Bettina Plevan, a top litigator who made her name defending employers in sexual harassment and gender discrimination cases, and who helped pave the way for women to advance in the legal profession, died Oct. 29 at a hospital in Manhattan. She was 75.

In nearly 50 years at Proskauer Rose, where she was the first woman to be named partner in the litigation department, Ms. Plevan specialized in labor and employment law. Her clients included well-known companies in the areas of banking, publishing and entertainment. She was also president of the New York City Bar Association, the second woman to hold that position. Over the years, she made multiple lists of the best lawyers in America.

In spite of her 14-month battle with leukemia, she practiced until the week she died, her firm said.