Attorney Intel is pleased to announce the Top 25 Attorneys of Illinois for 2024. Illinois is perhaps best known as the home of the iconic “windy city,” Chicago. However, it’s also notable for being the home of 36 Fortune 500 companies and boasting the fifth-highest GDP in the nation. This year’s awardees hail from boutique, national, and international firms throughout the state of Illinois and provide counsel for clients in a wide range of legal matters, including corporate restructuring, asset management, IP law, real estate transactions, and data privacy.
Among this year’s recipients is Carol Gilden, a Partner at Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll who advocates for shareholder rights and has represented clients against corporate giants such as Boeing, Bayer Aktiengesellschaft, and Abbott Laboratories. Another notable awardee is Steven Pearlman, a Partner at Proskauer Rose who defended one of the largest Illinois-only class actions in the history of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Last but not least is John Byron, a Partner in the Chicago office of Steptoe LLP, who won the first such trial judgment of more than $30 million in Delaware Chancery Court for his client in a dispute with a private equity firm that tried to cancel the client’s asset purchase agreement by citing consequences of COVID-19.
This year’s recipients were chosen from a large pool of nominees after a competitive selection process that evaluated their experience, accomplishments, and impact on the legal industry. Their collective achievements and expertise position them as the most notable and impactful legal professionals in the state. Please join us in recognizing the accomplishments of the Top 25 Attorneys of Illinois for 2024.
1. Michael Dockterman
Partner, Steptoe & Johnson
Michael Dockterman is a Partner at Steptoe & Johnson, an international firm with more than 500 lawyers and other professional staff across offices in Beijing, Brussels, Chicago, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Washington. For more than 110 years, Steptoe has earned a reputation for vigorous representation of clients before governmental agencies, successful advocacy in litigation and arbitration, and creative and practical advice in structuring business transactions.
Dockterman has tried numerous civil and criminal commercial disputes throughout the United States and led multinational litigation in courts worldwide, including The Hague, London, Stockholm, Paris, Singapore, Hong Kong, Beijing, and Shanghai. As a lifelong advocate for amateur sports, he has provided pro bono representation for disputes related to eligibility for participation in international competitions, including being one of two advocates to try a case before the International Olympic Committee.
In addition to his litigation practice, Dockterman counsels boards of directors on corporate governance matters, including board structure, oversight of compliance and government investigations, CEO evaluation, board self-assessment, and facilitating strategic planning within the roles appropriate to management and board members. He is a Senior Lecturing Fellow at Duke University School of Law, where he teaches Civil Trial Practice, and previously lectured on governance matters at Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management. Dockterman earned a JD from Duke University School of Law and an undergraduate degree from Yale University.
2. Kari Kaplan
General Counsel, Athletico
Kari Kaplan is General Counsel and Secretary of Athletico Physical Therapy, one of the country's largest outpatient physical and occupational therapy providers, providing care to patients in more than 900 locations throughout 24 states and the District of Columbia. Through its Onsite Innovations subsidiary, Athletico also provides customized occupational health solutions to employers via clinics embedded in the employer’s workplace in 38 states. As General Counsel, Kaplan oversees the Legal, Government Affairs and Real Estate teams, managing risk, advocating on behalf of the industry at the state and federal level, and managing the company’s real estate portfolio and related clinical assets.
Kaplan joined Athletico in 2018 as associate general counsel and held the titles of VP of legal affairs and SVP of legal affairs before becoming General Counsel in 2023. During her time with Athletico Physical Therapy, it has grown from approximately 400 outpatient physical and occupational therapy clinics in 8 states to the platform it has today. Previously, Kaplan worked in private practice, focusing on mergers and acquisitions and acting as outside general counsel to several middle-market companies. She earned her J.D. from Washington University in St. Louis and has her bachelor’s in biology and psychology from the University of Iowa.
3. LeAnn Chen
Partner, Haynes and Boone
LeAnn Chen is a Partner in the Finance Practice Group of Haynes and Boone, LLP, an international corporate law firm with 19 offices in Texas, New York, California, Charlotte, Chicago, Denver, Virginia, Washington, D.C., London, Mexico City, and Shanghai. It provides a full spectrum of legal services in energy, technology, financial services, and private equity.
Chen represents banks, hedge funds, private equity funds, mutual funds, and other financial institutions in various financial transactions, including NAV and hybrid facilities, margin lending, hedge fund loans, syndicated financing, subscription facilities, DIP financing, and more.
She regularly advises clients on complex issues related to NAV facility structures, pledges of private equity interests, tri-party account arrangements, margin regulations, and Rule 144 matters.
Earlier in her career, she worked as an associate with Thompson Coe Cousins & Irons LLP. Chen earned a J.D. in law from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law and an undergraduate degree in political science from Vanderbilt University.
4. Jeffrey Bash
Managing Partner, Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith
Jeff Bash is the Managing Partner of the Madison County office of Lewis Brisbois and a chair of the Asbestos Litigation Practice. Established in 1979, Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP is a national, full-service law firm with more than 1,600 attorneys and 54 offices in 30 states and the District of Columbia. The firm's national practice is sophisticated, multifaceted and well-versed in current legal trends, while its individual state practices provide vast resources and knowledge of procedural and legal nuances.
