workplace challenges, and she continues to expand the firm's litigation and trial practice across federal courts, the District of Columbia courts, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board and the Offices of Human Rights in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia.

Ms. Rucker's experience extends well beyond employment law. She has represented debtors and creditors in Chapter 7, 11 and 13 bankruptcy proceedings, defended firefighters and police officers in adverse action hearings, served as corporate counsel and successfully litigated personal injury and medical malpractice matters.

A consummate professional, Ms. Rucker's career spans more than three decades, beginning with her admission to the bar in 1987, one year after earning her Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center. She holds a bachelor's degree from City College of New York, where she double-majored in pre-law and public speaking and debate. For 21 years, she held senior attorney and partner roles at employment and multipractice firms throughout Maryland before founding a boutique Washington, DC firm in 2012. Her background also includes service as a magistrate judge for the 17th Judicial Circuit.

Clients value her individualized approach. Recognizing that no two employment cases are alike, Ms. Rucker designs each strategy around the specific circumstances, investing personal effort to chart the legal path most likely to achieve the desired outcome. She is a determined litigator who advocates relentlessly for those wronged by their employers.

Ms. Rucker is a past president and executive board member of the Metropolitan Washington Employment Lawyers Association and belongs to the National Association of Women Judges, the National Employment Lawyers Association, the American Bar Association and the National Bar Association. She also serves on the boards of several nonprofit organizations. Her honors include the Elite Women of the Plaintiffs Bar Elite Trial Lawyer award, recognition among the Lawdragon 100 Managing Partners You Need To Know (2026), the Lawdragon 500 Leading Civil Rights & Plaintiff Employment Lawyers (2025, 2026) and the Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America (2026).

Donna Williams Rucker is a debt relief agent. She helps people file for bankruptcy relief under the Bankruptcy Code.