Stephanie Scharf

Stephanie A. Scharf is founding partner of Scharf Banks Marmor, LLC, a prominent women-owned law firm that represents local, national, and global businesses. Specializing in complex litigation and appeals, Stephanie and the firm have been profiled for the “unique quality of their work” and for “Work at a Very High Level.” A frequent author and CLE speaker, most recently Stephanie has been lead editor of the PLI treatise, “Product Liability: Current Law, Strategy and Best Practices.” She has been named a Leading Lawyer, Best Lawyer, Super Lawyer, one of the “500 Leading Litigators in America,” and is Martindale-Hubbell AV-rated.

In addition to her law practice, Stephanie is a founding principal of The Red Bee Group, LLC (https://www.theredbeegroup.com/), a consulting firm that helps businesses, organizations, and law firms achieve their goals for growth and innovation using data-based strategies with diverse and inclusive solutions.

Stephanie received a Ph.D. in Behavioral Sciences and a J.D. from the University of Chicago. She frequently combines her skills in data analytics to create cutting edge research on issues of diversity and inclusion. Stephanie founded and conducted the NAWL Annual Survey of Women in Law Firms (2006–2014) and the first national survey of women’s initiatives in law firms, “The Strategy, Structure and Scope of Women’s Initiatives in Law Firms” (2012). With co-author Roberta Liebenberg, Stephanie conducted the seminal survey of women as lead counsel in litigation, “First Chairs at Trial: More Women Need Seats at the Table” (2015) and a national survey of experienced women lawyers, “Walking Out the Door: The Facts, Figures and Future of Experienced Women in Private Practice” (2019). Most recently, Stephanie and Roberta reported on the largest survey of the legal profession ever conducted by the American Bar Association, which includes data-based best practices for firms, organizations, and individual lawyers to achieve long-term success: “Practicing Law in the Pandemic and Moving Forward: Results and Best Practices from a Nationwide Survey of the Legal Profession” (April 2021).

Stephanie was 2017–2020 chair of the American Bar Association Commission on Women in the Profession, is a member of the Advisory Board of Direct Women, is a former president of the National Association of Women Lawyers (2004–2005), and was special advisor to the American Bar Association’s Presidential Commission on Diversity and Inclusion.

Stephanie has received many awards in recognition of her work for advancing women in the law, including The Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in Law Inspiration Award (2020), The Women’s Bar Association of Illinois Myra Bradwell Award (2018), the National Association of Women Lawyers Public Service Award (2017), the Chicago Bar Association Alliance for Women Founder’s Award (2015), and the National Law Journal Two Steps Forward Award (2014).