PHILADELPHIA, April 20, 2023—Duane Morris LLP has been recognized by The Legal Intelligencer across three categories of the publication’s 2023 Professional Excellence Awards. Each year, The Legal Intelligencer’s Professional Excellence Awards honor Pennsylvania law firms and lawyers who have made a significant, positive impact on the legal profession.
Duane Morris’ honors include:
- Most Effective Deal Makers – Rebecca A. Guzman
- Diversity Initiative – Leigh M. Skipper
- Lawyers on the Fast Track – Leah Mintz
Most Effective Deal Makers – Rebecca Guzman
The Most Effective Deal Makers designation is not based on quantity or dollar volume alone. Rather, the deal-makers recognized get repeat business for how they achieve their clients’ goals so that both sides sign on the dotted lines. In July 2022, Guzman was promoted to the firm’s partnership in an off-cycle promotion (a move that the firm has not made in more than 20 years). Her practice focuses on the representation of startup and emerging growth companies, predominantly in the life sciences. Her practice spans the entire corporate life cycle, from formation through liquidity. In addition to her company client counsel, Guzman represents a number of prominent venture capital funds and institutional investors in their financing activities. She has counseled several life sciences companies through exciting inflection points.
Diversity Initiative – Leigh Skipper
The Diversity Initiative Award recognizes lawyers and law firms who made a significant contribution to diversity and inclusion efforts in Pennsylvania’s legal community in the past year. Skipper has long been active in diversity initiatives and recruiting efforts on a local and national level. He has worked with the chief judge and other court leaders of the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on committee projects to expand diverse jury pools as well as designing mentee training programs and recruiting efforts for diverse attorneys seeking appointment to the Criminal Justice Act Panel. Skipper has also participated in recruiting and outreach efforts for diverse candidates at Duane Morris. Additionally, with the launching of the Federal Defender Diversity Fellowship Program, Skipper served as the co-chair of the strategic planning committee where he was instrumental in the design and structure of the interviewing, training and selection committees, which sought to match recent diverse law school graduates with federal defender offices throughout the country.
Lawyers on the Fast Track – Leah Mintz
The Lawyers on the Fast Track Awards celebrate “the next generation of legal leaders.” In the past two years, Mintz has distinguished herself by taking on leadership roles in her cases. She routinely has primary drafting responsibility for briefs submitted to federal district courts, Pennsylvania appellate courts and Federal Circuit courts. She has argued appeals for Duane Morris clients in the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. In addition to her appellate practice, Mintz is a trusted adviser for trial lawyers. She routinely consults with litigators who are preparing for trial or trying a case about dispositive motions, issue preservation and framing of jury instructions and verdict forms. Mintz also has an extensive pro bono practice. In October 2020, Mintz was honored with the Duane Morris Pro Bono Award, which honors the outstanding service of an attorney who exemplifies the firm’s commitment to pro bono service and has made a significant impact on an individual or community. In 2021, she was named to Philadelphia Business Journal’s “Best of the Bar” for her pro bono work.
About Duane Morris
Duane Morris LLP provides innovative solutions to today’s multifaceted legal and business challenges through the collegial and collaborative culture of its more than 900 attorneys in offices across the United States and internationally. The firm represents a broad array of clients, spanning all major practices and industries. Duane Morris has been recognized by BTI Consulting as both a client service leader and a highly recommended law firm.
