← Back to All Attorneys
Helen Diana (“Heidi”) Reavis

Helen Diana (“Heidi”) Reavis

Partner

Tel: 212-763-4110

hreavis@rpjlaw.com

vCard

Practice Areas

  • 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 and was selected to Super Lawyers for the New York Metro area in 2019 and 2020. She is admitted to practice in New York and before the United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.

    Martindale-Hubbell® AV Preeminent Rating Badge          Heidi Reavis, Super Lawyers

  • 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.

  • 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) and was selected to Super Lawyers for the New York Metro area in 2019.  She is admitted to practice in New York and before the United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.

    Martindale-Hubbell® AV Preeminent Rating Badge            Heidi Reavis, Super Lawyers

  • 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 & Publication

    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

Latest News