Global Diversity Director at Reed Smith Dies at 53

Deborah Broyles, the director of global diversity and inclusion at Reed Smith, passed away on Saturday. She was 53.

Broyles was a partner in Reed Smith’s San Francisco labor and employment group and held various leadership roles with bar groups that advocated for improving diversity in the legal profession, including the California Minority Counsel Program.

Her cause of death was not disclosed in an obituary Reed Smith issued on Tuesday, though she was known to be battling cancer.

Broyles took on her role as global director of diversity and inclusion in February 2015, but had been a partner with the firm since 2008, representing employers in discrimination, sexual harassment, wrongful termination, wage and hour, and other disputes.

[Image “deborah broyles2" (src=https://bol.bna.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/deborah-broyles2-e1473797446954.jpg)]

Between April 1996 and November 2008, she worked at the now-defunct Thelen law firm and served as national chair of its diversity committee.

Sara Begley, the chair of Reed Smith’s labor and employment group, said that Broyles was known for her strong work ethic and persistence championing diversity.

“She challenged all of us to step up and do the right thing, and create opportunities for the advancement of diverse lawyers,” said Begley. “But she also challenged diverse lawyers to be resilient and reach their full potential — and when they weren’t, she’d let them know, and when we weren’t standing up and doing the right thing, she’d let us know.”

Begley said that “despite the fact that she was battling an illness, she was on-the-phone 24/7, working constantly... using her time to make a difference.”

Reed Smith’s global managing partner Sandy Thomas issued a statement, saying that Deborah was “a brilliant lawyer and was passionate about her clients and her work.”

Reed Smith listed her numerous diversity awards.

For her many contributions to promoting diversity, Broyles received the State Bar of California’s 2015 Diversity Award. Last year, she was also inducted into the California Minority Counsel Program’s (CMCP) “Diversity Leader Hall of Fame,” after serving on CMCP’s Board of Directors for more than a decade. Most recently, the California Diversity Council honored her with its 2016 DiversityFIRST Award...

Broyles also served six years on the Board of Directors and sat on the Advisory Board of HealthRIGHT 360, an integrated care services provider to low income individuals in the San Francisco Bay Area. She was an active, longtime member of the Bar Association of San Francisco, the Bay Area African American Partners Group, and the San Francisco chapter of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

Last year, Broyles (pictured below) spoke at our Big Law Business diversity and inclusion event in San Francisco.

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Information regarding memorial services were not immediately available.