PHILADELPHIA - February 1, 2019 —Susan N. Eisenberg, Cozen O’Connor’s Miami office managing partner, and Ingrid Welch, co-chair of Cozen O'Connor's Women’s Initiative, will be speaking at The Women, Diversity and Change Summits. Eisenberg will present on a panel "Lessons Learned from Female and Minority Leaders, Litigators & Deal-Makers" in Miami on March 13.  Welch will be presenting “Self-Advocacy & Countering Personal Negation" in Philadelphia on March 20. The Women, Diversity and Change Summit is a national women’s organization that explores how to create lasting change for women and minorities in the legal profession with topics such as: advocating for yourself and others, what are the best ways to deal with discrimination and unconscious bias,  what can be done to increase diversity in leadership, and techniques and strategies to enhance your career.

 

Eisenberg has more than 25 years of experience representing employers in all aspects of employment matters and is widely recognized as one of the leading employment law attorneys in Florida. Eisenberg has extensive jury and non-jury trial experience involving sex, race, religion, age and disability harassment and discrimination issues. She also litigates non-compete and confidentiality issues as well as accessibility issues under the Americans with Disabilities Act. She regularly handles single plaintiff as well as class-action litigation. Eisenberg is also widely known for her experience with wage and hour issues and is one of the authors of the premiere treatise titled The Fair Labor Standards Act. Susan also advises clients on employment law compliance, discipline, terminations, reductions in force and wage and hour audits. She has extensive experience in conducting workplace investigations including those involving high-level executives. She prepares workplace policies and procedure manuals, employment contracts, non-compete and confidentiality agreements and separation agreements. Eisenberg is Florida Bar Board Certified in Labor and Employment Law and has been a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers since 2007. Eisenberg is the current management co-chair of the American Bar Association Labor and Employment Section Conference Planning Committee, the former president of the Academy of Florida Management Attorneys, and founding member and president of the Wage and Hour Defense Institute. Eisenberg is a key supporter of Cozen O’Connor’s Women’s Initiative, as she serves as a support system and mentor for many women associates in the firm. Having built a career while raising four children, associates often turn to Eisenberg for guidance in balancing work and motherhood.

 

Welch has more than 30 years of legal experience in private equity fund formation, private placements, mergers and acquisitions, and SEC investment adviser and broker/dealer registration and compliance. Her practice focuses on the needs of private equity and private real estate investment firms. She has represented private equity clients in all aspects of their transactional needs, including fund formation, private placements, securities regulation (including Regulation D and Investment Company Act of 1940 exemptions), acquisition, financing, and disposition of private companies and real estate, and advice regarding Dodd Frank investment adviser compliance, broker/dealer issues, and other regulatory requirements that impact private equity funds. Welch spent 22 years as in-house counsel to a Philadelphia-based private equity and real estate investment boutique with 12 years as a principal and member of the investment committee. Welch has been co-chair of the Cozen O’Connor Women’s Initiative since 2015.  Under her leadership, Cozen O’Connor was chosen as the winner of the Pennsylvania Bar Association Women in the Profession's Promotion of Women Award, an honor established to honor Pennsylvania law firms, corporate law departments, or other organizations providing legal services, either public or private, that instituted programs or initiatives that have resulted in helping women lawyers continue and advance in their professional careers while maintaining a work/life balance.  

 

The Cozen O’Connor Women’s Initiative is dedicated to the development and enhancement of professional and personal relationships among our women attorneys and clients. The firm’s long-standing commitment to the importance of a supportive, collaborative culture for women attorneys formally began in the late 1990s and continues to prosper today, creating a positive environment for the hiring, retention and promotion of women attorneys within Cozen O’Connor. The Women's Initiative also has a dedicated Steering Committee and subcommittees that represent each of the firm’s offices and that reflects the diverse issues confronting women in today’s legal workplace.