Lynne M. Abraham, a Partner with the law firm of Archer P.C. in Philadelphia, has been selected to receive the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from the Philadelphia Business Journal.The former longtime District Attorney of Philadelphia, Ms. Abraham was chosen for the award as part of the newspaper’s 2011 Women of Distinction program. Presented in conjunction with the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), the program recognizes Philadelphia-area women for professional accomplishments and community involvement. Ms. Abraham will be recognized along with other honorees at a dinner ceremony on November 29, 2011, at the Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown Hotel.
The nomination of Ms. Abraham, submitted by Jeffrey M. Kolansky, Co-Managing Partner of Archer’s Philadelphia office, states: “Lynne Abraham is a Philadelphia institution, pure and simple. Her accomplishments, character and charisma have made her a beloved personality who brings honor not only to herself and those associated with her, but to the Philadelphia region as a whole. A lifelong Philadelphian, Ms. Abraham’s beneficial impact on the City and its people has been enormous. Furthermore, her influence as a leader and positive role model for women is monumental.”
Ms. Abraham is the first and only female to serve as District Attorney of Philadelphia, and her almost 19-year tenure in the post is the longest in modern city history. Her myriad accomplishments also include being the first female elected as a Philadelphia Municipal Court Judge, first female to serve as Executive Director of the City’s Redevelopment Authority, and first woman to be recognized as the Outstanding Young Leader by the Philadelphia Jaycees.
Her extensive and decades-long community involvement includes serving while District Attorney as the Co-Founder and Chair of the Board of Directors of I-LEAD (Institute for Leadership Education, Advancement and Development), a nonprofit corporation which, in association with Harcum College in Bryn Mawr, confers a two-year, fully accredited Associate’s Degree on graduates of the program, who attend classes on campus or at the “College Without Walls,” where classes are held in several communities throughout the city. The program is specifically directed to working people with fewer chances for advanced job placements due to the absence of a college degree.
Also while serving as District Attorney, Ms. Abraham founded another nonprofit corporation, Urban Genesis Inc., which provided the underserved with everything from food and school supplies for thousands of children to a new library at the T.M. Pierce Elementary School in North Philadelphia. Christmas presents, clothing, free summer camp, other recreational activities and educational programs were also priorities.
In addition, Ms. Abraham’s love of Philadelphia and her devotion to communities throughout this city spurred her to create community-based solutions to crime intervention and prevention such as the Youth Violence Reduction Partnership, to help stem the rise in juvenile homicides; Mental Health Court, to assist and treat mentally ill offenders in the least restrictive manner possible; Adult and Juvenile Drug Treatment Courts; the first Zone Courts ever in Philadelphia, where prosecutors were assigned to specific courtrooms where all crimes committed in a specific area of the city were prosecuted by the same prosecutor from beginning to end; and Gun Court for the prosecution of all illegal gun possession cases in one court.
While well-known as a tough-on-crime prosecutor, where lengthy prison sentences were not appropriate, Ms. Abraham established other methodologies and proposed legislation to intervene in the cycle of violence, such as the Blueprint for a Safer Philadelphia, Family Violence Courts, animal abuse prevention in cooperation with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), and other innovative approaches to crime suppression and prevention.
At Archer, Ms. Abraham focuses her practice on legal issues affecting women, litigation, appellate advocacy, and more.
Archer PC is a full-service regional law firm with more than 200 lawyers and eight offices in Philadelphia, Pa.; Haddonfield, Hackensack, Princeton and Flemington, N.J.; New York, N.Y.; and Wilmington and Georgetown, Del. The Firm has been serving Fortune 100 clients, small to medium-sized businesses and individuals for more than 80 years. Each office provides full-service litigation and transactional capabilities in nearly every area of law including corporate, estate & trust, family & matrimonial, labor & employment, litigation, medical & personal injury and real estate services. For more information, visit www.archerlaw.com.
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