Bettina B. Plevan is a partner in the Labor & Employment Law Department and a former member of the firm’s seven-person Executive Committee. She has built her practice handling all types of labor and employment litigation, as well as counseling clients in employment matters.
In addition to maintaining her active practice, she served as president of the New York City Bar from 2004-2006, a member of the ABA Board of Governors from 2006-2009, and chair of the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary from 2013-2014.
Betsy’s practice includes representing clients in such diverse industries as banking and finance, health care, entertainment, publishing and education. She spends considerable time representing leading law firms in counseling and litigation assignments as well as conducting high-profile investigations.
She has handled both single plaintiff and class action lawsuits involving issues of discrimination, harassment and employee benefits matters. Having successfully tried a number of jury and non-jury cases in New York and elsewhere in the U.S., Betsy’s trial work has been recognized by her induction as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.
She also has argued more than 60 appeals in state and federal courts, and has been elected a member of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers. Betsy has been 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 in this area. She also handled, on appeal, the landmark case in which the New York Court of Appeals reversed a $4 million punitive damages award against Penthouse magazine on the ground that no punitive damages are available under the State Human Rights Law.
In the employee benefits area, Betsy has handled class action lawsuits involving alleged breaches of fiduciary duty, COBRA violations and termination of retiree benefits. She also has extensive experience counseling employers on litigation avoidance and sexual harassment investigations and training management employees in these areas.
Betsy is frequently quoted in national newspapers, legal and other trade publications and has appeared on television to discuss employment issues, especially sexual harassment suits, about which she has lectured and written extensively.
Education :
- Boston University School of Law, J.D.
- Wellesley College, B.A.
Admissions & Qualifications : New York
Court Admissions :
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit
- U.S. District Court, New York, Eastern District
- U.S. Tax Court
Memberships :
- American Bar Association (Former Chair of the Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary, Board of Governors, Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service)
- New York City Bar (Past President, Executive Committee, Former Chair of Committee on State Courts of Superior Jurisdiction, Former Chair of Council on Judicial Administration, Former Chair of Special Committee on Women in The Profession, Former Chair of Long-Range Planning Committee, Former Chair, Council on International Affairs)
- American Law Institute – American Bar Association (Director)
- New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (Director Emeritus)
- Southern District of New York (Chair of Magistrate Judge Selection Panel)
- Second Circuit Task Force on Fairness in Courts (Co-Chair of Committee on Gender Bias)
- Chief Judge’s Task Force on New York Commercial Courts
Cost
Rate : $$$