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Summary
Helen Diana (“Heidi”) Reavis is Managing Partner of the firm. Her practice areas include corporate operations and brand management, media and intellectual property law, employment matters and dispute resolution. She regularly counsels on general company and organization matters and intellectual property development and disputes, as well as a broad array of employment matters, including company expansion and restructuring, internal documentation and policy materials, executive compensation, employment agreements, hiring and separation arrangements and internal company practices. She counsels companies, organizations and individuals with respect to discrimination avoidance or resolution and other workplace issues. Ms. Reavis and her colleagues also counsel companies and organizations on management and workplace training, internal investigations, regulatory matters, agency filings and defense and dispute resolution, including conciliation, mediation, and arbitration and litigation. Ms. Reavis has received the highest AV rating (5.0 out of 5.0) from the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory.
Early in her career, Ms. Reavis resided abroad and worked for several firms located in Europe, Australia and Asia. Prior to law school, she worked at the New York County District Attorney’s Office, Sex Crimes Prosecution Unit and Trial Division, under Linda A. Fairstein.
Ms. Reavis has been a guest lecturer at New York University, Georgetown University, the University of California, Fordham University School of Law and numerous other institutions. She has contributed and moderated on panels arranged by the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, the Practicing Law Institute, Oxford University, Georgetown University Business School and numerous industry organizations, conferences and film festivals. She has been Counsel to and Chairman of the Board of the Women’s City Club of New York; Counsel to and on the Board and Executive Committee of Women Make Movies; and a member of the Women’s Forum. Ms. Reavis was formerly on the Board of the Friends Seminary School, where she was Chair of the Admissions and Financial Aid Committee. She was recognized by the Women’s Sports Foundation for her successful work in Title IX desegregation in scholastic sports, and she received the Women’s City Club’s coveted Centennial Civic Spirit Award for her transformational work in anti-discrimination, employment law, television and film.
Ms. Reavis and her husband, Steven M. Engel, support the use of media to shed light on legal issues of global concern and have collaborated on human rights films produced for the United Nations, nonprofit organizations and television broadcasters. They produced the award-winning documentary film, A Walk to Beautiful, on the subject of obstetric fistula, for which Ms. Reavis, in her personal capacity, won an Emmy® Award. A Walk to Beautiful was featured and won additional awards at over 35 film festivals around the world. It won the Best Feature Documentary Award from the International Documentary Association, was among the feature films considered for Academy Award nomination and won an Emmy® Award for the television version of the film.
Ms. Reavis graduated with a B.A. from Smith College (magna cum laude, 1981), was First in Class at the University of Lund, Sweden (1983) and received her J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School (1986), where she was an Editor on the Editorial Board of the University of Chicago Legal Forum.
Ms. Reavis has had the highest Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Peer rating (5.0 out of 5.0) since 1996, was selected to Super Lawyers for the New York Metro area in 2019 through 2023 and was selected as a Best Lawyer in America in the category of Entertainment Law in 2023. She is admitted to practice in New York and before the United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.
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Education
Ms. Reavis graduated with a B.A. from Smith College (magna cum laude, 1981), was First in Class at the University of Lund, Sweden (1983), and received her J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School (1986), where she was an Editor on the Editorial Board of the University of Chicago Legal Forum.
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Service & Honors
Ms. Reavis has been a guest lecturer at New York University, Georgetown University, the University of California, Fordham University School of Law and numerous other institutions. She has contributed and moderated on panels arranged by the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, the Practicing Law Institute, Oxford University, Georgetown University Business School and numerous industry organizations, conferences and film festivals. She has been Counsel to and Chairman of the Board of the Women’s City Club of New York; Counsel to and on the Board and Executive Committee of Women Make Movies; and a member of the Women’s Forum. Ms. Reavis was formerly on the Board of the Friends Seminary School, where she was Chair of the Admissions and Financial Aid Committee. She was recognized by the Women’s Sports Foundation for her successful work in Title IX desegregation in scholastic sports, and she received the Women’s City Club’s coveted Centennial Civic Spirit Award for her transformational work in anti-discrimination, employment law, television and film.
Ms. Reavis and her husband, Steven M. Engel, support the use of media to shed light on legal issues of global concern and have collaborated on human rights films produced for the United Nations, nonprofit organizations and television broadcasters. They produced the award-winning documentary film, A Walk to Beautiful, on the subject of obstetric fistula, for which Ms. Reavis, in her personal capacity, won an Emmy® Award. A Walk to Beautiful was featured and won additional awards at over 35 film festivals around the world. It won the Best Feature Documentary Award from the International Documentary Association, was among the feature films considered for Academy Award nomination, and won an Emmy® Award for the television version of the film.
