PBN 2023 Business Women Awards
LEGAL SERVICES WOMAN TO WATCH: Elizabeth Manchester | Partridge Snow & Hahn LLP partner
THE SPIRIT OF PHILANTHROPY is ingrained within Elizabeth Manchester.
Manchester’s parents instilled that value in her at an early age. She regularly saw her parents provide holiday meals for the homeless at their family’s restaurant in Fall River.
Manchester, a partner for Providence-based law firm Partridge Snow & Hahn LLP, says her family promoted “a strong sense of civic duty” and to always give back to the community. When she first began practicing law, Manchester – also PSH’s chair of its charitable and nonprofit organizations practice group – was drawn to the work she did for nonprofit entities.
“I trusted my instinct and followed my passion. I continue to be impressed with the impact nonprofit organizations quietly make on communities. Nonprofits often fill gaps in critical social, cultural and educational services,” Manchester said.
Before joining the firm in 2018, Manchester worked in private practice with nonprofit and tax-exempt entities, helping with foundations and public charities. She previously was director of Providence College’s estate and planned giving program, where she managed a $60 million pipeline of planned gifts and $10 million in new gifts annually. That experience, Manchester says, gave her a unique experience that put her at the top of her field.
“I was uniquely qualified to counsel the nonprofit sector thanks to my direct, firsthand experience in the higher education industry. I believed I could provide a unique point of view as a legal practitioner,” Manchester said. “This niche understanding of how nonprofits function, what fuels a mission-driven organization’s passion, as well as the constraints under which they operate allows me to guide their particular legal needs in practical ways.”
Additionally, Manchester currently serves on multiple community boards. She is a White Family Foundation board member, an immediate past chair and member of the Rhode Island Foundation’s professional advisory council, a PC president’s council member and co-chairs the Rhode Island Bar Association’s business and nonprofit organizations committee.
As a partner, volunteer, leader and mother, Manchester faces challenges with positivity.
“Continuing to believe in yourself, enjoying life and asking for help when needed helps me navigate the day-to-day,” she said.
