Duane Morris LLP partner Beatrice O’Donnell has been appointed to the board of directors of the Forum of Executive Women, a membership organization of 450 women of significant influence across the Greater Philadelphia region. Dedicated to leveraging the power of executive women in the region to advance the impact and influence of women leaders across a broad spectrum of society, The Forum has been the linchpin for many initiatives that have sparked critical conversations in executive suites, board rooms and public policy arenas. Members exchange views that expand and strengthen their own relationships and inspire progress toward a world in which women and men share an equal place in leadership, policy and decision making in all private and public entities.

O’Donnell focuses her practice on health effects litigation, including injuries from a wide variety of industrial products; mass and toxic torts involving exposures to pharmaceuticals and chemicals; and claims of injury related to nuclear exposures. She has tried to verdict more than 90 major civil jury trials in both the state and federal courts and has experience in handling hundreds of arbitration and mediations. O’Donnell served as coordinating counsel in mass tort litigation for multiple clients in the areas of asbestos, pharmaceuticals and food supplements. Due to her extensive experience in both risk management and litigation, O’Donnell is often called upon to assist her clients in crisis management situations.

O’Donnell is the co-director of the American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Litigation Division VI, and also ABA Woman Advocate co-chair and past co-chair of the ABA Mass Torts Committee. She was a two-term co-chair of the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Commission on Women in the Profession. She is a Master and former Executive Committee member of the Temple American Inn of Court.  O’Donnell is a 1978 cum laude graduate of Temple University School of Law and a graduate of Temple University.

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 750 attorneys in offices across the United States and internationally. The firm represents a broad array of clients, spanning all major practices and industries.