For more than 15 years, Bash has successfully managed complex commercial litigation for Fortune 500 corporate clients in Madison County and St. Clair County, Illinois, and neighboring counties in Missouri, such as the City of St. Louis. He focuses his practice on defending manufacturers, retailers, suppliers, and premises owners in toxic/mass tort and environmental litigation. He specializes in mitigating risks for clients through diligent trial preparations, motion practice and settlement negotiations. Bash also has extensive experience representing healthcare providers, trucking companies, and insurance companies. Clients have retained him to negotiate settlements and dismissals nationwide. He has also served as National Coordinating and National Settlement Counsel. Bash graduated from Saint Louis University School of Law with a J.D. in health law and from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with an undergraduate degree in sociology.
Jeffrey Bash's Input
“Being a lawyer for me is being there for my clients whether it be in litigation or pre-suit. It is coming up with unique strategies and working hard to help solve their problems. It is something I enjoy immensely every day and I am proud to represent the profession with strong ethics.”
5. Anthony Fuga
Partner, Holland & Knight
Anthony Fuga is a Chicago litigator and trial lawyer in Holland & Knight's Intellectual Property Group. The firm’s mission is to provide seamless, efficient, client-centric services across a wide range of industries. Fuga is experienced in all forms of IP litigation, including patent, trade secret, trademark, copyright, and Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) cases.
Fuga's technical experience ranges from computer systems and software to mechanical and medical devices and wearable technology. Outside the IP space, Fuga has experience in commercial litigation, contested bankruptcy proceedings, and construction disputes. He is active in the firm's pro bono practice and was a member of a Chicago-based team that helped a Togolese political refugee gain asylum in the United States. Fuga continues to assist refugees and has two ongoing asylum matters in Chicago. Furthermore, he is the editor of Holland & Knight's Section 101 Blog, which features case-law updates, news from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and updates on potential amendments to Section 101 of the Patent Act. He graduated from the University of Michigan Law School with a J.D. and from the University of Michigan with an undergraduate degree in political science.
Anthony Fuga's Input
“Anthony is a Chicago litigator in Holland & Knight’s Intellectual Property Group. He is experienced in all forms of IP litigation but, lately, the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, Section 101 of the Patent Act, and protecting clients’ names, images, and likenesses have kept him the busiest. You can read his thoughts on the current state of patent eligibility law on H&K’s Section 101 blog. Outside of IP litigation, Anthony has an active pro bono practice focused on asylum matters.”
6. Lauren Falk
Partner, Kirkland & Ellis
Lauren Falk is the Partner of Kirkland & Ellis. She first joined the company in 2022 as an associate. As one of the world’s leading law firms, Kirkland & Ellis serves a broad range of clients in areas that include complex corporate transactions, investment fund formation, asset management, restructurings, commercial and intellectual property litigation, and government, regulatory, and internal investigations. Falk’s practice focuses on complex commercial disputes and government investigations. She has substantial experience representing clients within the insurance, reinsurance and health care industries in state and federal court and arbitration. She helps clients with all aspects of the litigation process, from initial case evaluation through to appeals.
Previously, Falk was an associate at Locke Lord LLP. Earlier in her career, she worked with Bower & Falk, Attorneys at Law as a legal/administrative assistant. Falk earned a J.D. from Indiana University Maurer School of Law and an undergraduate degree in political science & criminal justice from Indiana University Bloomington.
7. Matthew Campobasso
General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, Enfusion
Matt Campobasso is the General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Enfusion, Inc., a publicly traded fintech company headquartered in Chicago. He also serves as a member of Enfusion’s Executive Committee and as Co-Chair of its Operating Committee. Campobasso joined Enfusion in September 2020 as Deputy General Counsel and assumed the role of General Counsel in November 2022. During his time with Enfusion, the company went public via an October 2021 IPO and is traded on the New York Stock Exchange. As General Counsel, Campobasso oversees a team of nine lawyers who manage Enfusion’s legal operations and risk for a global organization with offices in eight countries. The team prioritizes a business-first approach that combines “range” and “upstream thinking” aimed at solving problems before they arise and employing legal strategies that safeguard and advance business strategy.
In addition to Enfusion, Campobasso’s 18 years of legal experience include time spent as a government prosecutor, as an associate and then partner with Freeborn & Peters (now Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP), and, most recently, as general counsel for TruQua Enterprises (acquired by IBM in 2020). Campobasso earned a J.D. from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law and an undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
8. Justin Bernbrock
Partner, Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton
Justin Bernbrock is a Partner at Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton, a full-service AmLaw 50 firm with over 1000 attorneys in 16 offices located throughout California, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, New York, Washington, D.C., Brussels, London, Seoul and Shanghai. He concentrates his practice on all aspects of corporate restructuring, bankruptcy, and financial distress. He also has substantial experience in out-of-court and in-court restructurings, primarily in the Southern District of New York, Eastern District of Virginia, District of Delaware, and Southern District of Texas.
