Honors Recognize Efforts to Advance Women in the Legal Profession

Nanette Heide

Beatrice O'Donnell

PHILADELPHIA and NEW YORK, November 17, 2014—The Duane Morris Women's Initiative honored two female partners in recognition of their past and ongoing efforts to advance women in the legal profession during the firm's annual fall meeting on October 25. Nanette Heide, a partner in its New York office, received the Cheryl Bryson Leadership Award. Beatrice O'Donnell, a partner in its Philadelphia office, received the Margery Reed Professional Excellence Award.

The Cheryl Bryson Leadership Award is given to female attorney leaders who have made significant contributions to the professional development and advancement of women lawyers. The award is named for the late Cheryl Blackwell Bryson, a Duane Morris partner in Chicago who died in January 2012 after a long battle with cancer. Likewise, Margery Reed spent her entire professional career as an attorney at Duane Morris including 24 years as a partner of the firm. As demonstrated by her numerous awards, including her admission as a Fellow in the prestigious American College of Bankruptcy, Reed was repeatedly recognized as one of the best commercial bankruptcy lawyers in the country. Clients had the utmost confidence in her because of her impressive depth of knowledge, meticulous preparation, calm and focused approach, and long standing track record of exemplary results. Reed was also universally respected by her adversaries as a zealous yet reasonable and civil advocate. Colleagues revered her because she routinely built consensus through her thoughtful way of seeking and incorporating input from the most junior to the most senior team members. A consummate partner, Reed was incomparably selfless in giving of her time and talents to assist her colleagues and mentor junior lawyers. She was a true professional in every sense and her unwavering commitment to her clients and colleagues, the firm and the profession of law is the reason this award for professional excellence is given in her name.

Heide focuses her practice in the areas of corporate and securities transactions, and general corporate counseling. She has served on the Women of Leadership Committee for the Association for Corporate Growth's (ACG) New York Chapter since 2008. She is also chair of programming for the Women's Initiative in Duane Morris' New York office and a member of its Steering Committee. Heide has been the past Treasurer and Audit Committee chair for the New York Junior League. She currently serves on the Duane Morris Partners Board and is a member of the Law Council for Washington and Lee University School of Law.

Heide is a graduate of Washington and Lee University School of Law and West Virginia University.

O'Donnell, an experienced trial lawyer focusing on health effects litigation, co-chairs the American Bar Association's Woman Advocate Committee and was a former co-chair of the Mass Torts Committee from 2009?2012. In 2009, she was recognized as Outstanding Subcommittee Chair for her work with the Woman Advocate committee. She is also a two-term past co-chair of the Pennsylvania Bar Association's Commission on Women in the Profession. O'Donnell was a member of Duane Morris' Partners Board from 2007 to 2010 and serves on the Women's Initiative Steering Committee.

O'Donnell is a 1978 cum laude graduate of Temple University School of Law and Temple University.

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