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Mary Cushing Doherty: A “Woman of Distinction”

October 28, 2009, Norristown, PA - The Philadelphia Business Journal has named Mary Cushing Doherty, Partner and Family Law attorney at High Swartz LLP, a 2009 Woman of Distinction. The award recognizes 26 of the region's most dynamic women who are making headlines in their professional field and in their community.

Ms. Doherty and the other 2009 Women of Distinction award recipients will be honored at a reception on December 1 at the Sheraton City Center in Philadelphia. The winners will also be profiled in a special section of the Business Journal's November 27 issue.

Ms. Doherty has been practicing family law for more than 30 years and has an outstanding record of professional and community service. She is a longtime member and past Chair of the Family Law Section of the Pennsylvania Bar Association; and past Chair of the Family Law Sections of the Montgomery Bar Association and the Philadelphia Bar Association. Additionally, she is a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers since 1986, and was state Chapter President in 2006-2007.

An advocate for the reform of alimony law in Pennsylvania, Ms. Doherty serves as Alimony Committee Chair for the Advisory Committee on Domestic Relations Law for the Pennsylvania Joint State Government Commission. She frequently speaks and writes on family law topics, and has served as course planner for programs sponsored by the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, including Drafting Marital Settlement Agreements, which won a national award for PBI and Ms. Doherty.

Throughout her career, Ms. Doherty has been committed to mentorship, teaching and the advancement of women in the legal profession. In recognition of these efforts, she was a 2008 co-recipient of the Frederick Cohen Award for Excellence in Teaching from The Doris Jonas Freed Family Law Inn of Court, and the 2006 recipient of the Montgomery Bar Association's Margaret Richardson Award. Additionally, she sits on the Executive Council of the Pennsylvania Bar Association's Women in the Profession Committee.

Her record of community service includes 19 years as Chair of the Board of UNITE, Inc., a non-profit corporation providing services to bereaved parents. For 14 years, Ms. Doherty has educated students at Upper Dublin High School about the impact of divorce, custody and support disputes on families. Along with her husband, Ms. Doherty has provided Pre-Cana counseling at Saint Catherine of Siena in Horsham for 27 years.

Ms. Doherty is a graduate of the University of Delaware and Villanova University School of Law.

High Swartz LLP is a general practice law firm serving clients in the Delaware Valley and throughout Pennsylvania. Established in 1914, High Swartz is the oldest law firm in Montgomery County. For more information, please visit www.highswartz.com.

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