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March 10, 2021 / Press Release

Crabtree named chair of firm Women’s Leadership Initiative

Porter Wright has named partner Molly Crabtree as the new chair of the firm’s Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI). The WLI is a resource group for the firm’s women lawyers to help them succeed in their practice and grow in the leadership ranks at the firm.

Joyce Edelman, a partner in the Litigation Department, founded Porter Wright’s Women’s Leadership Initiative in 2002. The WLI provides support, training, leadership development, business development opportunities, client and community networking, and mentor/mentee relationships within all of our eight offices. In addition, the WLI provides support to non-profit organizations that promote women and girls in our communities.

“Through the WLI, we’ve done some incredible work within our firm and legal communities to promote diversity, equity and inclusion and celebrate the accomplishments of women lawyers,” said Edelman. “I’m thrilled to pass the torch to Molly—a great friend, an amazing lawyer and a passionate advocate and champion of women in the legal profession. Molly has demonstrated unwavering support and empowerment of women at the firm and I know our WLI will continue to grow and thrive under Molly’s leadership.”

Molly is a partner in the firm’s Litigation Department and focuses her practice on complex litigation, including reinsurance, antitrust investigations and litigation, and environmental administrative proceedings and litigation. She also serves as co-chair of the firm’s E-Discovery Practice Group.

Molly has been active in WLI since its inception. She served on the leadership committee for the WLI’s annual summit, which brought together all women lawyers in the firm for business development and networking pre-COVID-19. Molly also serves on the steering committee of Gender Equity in the Legal Industry (GELI). This consortium of six law firms in Columbus was formed to address issues of gender equity in the legal profession and convenes community conversations to discuss best practices and to implement strategies to improve gender equity in the legal industry.

Molly was honored in the 2020 edition of Best Lawyers® in the area of commercial litigation. She earned her J.D. magna cum laude from Case Western Reserve University School of Law and her B.S. cum laude from The Ohio State University.