The Duane Morris Women’s Impact Network for Success (WINS) honored two attorneys for their efforts to advance women in the legal profession. Karineh Khachatourian, managing partner of Duane Morris’ Silicon Valley office, received the Cheryl Bryson Leadership Award. Megan R. Worrell, a partner in the firm’s New York office, received the Margery Reed Professional Excellence Award. The awards were presented during Duane Morris’ annual firm-wide meeting.
The Cheryl Bryson Leadership Award recognizes significant contributions, including professional development, leadership and mentoring, made by a lawyer—regardless of gender—to women in the legal profession. The award is named in honor of the late Cheryl Blackwell Bryson, a Duane Morris partner in Chicago who died in January 2012 after a long battle with cancer. Bryson was a leader in many significant civic and community causes, and she was repeatedly honored throughout her career as a major pioneer, both as a female lawyer and as a lawyer of color. Likewise, the Margery Reed Professional Excellence Award recognizes contributions toward creating, modeling and mentoring others regarding issues of work-life management. The award is named for the late Margery Reed, a Duane Morris partner in Philadelphia who died in December 2013. Despite her illness, Reed continued to make significant contributions to the firm through her exemplary work for key Duane Morris clients and her close mentoring of young lawyers.
Khachatourian is a hi-technology intellectual property litigator and counselor. She is a member of the firm’s governing Partners Board. Through her involvement with various Silicon Valley organizations, Khachatourian is deeply involved with women’s initiatives to connect, develop, and advance women in the legal profession. She is an advisory board member of IP Counsel Café; serves on the executive committee and board and is co-lead of the General Counsel Network for Watermark, a group for executive women; a partner with Leading Women in Technology as well as with ChIPs, an organization dedicated to advancing women in IP law; and co-founder of Salonnieres, a social organization for women professionals. Khachatourian was recognized as one of Silicon Valley Business Journal’s 2013 “Women of Influence” and was selected by The Recorder as one of its 2013 “Women Leaders in Tech Law.” Khachatourian was also selected as a “Woman Who Made Her Mark” in 2012 by Watermark.
Khachatourian is a 1997 graduate of George Washington University Law School, where she was a member of Environmental Law Journal, and a magna cum laude graduate of New York University.
Worrell is the head of the International Practice division of Duane Morris’ Wealth Planning Practice Group. She practices in the area of U.S. and international tax and wealth transfer planning, specifically assisting clients with cross-border issues to develop tax-efficient estate plans. Worrell’s work involves foreign trusts, pre-immigration and expatriation planning, planning for the purchase of U.S. property by non-U.S. persons, asset transfers, beneficiary conflicts, and compliance with federal and state estate, gift, inheritance and income tax returns. She also has extensive experience with clients who have made voluntary disclosures to the IRS, including disclosure of overseas accounts and compliance with reporting obligations for those with overseas interests. Prior to and while attending law school, Worrell worked as a tax consultant at Arthur Andersen and Deloitte & Touche.
Worrell is a 2003 graduate of Fordham University School of Law, where she was a member of the Fordham International Law Journal, and a graduate of Widener University (M.S., taxation, summa cum laude) and Salisbury State University (B.S., accounting, summa cum laude). She serves as vice chair and program committee chair of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) New York and is on the International Bar Association’s Individual Tax and Private Client Committee.
About the Duane Morris Women’s Impact Network for Success
The Duane Morris Women’s Impact Network for Success is devoted to the success of our women attorneys within the firm and in the industry. Through various programs, we exchange ideas, foster and expand business contacts and opportunities, and enhance attorney development to fully realize the talent, knowledge and potential of our women attorneys.
About Duane Morris
Duane Morris LLP provides innovative solutions to today’s multifaceted legal and business challenges through the collegial and collaborative culture of its more than 750 attorneys in offices across the United States and internationally. The firm represents a broad array of clients, spanning all major practices and industries.
