Bettina Plevan (born Barasch; November 21, 1945October 29, 2021) was an American lawyer who was a partner at Proskauer Rose and a former president of the

New York City Bar Association The New York City Bar Association (City Bar), founded in 1870, is a voluntary association of lawyers and law students. Since 1896, the organization, formally known as the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, has been headquartered in a ...

Early life and education

Bettina Barasch was born on November 21, 1945, in Oceanside, New York. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficial g ...

in 1967, and her

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from Boston University in 1970, where she graduated ''

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some So ...

'' and was an editor of the '' Boston University Law Review''. She married Kenneth Plevan in 1967.

Career

Plevan was a partner at Proskauer Rose LLP specializing in labor law and employment law. She was a former member of the firm’s Executive Committee. Plevan's practice was built on handling all types of labor and employment litigation, as well as counseling clients in employment matters. She represented clients in the banking,

health care Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health profe ...

, entertainment,

publishing Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

and education industries and argued cases before both state and federal appellate courts. Plevan handled both single plaintiff and

class action lawsuits A class action, also known as a class-action lawsuit, class suit, or representative action, is a type of lawsuit where one of the parties is a group of people who are represented collectively by a member or members of that group. The class action ...

involving issues of

discrimination Discrimination is the act of making unjustified distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong. People may be discriminated on the basis of race, gender, age, relig ...

harassment Harassment covers a wide range of behaviors of offensive nature. It is commonly understood as behavior that demeans, humiliates or embarrasses a person, and it is characteristically identified by its unlikelihood in terms of social and moral ...

and

employee benefits Employee benefits and (especially in British English) benefits in kind (also called fringe benefits, perquisites, or perks) include various types of non-wage compensation provided to employees in addition to their normal wages or salaries. Inst ...

matters. Plevan was also active in the American Bar Association, where she served on the Board of Governors representing

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

from 2006-2009, chair of the

Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academ ...

from 2013-2014 as well as the first chair of the Bar's Committee on Women in the Profession. She played a role in the publication of its influential study of gender in the profession, "Glass Ceilings and Open Doors". Plevan also served as president of the

from 2004-2006. Her trial work was recognized by her induction as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. She also argued more than 60 appeals in state and federal courts, and was elected a member of the

American Academy of Appellate Lawyers The American Academy of Appellate Lawyers is a non-profit organization consisting of the Fellows who have been elected to the Academy. It was founded in 1990 and incorporated as a 501(c)(3) in 1991. Its mission is to "advance the highest standards ...

. Plevan was recognized many times for legal excellence, including being named b
Benchmark Litigation
as one of the "Top 20 Labor & Employment Litigators," '' New York Magazine'' as one of the "100 Best Lawyers in New York City", the ''

National Law Journal ''The National Law Journal'' (NLJ) is an American legal periodical founded in 1978. The NLJ was created by Jerry Finkelstein, who envisioned it as a "sibling newspaper" of the ''New York Law Journal''. Originally a tabloid-sized weekly newspape ...

'' as one of the "50 Most Influential Women Lawyers in America" and receiving the "Lifetime Achievement Award" by '' The American Lawyer''. Plevan was involved in representing employers in sexual harassment matters for many years. Noteworthy cases include, among others, her retention by Meritor Savings Bank to handle the remand of the landmark Supreme Court case. On appeal, she also handled the landmark case in which the New York Court of Appeals reversed a $4 million punitive damages award against Penthouse magazine on the grounds that no punitive damages are available under the State Human Rights Law. Plevan died on October 29, 2021, in Manhattan.

References

Sources

“New York Lawyer Bettina B. Plevan is New Member of ABA Board of Governors,” American Bar AssociationBettina B. Plevan Biography at Proskauer RoseBettina Plevan Faculty Profile at Practising Law Institute
*[http://www.proskauer.com/news/press-releases/may-30-2007/ “Bettina Plevan of Proskauer Rose Named One of 50 Most Influential Women Lawyers in America by National Law Journal.” Proskauer Rose LLP/ May 30, 2007.] {{DEFAULTSORT:Plevan, Bettina 1945 births 2021 deaths Wellesley College alumni Boston University School of Law alumni New York (state) lawyers Presidents of the New York City Bar Association Proskauer Rose partners People from Hempstead (town), New York