TLAA Lifetime Achievement Award Ceremony Posthumously Honoring Temple University
President JoAnne A. Epps

Sheryl L. Axelrod, President and CEO of The Axelrod Firm, P.C., works in Philadelphia and is licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. She serves on the Board of Directors of NAMWOLF, the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms. She provides Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) services in Commercial Disputes. Ms. Axelrod is available to serve as an Arbitrator, Mediator, Discovery Master, Receiver, and as an expert witness. With over 30 years of litigation experience, including at an Am Law 100 law firm, and including in state and federal courts and before administrative bodies, conducting jury and non-jury trials, Ms. Axelrod brings a wealth of experience handling Commercial Disputes.  

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Danielle Banks devotes a significant amount of her practice to defending businesses, universities and governmental entities against employment discrimination claims, including claims brought under Title VII, Section 1981, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act. She also defends governmental entities against Section 1983 claims. Additionally, Danielle represents businesses in housing and mortgage discrimination claims, represents defendants in asbestos litigation and handles matters on behalf of religious entities. Danielle’s practice is centered primarily in federal court, though she takes matters to trial in state court as well. She has participated in appellate oral arguments before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, the Superior Court of Pennsylvania and the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania. Danielle is a seasoned trial lawyer who successfully litigates matters to victory through summary judgment or trial, and appeal where necessary. 

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A long-time Philadelphia lawyer, Sophia currently serves as the Chief Administrative and Engagement Officer for Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania, where she leads its Governance, Human Resources and Talent Management, Property Management, Legal and Risk Management, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts.  Prior to this role, she served as Chief of Staff and Interim Senior Vice President for Engagement at Temple University, where she oversaw daily university operations and worked closely with members of Temple’s administration to help lead and implement strategic initiatives across the university.  She also served as Special Advisor to the late Temple University President JoAnne Epps. 
 

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Rachel Rebouché is the Dean of Temple University Beasley School of Law and the Peter J. Liacouras Professor of Law. Prior to her appointment as Dean, she was the Associate Dean for Research, a position she held from 2017 to 2021. She is also a Faculty Fellow at Temple’s Center for Public Health Law Research.

Dean Rebouché is a leading scholar in reproductive health law and family law. She is an author of Governance Feminism: An Introduction and an editor of Governance Feminism: Notes from the Field. She is also the editor of Feminist Judgments: Family Law Opinions Rewritten, published by Cambridge University Press, and an author of the sixth edition of the casebook, Family Law. In addition, she will join the fifth edition of the casebook, Contracts: Law in Action and recently co-edited a collection of essays for Law & Contemporary Problems on the pandemic’s effects on contract law.

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Ms. Davidson is a personal injury attorney practicing law in Philadelphia, PA and surrounding counties for thirty years. She is a Senior Trial Attorney at Fine, Staud and Levy LLC in Philadelphia, PA. She is an alumnae of the Temple University Beasley School of Law, class of 1994.  She is licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. She is admitted to practice in the Eastern District Court of Pennsylvania and the Middle District Court as well as the District Court of New Jersey. She is a member of the Philadelphia Bar Association, the Brandeis Law Society, an Executive member of the Temple Law Alumni Association, Co-Chair of the TLAA Women’s Leadership Initiative, Recipient of the WLI Women’s Champion Award and a member of the National Organization of Women. Ms. Davidson is committed to the advancement of equity, inclusion and diversity in the legal community and beyond.  She has mentored countless young lawyers and law students throughout her many years of practice. 

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