Two Partners Named as Winners of Corporate Counsel’s Women, Influence & Power in Law Awards

Lisa M. Phelan and Carrie H. Cohen have been recognized by Corporate Counsel in its 2024 Women, Influence & Power in Law (WIPL) Awards. Lisa has been recognized with the Lifetime Achievement Award, while Carrie has been selected as Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Champion. The WIPL Awards honor general counsel, in-house leaders, and law firm partners who have demonstrated a commitment to advancing the empowerment of women in law and diversity in the legal industry.

Lisa M. Phelan, former Chief of the National Criminal Enforcement Section of the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), is co-chair of Morrison Foerster’s global Antitrust Law practice and member of the Investigations + White Collar Defense group. Few attorneys in the world have the breadth of Lisa’s experience counseling and representing clients through each step of cartel investigations, leniency applications, plea negotiations, and criminal jury trials. Lisa was the first woman to head a criminal team prosecuting national and international cases at the DOJ’s Antitrust Division and the longest-serving female chief at the agency.

The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes Lisa’s lasting efforts to champion the advancement of women within the legal profession and in the antitrust bar. She convinced leadership of the ABA Antitrust Section to establish a committee focused on the advancement of women in law and founded the “Women in Cartels” networking group, which brings together women antitrust lawyers, particularly those who work in criminal antitrust, nationally and internationally. Lisa is also a leader in Morrison Foerster’s Women’s Strategy Committee, working closely with firm leaders to ensure that the advancement of women is a constant strategic priority. Lastly, Lisa is dedicated to mentoring the next generation of women lawyers through her participation in the ABA’s Antitrust Law Section Mentoring Program and her classes at American University Washington College of Law.

Carrie H. Cohen, co-chair of Morrison Foerster’s DEI Strategy + Defense, Investigations + White Collar Defense, and State + Local Government Enforcement Groups and Women’s Strategy Committee, is a former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) and former Assistant Attorney General in the New York State Attorney’s General Office. Carrie has long been dedicated to advancing women in the legal profession, both in the United States and globally. She serves as a member of the New York City Bar’s Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice, where she spearheads a professional development program for women lawyers in Latin America and South Africa. She is also a member of the Women’s Forum of New York, which is comprised of a diverse group of recognized leaders in their respective fields who are proactive in the advancement of women.

Carrie co-authored the acclaimed New York State Bar Association report adopted by the American Bar Association, titled “If Not Now, When? Achieving Equality for Women Attorneys in the Courtroom and in ADR,” and the follow-up report adopted by the House of Delegates, “The Time is Now: Achieving Equality for Women Attorneys in the Courtroom and in ADR.” She serves on the Steering Committee of the When There Are Nine Scholarship Project, which she founded with other alumnae from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the SDNY to honor the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg by providing law school scholarships and mentorship to the next generation of women leaders.

You can view the list of winners on Corporate Counsel’s website. The honorees were recognized during the Women, Influence & Power in Law Awards on September 24, 2024.