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Stradley Ronon Lawyers Named Winners of The Legal Intelligencer’s 2022 Professional Excellence Awards

May 10, 2022
Firm News

PHILADELPHIA – Stradley Ronon is pleased to announce that Danielle Banks, Mena Larmour, Corey S. D. Norcross and Adam J. Petitt were selected by The Legal Intelligencer among the publication’s 2022 Professional Excellence Award winners. The annual awards “celebrate achievement and excellence” and “lawyers who have left an indelible mark on the legal community in Pennsylvania and beyond through their unwavering dedication to their profession.” Banks was chosen as a Power Player; Larmour was named a Distinguished Leader; Norcross was a winner of Lawyers on the Fast Track and Petitt was awarded Best Law Firm Mentors. Firm honorees will be recognized at a special awards dinner on June 29 at the Lowes Philadelphia Hotel.

A partner and member of the firm for almost 30 years, Banks was named one of the six attorneys chosen as Power Players. This award honors attorneys who “through their advocacy, made a significant impact in 2021 on policy, legislation or jurisprudence.” Banks’ nomination highlighted her most significant results from 2021, including a complete defense verdict for firm client Temple University in  Branch v. Temple Univ., et al. Banks is one of the leading employment litigators in the Philadelphia region, devoting a significant amount of her time defending businesses, universities, and governmental entities against employment discrimination claims, including claims brought under Title VII, Section 1981, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act. Among Bank’s many activities in the community, she is a board member of the Philadelphia Diversity Law Group (PDLG) and served as co-president from 2010 to 2012. She is a former chair of the Justice Sonia Sotomayor Diversity Award Committee of the Philadelphia Bar Association and immediate past chair of the firm’s Diversity Committee. She is also a member of The Forum of Executive Women, whose core mission is to expand the impact and power of women in the workplace and beyond.

Larmour, a partner and member of the firm’s leading investment management group, was selected in the Distinguished Leaders award category, which “recognizes lawyers and legal professionals who achieved impressive results in the past year and demonstrated clear leadership skills that helped them achieve those results.” One of Larmour’s most notable achievements includes being an integral part of the team that represented Macquarie in its sizable acquisition of one of the oldest asset management companies in the U.S., Waddell & Reed Financial, which closed in April 2021. Larmour focuses her practice on counseling registered investment companies, independent trustees and investment advisers on a wide range of regulatory, corporate and transactional matters. Within the firm, Larmour gives significant time and effort to supporting and mentoring the firm’s associates, who look to her for guidance. She plays an active role on the firm’s Hiring Committee, Associate Compensation & Evaluation Committee, Career Champion Program, and Committee for Associate Development. Larmour also has worked to give back to her community, serving on the Board of Directors of the Drueding Center, the first transitional housing and comprehensive support program for homeless women and children in Philadelphia.

Norcross was among the 28 outstanding young lawyers recognized as Lawyers on the Fast Track, who are the “next generation of legal leaders” under the age of 40. Norcross, an associate in the firm’s litigation department, focuses her practice on complex civil matters before the trial and appellate levels of state and federal courts as well as arbitration forums. She advises corporate, nonprofit, higher education, and government clients in a wide range of cases involving commercial liability, Title IX,  and internal investigations. Norcross has taken on several leadership roles within and outside the firm. She currently serves on the Associates, Hiring, Pro Bono, and Diversity Committees at Stradley. She is a member of the National and Philadelphia LGBTQ Bar Associations, which promote and support mentorship and creating connections in the LGBT community. She also serves as a Local Board Member of United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey, Burlington & Camden Counties. And as the founding and advisory board member of Volunteer UP Legal Clinic, Norcross commits to making a difference in the community in which she works and lives. Through the legal clinic, Norcross has provided legal assistance to economically disadvantaged clients in central and southern New Jersey.

Petitt is a trial lawyer and partner who was selected as one of the 11 Best Law Firm Mentors, which highlights “more senior attorneys who have taken it upon themselves to prepare the next generation of talent.” Petitt prioritizes and has made a considerable commitment to support the firm’s diversity and inclusion efforts, developing and mentoring the firm’s junior and rising associates and increasing associates’ engagement in the firm’s business. To that end, Petitt is an integral member of the firm’s Associate Compensation & Evaluation Committee, Talent Development and Mentorship Committee, Diversity Committee, and Pro Bono Committee. In his practice, Petitt counsels corporate and individual clients in complex commercial civil and regulatory matters, white-collar criminal defense, internal investigations and corporate compliance. Petitt is one of the leaders of the firm’s healthcare litigation practice and possesses particular experience representing managed care organizations and payors in the health care industry on matters involving ERISA, the complex regulatory schemes that underpin Medicare and Medicaid programs, insurance fraud, False Claims Act and other fraud and abuse laws, high-stakes reimbursement and network agreement disputes and provider contracting.

About Stradley Ronon
Counseling clients since 1926, Stradley Ronon has helped private and public companies – from small businesses to Fortune 500 corporations – achieve their goals by providing pragmatic, value-driven legal counsel. With offices in seven strategic locations, our responsive team of more than 200 attorneys seamlessly addresses the full spectrum of our clients’ needs, ranging from sophisticated corporate transactions to complex commercial litigation.

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