Ms. Reavis has the highest Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Peer rating (5.0 out of 5.0), was selected to Super Lawyers for the New York Metro area in 2019-2023 and was selected as a Best Lawyer in America in the category of Entertainment Law in 2023. She is admitted to practice in New York and before the United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.
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Selected Engagements & Publications
Ms. Reavis has been a guest lecturer at New York University, Georgetown University, the University of California, Fordham University School of Law and numerous other institutions. She has contributed and moderated on panels arranged by the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, the Practicing Law Institute, Oxford University, Georgetown University Business School and numerous industry organizations, conferences and film festivals.
Selected Articles & Publications
- “RPJ Partner Helen D. (Heidi) Reavis Featured in Fox News Article Discussing the ‘Rust’ Trial Outcome and Legal Impacts | RPJ Law” Fox News, Featuring Helen D. Reavis – July 17, 2024
- RPJ Partner Helen D. (Heidi) Reavis Featured in ABC News and Fox News Articles Discussing the ‘Rust’ Trials and Possible Industry and Legislative Impact | RPJ Law” ABC and Fox News, Featuring Helen D. Reavis – April 18, 2024
- “Feature Doc ‘Loud Enough—Surviving Justice’ Produced by RPJ’s Heidi Reavis, Steve Engel and Hilary Klotz Steinman, and Assisted by RPJ’s Alice Jump, Released through Women Make Movies and Featured for Screenings during Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Beyond | RPJ Law” RPJ – April 9, 2024
- “RPJ Partner Helen D. Reavis Featured in SHRM Article ‘Viral Video Draws Attention to Layoff Process Via Zoom'” RPJ – February 20, 2024
- “As many 2024 layoffs go virtual, how HR can reduce risks of going viral” Human Resource Executive, Featuring Helen D. Reavis – February 15, 2024
- “Reavis Page Jump Managing Partner Helen D. (Heidi) Reavis Interviewed for Above the Law Article on Culture and Diversity in Law Firms” RPJ – January 23, 2024
- “What’s in a Name? New York Legislature Passes LLC Transparency Act – LLCs and Their Individual Beneficial Owners Must Prepare for Disclosure (and Corporate/Tax Lawyers Prepare for More Work to Avoid It)” RPJ-September 26, 2023
- “Columbia Law School Lecture: “Intra-Law Firm Disputes and Why You Don’t Read About Them”– RPJ- July 28, 2023
- “Missing in Brooks County’, Executive Produced by RPJ’s Heidi Reavis, Wins Peabody Award” RPJ – May 11, 2023
- “Inspired by War, Commanders in Courage: For Women’s History Month, RPJ Honors Three Political Pioneers Inspired to Politics during Times of War,” RPJ – March 23, 2023
- “Window into Pay Transparency: Time to Display the Pay, by Helen D. (Heidi) Reavis and Ariana Zhao,” RPJ – November 10, 2022
- “A Tale of Two Trends: ‘Women on Boards’ Laws in the US and Internationally – Legislation Successful Even When Overturned,” by Helen D. (Heidi) Reavis with Anna Beckelman and Claire Griffin, RPJ – June 7, 2022
- Stronger Cover When On The Beach – Current Legislative Trends In Non-Compete Agreements RPJ – March 25, 2022
- Spring Can Be Hell – Reflections on the “Memorial to All Victims of the Holocaust 1938-1945”, the Insight and Foresight of Harriet Feigenbaum, and the Limits of Tolerance and Tragedy RPJ – March 14, 2022
- “Religious Exemptions to Covid-19 Mandates: Paths through the Minefield,” by Anna Beckelman with Helen D. Reavis RPJ – January 6, 2022
- “Heidi Reavis named an American Lawyer Northeast Trailblazer in Inaugural List” The American Lawyer, honoring Ms. Reavis – May 13, 2021
- “Biden Administration Faces Obstacles to Revising Employment Laws” by Judy Greenwald, Business Insurance, featuring Ms. Reavis – December 15, 2020
- “Lawyers Who Have Made a Difference” by Pete Eikenberry, Federal Bar Council, a profile of Ms. Reavis – November 20, 2020
- “Spotlight on Weinstein Counsel and the Culture of Complicity.” New York Law Journal – November 6, 2020
- “BigLaw Getting Election Day As A Holiday? Not So Fast.” by Andrew McIntyre, Law360, featuring Ms. Reavis – November 5, 2020
