Cheryl-Lyn Bentley is the Deputy Director of Operations and Human Resources of Community Legal Services of Philadelphia, the largest public interest law firm in Pennsylvania. Ms. Bentley is an experienced employment and civil rights attorney who brings a depth of experience and expertise in non-profit, government and private practice and a deep commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion work.
Ms. Bentley comes to CLS from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights where she worked to ensure compliance with federal civil rights laws and mediated disputes to resolution. Previously, Ms. Bentley was an attorney at Outten & Golden, a premier employment law firm, where she represented plaintiffs in federal and state court in a wide variety of matters including discrimination, criminal history, and wage and hour cases. She has also worked with CLS’s Employment Unit on cases challenging employers’ hiring practices discriminating against job applicants with criminal records.
Ms. Bentley clerked for Chief Judge Petrese B. Tucker in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and worked as a fellow and staff attorney at New York Lawyers for the Public Interest. She received her B.A. from Harvard University, MSEd. from Long Island University, and J.D. from Yale Law School.
Currently, Ms. Bentley serves as Vice President on the board of the National Bar Association Women Lawyers Division and is an active member of CLS’s Justice Rising Advocates. She has also served as Tutor in Legal Studies at Yale Law School.
Awards
National Black Lawyers, Top 40 Under 40, Pennsylvania, May 2020
