Faces of Pitcairn


Denise Wallace

Manager of Corporate & Fiduciary Legal Services
November 2019

A unique quality of Pitcairn is the longevity of its employees. Denise Wallace, Manager of Corporate & Fiduciary Legal Services, joined our firm over 30 years ago and has been a true asset since day one. We asked her to share a little about her journey.

You’ve been part of many transitions within the firm. Tell us about the different roles you’ve held throughout your tenure?

I joined Pitcairn in 1987 as an administrative assistant, then moved on to the legal department to support the trust and estate attorneys and General Counsel. In 1994, I was tapped to support both the Chairman and the President as the Executive Administrator, all the while keeping my hand in the legal area. After 10 years in that role, I moved back to the Legal Department as a corporate legal assistant, which prompted me to obtain my paralegal certificate and become a Pennsylvania certified paralegal. I also added employee compliance and AML compliance to my legal duties. In 2013, I moved full time to the Fiduciary Services Department where I currently serve as the Manager of Corporate and Fiduciary Legal Services as well as Corporate Secretary to our Pitcairn entities.

What do you like the most about the work you do on behalf of our organization?

What keeps my days interesting is the variety of tasks that I’m presented with. One day could be devoted mostly to trust work, the next to corporate administration supporting the Pitcairn Board and Committees – or more often, a mixture of both.

What is the secret sauce of the Pitcairn experience?   

I think the secret sauce here at Pitcairn is our top-notch employees who all work as a team to provide our clients with excellent service. Pitcairn’s values of collaboration, curiosity, integrity, innovation and excellence are evident throughout the firm…it’s not a surprise that Pitcairn was recently rated 9th out of 100 for the Best Places to Work PA!

What is something your colleagues don’t know about you? 

My husband is Scottish and if I could, I’d spent at least half of my time there. Maybe in retirement!