After serving as First Assistant District Attorney of Bedford County for 3 years, Bill successfully ran for District Attorney in 2003. He was sworn in on January 2, 2004. At the time, he was the youngest District Attorney in PA. Bill retired from the practice of law in 2018.
Bill is a former member of the Pennsylvania District Attorney’s Association, and served as President of the Bedford Bar Association.
Bill’s greatest passion is the PA High School Mock Trial program. He has served the program in nearly every capacity, including serving as statewide coordinator from 2005-2008. In 2010, Bill was honored with the Michael K. Smith Excellence in Service Award for his work with the Mock Trial program. He served as Attorney Coach for Bedford High School’s Team from 2014-2018.
Bill served as President of both the Bedford Rotary the Bedford Lions. In 2010, Bill was honored by the Lions as a Melvin Jones Fellow. During the 2012-13 Lions Year, Bill served as District Governor representing 42 Lions Clubs in five counties. During his term as Governor, Bill was recognized for sponsoring the most new Lions in Pennsylvania.
Bill is a 2004 graduate of Leadership Bedford County. He is also a 2011 graduate of Pennsylvania Rural Leadership (RULE), a 2 year program that focuses on developing leaders in PA's rural communities.
Bill Higgins earned his J.D. from Widener University School of Law in 1999, & his B.A. in English from Villanova University in 1996. In 2006, he was honored by Widener Law as an Outstanding Recent Alumni. Bill and his wife, Amy, were married in June, 2001, and are the proud parents of two girls, Sara, 14, and Caroline, 11, and a 8 year old son, Billy.
Bill is available to speak to any size group of a variety of topics, including Running for Elected Office, Overcoming Adversity, Turning your Passion into a Career, and Motivation.