Richards, Layton & Finger’s Lisa Schmidt honored with the State Service Award
November 24, 2025
Firm News
WILMINGTON, Delaware (November 24, 2025) – Richards, Layton & Finger director and immediate past president Lisa Schmidt has been chosen for the 2025 New Castle County Chamber of Commerce State Service Award and was honored at the 35th annual Women’s Leadership Conference. Five community leaders were honored at the conference—women who were selected for their impact in their profession, their school, or their community. NCCCC president and CEO, Yvonne Deadwyler, introduced Schmidt as a “… a visionary whose legal expertise upholds the legal foundation that allows Delaware to thrive as a global corporate capital,” and “a powerful woman whose impact sustains the very foundation of this very first state.”
In thanking the Chamber, Schmidt expressed her commitment to defending and strengthening Delaware’s corporate franchise:
Thank you so much for this honor. I’m deeply grateful and humbled to be recognized for standing up for something that truly sustains our state—Delaware’s unmatched corporate franchise.
For more than a century, our first state has been the first choice for business. Delaware’s corporate franchise has been the foundation of our state’s prosperity. It funds our schools, supports public safety, and helps maintain the quality of life that makes Delaware a remarkable place for all of us to live and work. It’s not just our legal framework. It’s the backbone of our economy and it’s a testament to Delaware’s reputation for fairness, stability, and excellence in corporate law.
Defending and strengthening this franchise has always been a team effort. The Delaware bench and bar, the business community, our governor, our secretary of state, our legislature, and countless public servants all share in this responsibility. Together, we have upheld a system built on integrity and balance, one that attracts businesses from around the world, while ensuring accountability and transparency at home.
Today’s recognition isn’t just about one person’s work; it’s about Delaware’s shared commitment to stewardship—to protecting what works, improving what we can, and ensuring that future generations inherit a system as strong as the one we have.
Thank you to my colleagues, mentors, and partners who have stood shoulder to shoulder in defending and strengthening the Delaware corporate franchise. I’m proud to be part of this community that understands what’s at stake—and that always chooses service, collaboration, and the public good.
Thank you so much.
Lisa Schmidt is the immediate past president of Richards, Layton & Finger, Delaware’s largest law firm. Lisa has successfully litigated numerous corporate control, governance, appraisal, and contractual disputes in the Delaware courts. She also advises corporations, their directors, and special committees on corporate governance and fiduciary duties. Lisa is co-chair of the Federal Securities Institute and serves on the boards of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Delaware and Delaware Prosperity Partnership.
About Richards, Layton & Finger
Defining Delaware law since 1899, Richards, Layton & Finger helps sophisticated clients navigate complex issues and the intricacies of Delaware law. We advise global companies, business partnerships, leading financial institutions, local businesses, and individuals across a wide range of practices, including corporate law, alternative entities, commercial law, bankruptcy and corporate restructuring, intellectual property, tax, trusts and estates, commercial real estate, and litigation.