Partners Elizabeth Cooper, Mary Beth Forshaw and Lori Lesser were profiled as “Notable Women in Law” for 2019 by Crain’s New York. The annual feature celebrates exceptionally talented female attorneys in the New York City metropolitan area. The 114 honorees were nominated by their peers and chosen by the publication’s Editorial Board.
As part of the this year’s feature, Lori and Mary Beth were quoted in an accompanying article, titled “The path to success,” in which Lori highlighted the significance of female referral networks. “It’s so important to have that old girl network so that we are advocating for each other.” This was echoed by Mary Beth, who discussed the importance of encouraging younger women to run for committee leadership positions at relatively early ages. “You have to develop leadership skills, and the only way to do so is if someone says, ‘you should be on the finance committee to get those skills,’” she said.
In addition, Mary Beth was also quoted in an article titled “Female litigators find their voices,” which discusses the efforts being made by judges in New York’s state and federal courts to increase the frequency of female attorneys appearing as lead counsel. “Judges are saying ‘I want to hear other voices,’” said Mary Beth. “The judiciary in New York is leading the charge, making sure women are taking the first or second chair. Everyone needs to stop and think, is there a woman on our roster?”
To read the full 2019 “Notable Women in Law” feature, please click here.