Ms. Brown is a member of Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge LLP's Labor & Employment Group.. Throughout her career of nearly 30 years, she has held a number of positions, including in-house counsel to a number of Fortune 500 companies and as a Municipal Court Judge. For the past 20 years, Ms. Brown has engaged in the private practice of law, focusing on all facets of labor and employment and commercial litigation. She has successfully defended employers in cases involving discrimination on the basis of age, sex, marital status, sexual harassment, disability, race and national origin. Ms. Brown has received successful results in class action employment discrimination cases based upon race. She is also experienced in all aspects of workplace training and collective bargaining.

Ms. Brown litigates in both federal and state courts, as well as arbitration forums for both unionized and non-union employees. She is a certified mediator for the United States District Court, District of New Jersey. Ms. Brown is a frequent lecturer on labor and employment issues and issues related to electronic discovery and serves on the Executive Committee of the Labor and Employment Section of the New Jersey State Bar Association. She is also a former Master of the C. Willard Heckel Inn of Court. Additionally, Ms. Brown has been recognized by the New Jersey Law Journal as one of the prominent women and minority attorneys in the State of New Jersey.

Ms. Brown is President of the YWCA of Central New Jersey, which in the Fall of 2005, will open a twenty-four hour-a-day, seven day-a-week day care center. The YWCA will also complete the restoration of its historical theater in the Spring of 2006. One of Paulette's proudest moments was when she led a delegation to monitor the first free and democratic elections in South Africa.

As a result of her charitable efforts and work with various bar associations, Ms. Brown has received numerous awards, including the Medal of Honor Award from the New Jersey Bar Foundation and the Equal Justice Award from the National Bar Association. She has also received the Professional Lawyer of the Year Award from the New Jersey Commission on Professionalism.

Ms. Brown is a current member of the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession. She was a member of the American Bar Association Governance Commission, 2003-2005; Member and Division Director, Section of Litigation, 1993-2000; Member, House of Delegates, 1997-2000; Chair, Council on Racial and Ethnic Justice, 1993-1999; Committee Member, Unmet Legal Needs of Children,1993-1995. She is past president of the National Bar Association and the Association of Black Women Lawyers of New Jersey.

Dr. Reeves has worked in the areas of racial/ethnic and gender diversity, equity, discrimination and harassment in organizations for over ten years. She is a principal consultant, speaker, trainer and personal coach with The Athens Group in the areas of diversity and gender dynamics, effective communication, and conflict resolution. Dr. Reeves received her Bachelor of Science in Human Resource Management from DePaul University, her Juris Doctor from University of Southern California, and her Ph.D. in Sociology from Northwestern University where she conducted several research projects on race and gender issues in the workplace. Her doctoral research focused specifically on these issues within legal workplaces. Dr. Reeves is currently an Adjunct Professor at Northwestern University’s College of Arts & Sciences where she teaches courses on race and gender issues as they pertain to law and society.

Prior to joining The Athens Group, Dr. Reeves gained valuable experience in the areas of racial/gender discrimination, conflict resolution, and effective communication as an attorney practicing in the state of Illinois. In addition to her legal background, she has several years of consulting experience that include working with organizations to develop human resource strategies, policies and training programs in various industries.

Dr. Reeves’ work with The Athens Group focuses primarily on diversity and gender issues within law firms, corporate legal departments, legal work places in the public/government sector, law schools, and professional associations within the legal community. She has developed and implemented strategic plans and programming on recruitment, retention, attrition, promotion, mentoring and client development issues for attorneys in these various arenas, and has also researched and written on these issues extensively.

Dr. Reeves is a Commissioner on the American Bar Association’s Commission on Women, and she currently serves as the Chair of the Chicago Bar Association’s YLS Committee on Racial & Ethnic Diversity as well as the Chicago Bar Association’s Special Commission on Diversity. She has also lectured and presented on these issues for various other professional organizations including various components of the American Bar Association, Chicago Bar Association, California Bar Association, New York Bar Association, Massachusetts Bar Association, Minority Corporate Counsel Association, and American Corporate Counsel Association. Dr. Reeves’ expertise and experience in the areas of race/ethnicity, gender and culture diversity in organizations integrate the best of academic research and real world experience, which truly enables her to create "diversity and gender strategies that work."