- “Law Firms Largely Buck Growing Trend of Monitoring Remote Employees’ Productivity” by Victoria Hudgins, LegalTech News, featuring Ms. Reavis – October 27, 2020
- “Caste Bias Lawsuit Against Cisco Tests Rare Workplace Claim” by Paige Smith, Bloomberg Law, featuring Ms. Reavis – July 17, 2020
- “The Future of Reality TV: How Will Shows Adapt to the Pandemic?” by Taryn Ryder, Yahoo! Entertainment, featuring Ms. Reavis and RPJ Partner Nicole Page – June 26, 2020
- “Coronavirus Spread Takes Commercial Toll as Bankruptcies Rise,” by Judy Greenwald, Business Insurance, featuring Ms. Reavis – June 1, 2020
- “What’s Legal in Covid-19 Pay Cuts Isn’t Necessarily What’s Fair,” by Paige Smith, Bloomberg Law, featuring Ms. Reavis – May 11, 2020
- “Harvey Weinstein verdict: What will ‘a new era’ mean to #MeToo, Hollywood and sex-crimes prosecutions?” by Maria Puente, Patrick Ryan and Andrea Mandell, USA Today, featuring Ms. Reavis – February 25, 2020
- “What Happens Now That Harvey Weinstein Is Officially a Convicted Rapist,” by Carter Sherman, VICE, featuring Ms. Reavis – February 25, 2020
- “How much prison time will Harvey Weinstein see after rape, sex assault convictions?” by Greg Hanlon, Jeff Truesdell and Chris Harris, People, featuring Ms. Reavis – February 24, 2020
- “How much time will Harvey Weinstein spend in jail? Legal experts weigh in,” by Taryn Ryder, Yahoo Finance, featuring Ms. Reavis – February 24, 2020
- “Weinstein Conviction ‘Landmark Step’ for Sex-Crimes Prosecutions,” by Corinne Ramey and Deanna Paul, The Wall Street Journal, featuring Ms. Reavis – February 24, 2020
- “Weinstein Jury Appears Deadlocked on Most Serious Charges Against Disgraced Mogul,” by Pilar Melendez, The Daily Beast, featuring Ms. Reavis – February 21, 2020
- “Harvey Weinstein trial jury deliberates his fate with lots of questions along the way,” by Patrick Ryan and Maria Puente, USA Today, featuring Ms. Reavis – February 19, 2020
- “Long-running NYC Women’s Group Changes Name, Keeps Its Focus,” by Lisa L. Colangelo, amNewYork, featuring Ms. Reavis – March 27, 2019
- “Boomers After the Bust: Ageism and Employment Discrimination Trends After the Great Recession,” with Alison Roh Park in The Wiley Handbook on the Aging Mind and Brain, edited by Matthew Rizzo, Steven Anderson and Bernd Fritzsch, John Wiley & Sons Ltd, March 2018
- The Stepmoms’ Club: How to Be a Stepmom Without Losing Your Money, Your Mind, and Your Marriage, by Kendall Rose (with credited sections on business and law by Ms. Reavis), Sourcebooks, 2018
- “The Truth About What You’re Entitled to Severance-Wise When You Lose Your Job” by Stacey Lastoe, The Muse, featuring Ms. Reavis and RPJ Partner Alice K. Jump – July 27, 2017
- “The Answer to: ‘Can I Get Fired for Talking About Politics at Work?” Interview by Stacey Lastoe, The Muse, featuring Ms. Reavis and RPJ Partner Deena R. Merlen – January 20, 2017
- “How the ‘Smartest Guy in the Room’ Can Be the Stupidest Guy on the Planet: Five of the Costliest Legal Mistakes You Can Make,” EDGE Magazine, The Word to the Wise Issue, with Retired RPJ Partner Neil Patrick Parent – March 2014
Noted Speaking Engagements
- RPJ Partner Heidi Reavis Presents at ‘Frances Perkins Place’ Naming Ceremony – March 26, 2022
- “New Normal, New Workplace,” Realscreen Live, Speaker on law and policies changes in the workplace due to Covid-19 – June 7, 2021
- Columbia Law School, Presenter on the History and Trends of Racial and Gender Profiling in the United States – July 9, 2020
- “Women’s City Club of New York’s Heidi Reavis on the Women’s March,” Driving Forces, hosted by Jeff Simmons and Celeste Katz, WBAI 99.5 FM in New York City – January 19, 2019
- The Stepmoms’ Club Book Launch, Panel Moderator on law relating to blended families – May 23, 2018
- International Wildlife Crimestoppers Conference, Featured Speaker – July 14, 2017
- “Equal Means Equal,” Panel Speaker, Voice of a Woman Festival – November 5, 2016
- “Protected but Neglected,” Panel Speaker, Power Shift 2016: Women and Leadership Conference – April 27, 2016
- “Cultural Competence: How It Improves Business Results,” Panel Speaker, The Consulate General of the Netherlands Event – March 10, 2014
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