Press Release
Duane Morris Partner Cynthia Baldwin Appointed Penn State University's General Counsel and Vice President
January 26, 2010
PITTSBURGH, January 26, 2010—Pennsylvania State University has named Duane Morris partner Cynthia Baldwin to the position of vice president and general counsel.
Baldwin has been a partner with Duane Morris, a 700-lawyer international law firm, in its Pittsburgh office since early 2008. Baldwin previously served as a justice on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
Pennsylvania State University is a public state-affiliated university with 24 campuses throughout Pennsylvania and a total enrollment of more than 90,000 students. Baldwin will serve as the university's first in-house legal counsel, and will launch and develop a legal counsel's office at Penn State.
Baldwin is a member of Penn State's Board of Trustees and was chair of the board from 2004 to 2007. As general counsel, she will oversee all of the university's legal work, including reviewing contracts and policies, establishing procedures and advising the board of trustees and senior management. Baldwin also currently chairs the Association of Governing Boards of Colleges and Universities in Washington, D.C.
Baldwin has close to 30 years' experience in trial and appellate litigation. She has also practiced in the area of nonprofit governance, working with a variety of organizations from churches to colleges and universities. Baldwin served as a trial judge in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas for 16 years before being appointed to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court by Governor Rendell. She was the second African-American woman to serve as a justice on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and the first African-American woman to be elected judge on the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas.
"Penn State will benefit greatly from Cynthia's wise legal counsel," said John Soroko, Chairman of Duane Morris. "We are proud to have had her as one of our partners here and wish her the best in her new role at Penn State."
About Duane Morris
Duane Morris LLP, a full-service law firm with more than 700 attorneys in 24 offices in the United States and internationally, offers innovative solutions to the legal and business challenges presented by today's evolving global markets.
