HARRISBURG (Nov. 4, 2021) — Philadelphia attorney Jennifer Coatsworth will be honored with the 2021 Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) C. Dale McClain Quality of Life/Balance Award during the association’s virtual Committee/Section Day on Nov. 18.
Presented by the PBA Quality of Life/Balance Committee, the annual award recognizes the substantial contributions that Pennsylvania attorneys have made by identifying issues relevant to balancing the professional and personal lives of their peers, and the progress made in assisting attorneys with maintaining and improving their overall quality of life.
The award is named after C. Dale McClain, one of the founders of the Quality of Life/Balance Committee and the 114th president of PBA. McClain spent much of his career fulfilling the mission of the committee through educating attorneys on the importance of attaining a quality of life/balance in the practice of law.
Coatsworth, a partner at Margolis Edelstein, Philadelphia, is being recognized for her continued efforts to improve the work life/balance for attorneys by organizing wellness events, mentoring other attorneys, and participating in continuing legal education courses and other presentations.
As a member of the Quality of Life/Balance Committee, Coatsworth extends her skills to various PBA committees. Her collaborations include coordinating the PBA Commission on Women (WIP) Fall Retreat, developing the WIP Quality of Life Toolkit, drafting a wellness pledge recommendation for consideration by the PBA Board of Governors and PBA House of Delegates, and planning numerous well-being programs and events.
Active in PBA, Coatsworth serves as a zone governor representing Philadelphia attorneys on the PBA Board of Governors. She is also co-chair of the PBA Commission on Women in the Profession (WIP) Executive Council and a former chair of the PBA Civil Litigation Section. She is a member of the PBA Civil and Equal Rights Committee, Judicial Evaluation Commission, Member Events and Engagement Task Force, Minority Bar Committee and Planning Committee. Additionally, Coatsworth has been a voting member of the PBA House of Delegates, the association’s policymaking body, since 2013.
In her local community, Coatsworth currently serves as assistant treasurer on the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Board of Governors. She previously served as secretary, assistant secretary and parliamentarian for the Board of Governors, and she was the secretary and vice chair of the association’s Young Lawyers Division.
In 2017, Coatsworth received a PBA Special Achievement Award for the enthusiasm and professionalism she brought to her involvement with several committees and sections of PBA.
Coatsworth received her J.D. from Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law, and her B.A. from University of Maryland Honors College, where she graduated cum laude.
Founded in 1895, the Pennsylvania Bar Association strives to promote justice, professional excellence and respect for the law; improve public understanding of the legal system; facilitate access of legal services; and serve the lawyer members of the state’s largest organized bar association.