Dechert Mourns the Loss of Norma Shapiro

Dechert LLP mourns the loss of Norma Levy Shapiro, the first female partner of the firm.

“Norma was a true trailblazer,” said former Dechert CEO and Chairman Barton J. Winokur. “She was a friend to us all and a wonderful attorney to call partner. Her contributions to the legal community are enormous. She will be missed.”

Shapiro joined the firm as its first recruited female associate in 1956 and after taking a leave of absence to raise her children, she returned and in 1973 she was named partner with her primary focus on securities litigation. She withdrew from the partnership in 1978 when she was nominated to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania by President Jimmy Carter on August 1, 1978, to a seat vacated by James H. Gorbey. The United States Senate confirmed her to the Court on August 11, 1978. She assumed senior status on December 31, 1998.

“I came to the firm in 1972 and she was an inspiration and hero to the young lawyers who came in my class. She was a natural leader and everyone wanted to work for her,” said Robert C. Heim, who served for many years as the firm’s litigation chair.

Shapiro returned to the firm often after becoming a judge, speaking to younger associates.

“She shared her story with many and she was an inspiration to all,” Winokur said.

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