Betsy Plevan, Role Model: In Memoriam
By Erica
This morning I opened my NYT and saw that Bettina (Betsy) Plevan, a partner at the Proskauer law firm, had passed away at age 75 after a 14 month battle with leukemia. Memories flooded back. Betsy’s legacy as a trailblazer and role model, cracking ceilings and opening doors for women in the legal profession, is known far and wide. Her kindness and care are her legacy too.
I was a young lawyer when a female partner in my law firm, Judith Kaye, suggested that it would be “good for me” to serve on a Committee of the NYC Bar Association. It wasn’t really a suggestion. Several days later I received a letter confirming my committee assignment. Judith was, of course, right.
The committee, it turned out, was pretty illustrious. Cy Vance, former Secretary of State, was on it. Michael Cardozo, a litigation partner at Proskauer, was the Chair. And the other woman was a young Proskauer partner, Betsy Plevan. (Betsy later became President of the NYC Bar Association.)
Shortly after our first meeting, our committee was charged with investigating alleged improprieties of a well respected Judge on the New York Supreme Court. Michael was the lead, Betsy was the working member, and I was assigned to work with her. Over the course of the next many months, Betsy showed me that respect and tough could co-exist, that one didn’t have to abandon care or humor to do the job, that being a woman is an asset when you’re looking for the truth. We worked together writing a report when only the perfect word or phrase would make the cut.
That experience, and Betsy, left a lasting imprint. She always treated me as an equal, never a go-for or inferior. She included me in the conversation and the meeting, even when she could have easily gone forward without me. She shared her thoughts and concerns, and was interested in mine. And, although I never professionally worked with her again, she never forgot. If she spotted me across the room, even when she was being honored, she waved me over to say hi and introduce me to her circle.
She was an amazing person. She will be missed.