The Philadelphia Bar Association’s 98th Chancellor, Katayun Jaffari, has been named one of the recipients of the Philadelphia Business Journal’s annual Diversity in Business award. Jaffari and other honorees was celebrated at a luncheon today, Thursday, February 20, 2025, at the Museum of the American Revolution and will be profiled in a special issue of the Business Journal tomorrow.
“I am so grateful to be honored for my efforts advancing diversity, equity and inclusion which has always been a core aspect of my work,” Jaffari said. “I am a strong believer in the power that differences can bring to improve business performance, employee experiences, and innovation. These principles are worth upholding in any setting to enhance a sense of belonging.”
At Cozen O’Connor, Jaffari is the chair of the Corporate Governance and ESG Practices and co-chair of the Capital Markets & Securities Practice. Recognized as a leader in the fields of corporate governance and securities, Jaffari devotes her practice to advising boards of directors and management teams with respect to governance matters and to handling complex securities transactions for businesses of all sizes in a variety of industries. With almost 30 years of experience representing public and private companies, she has served as outside corporate counsel and has advised on the full panoply of corporate and securities law aspects of a wide range of matters.
Jaffari currently serves as special corporate counsel, on a pro bono basis, to DirectWomen, a nonprofit whose mission is to increase the number of women on corporate boards. She is a prolific speaker and writer in many areas of the law and has published, as co-editor, the book, ESG in the Boardroom, a Guidebook for Director, through the American Bar Association.
At the Philadelphia Bar Association, she previously served as Chancellor-Elect and Vice Chancellor of the Association, Chair and Vice Chair of the Board of Governors as well as Chair, among other positions, of the Business Law Section. The Business Law Section honored her with the Dennis H. Replansky Memorial Award in recognition her legal talent in the area of business law, reputation for mentoring attorneys, significant participation in and contributions to civic and charitable causes, and respect in the legal community for honesty, integrity, and professionalism. The Business Law Section also honored her with the Committee of the Year Award and Chair of the Year Award in years past.