Bernbrock began his career in 2001. Before joining Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton, Bernbrock was a restructuring partner at Kirkland & Ellis. Prior to private practice, he served with distinction as an Aviation Warfare Systems Operator in Patrol Squadron FIVE and as a Weapons Tactics Instructor in Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing ELEVEN. Bernbrock graduated from the University of Illinois College of Law with a J.D. in law and from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale with an undergraduate degree in workforce development and training.
Justin Bernbrock's Input
“I feel deeply fortunate to have found a practice that enables me to utilize my experience in, and affinity for, crisis management to serve my clients and colleagues.”
9. Michael Gershowitz
General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Senior Managing Director, Harrison Street Real Estate Capital
Michael Gershowitz began his professional career 26 years ago. Today, he is the General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer, and Senior Managing Director of Harrison Street Real Estate Capital, a premier investment management firm specializing in alternative real assets. With headquarters in Chicago and London, along with offices across North America, Europe, and Asia, the firm has a dedicated team of more than 280 employees.
As General Counsel, Gershowitz oversees the day-to-day legal support for all transactions and other matters arising across the firm’s funds, as well as legal matters relating to the management company. In addition, as Chief Compliance Officer, he manages the firm’s compliance program. Gershowitz began working with Harrison Street at its inception in 2005 as its lead outside real estate counsel. Prior to joining Harrison Street, Gershowitz was a partner at DLA Piper, where he continues to serve as Senior Counsel. At DLA Piper, he represented clients in all manner of commercial, residential, and industrial real estate transactions, including providing support for the acquisition and disposition of commercial real estate assets in Central and Eastern Europe. As a recipient of DLA Piper’s Harry L. Rudnick business scholarship, Gershowitz earned an MBA in the Executive Program at the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago, where he graduated with high honors. He has also served as an Adjunct Professor of Real Estate at the Booth School of Business.
Michael Gershowitz's Input
“The first stage of my career was focused on becoming an expert in a specific area of the law. As General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer of a dynamic, international investment management firm, I enjoy engaging in a constant stream of new issues in new disciplines, and I am fortunate to be supported by a team that I can trust inherently to learn along with me and help me counsel our high-impact business team.”
10. Brian Toth
General Counsel, ND Paper
Brian Toth is the General Counsel of ND Paper, a leading manufacturer of high-quality and sustainable pulp, packaging, and paper products. The company’s mill in Fairmont, West Virginia, is one of only three worldwide producing air-dried, recycled pulp. He joined ND Paper in 2022 after serving nearly a decade as assistant general counsel for ThyssenKrupp, where he was a key advisor to the executive team. Before that, he was assistant general counsel at US Foods, Inc.
Toth is a corporate generalist specializing in complex transactions, litigation, employment, regulatory compliance, and commercial law. Earlier in his career, he worked as an attorney with Newly Weds Foods. Toth holds a bachelor of science degree in communication studies from Northwestern University and his J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law, where he also earned a certificate in international and comparative law.
Brian Toth's Input
“The most effective in-house counsel are those who understand their client's business. Knowing your internal client's business enables you to efficiently identify, address, and resolve challenges when they arise, and identify risks so they can be addressed and mitigated proactively. When people ask me what I do, I tell them I am a problem solver - utilizing business acumen and knowledge of the law to find creative solutions to keep the business moving forward in a way that minimizes risk in a commercially reasonable manner. I find the practice of in-house law to be interesting, challenging, and sometimes, even fun."
11. Steven Pearlman
Partner, Proskauer Rose
Steven Pearlman is a Partner in the Labor & Employment Law Department at Proskauer Rose and Co-Head of the Whistleblowing & Retaliation Group and the Restrictive Covenants, Trade Secrets & Unfair Competition Group. With over 800 lawyers in key financial centers around the world, Proskauer Rose is known for its pragmatic and commercial approach. Pearlman focuses on corporate defense against discrimination, retaliation and harassment claims, whistleblower retaliation, restrictive covenant violations, trade secrets theft, and wage-and-hour violations. He has a track record of successful trials and appeals. He has defended one of the largest Illinois-only class actions in the history of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, secured one of the few ex parte seizure orders that have been issued under the Defend Trade Secrets Act, obtained a world-wide injunction in federal litigation, and successfully defended whistleblower claims before state and federal courts and at all levels of the U.S. Department of Labor.
Pearlman's contributions extend beyond litigation. He has served on Law360’s Employment Editorial Advisory Board, contributed to Forbes.com, and served as lead counsel on amicus briefs to the U.S. Supreme Court and federal circuit courts of appeal. He received his bachelor’s from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and his J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law.
12. Neal Aizenstein
Partner, Cooley
Neal Aizenstein is a Founding Partner of Cooley’s Chicago office and represents strategic acquirers and founders in public and private acquisitions, mergers, dispositions, and joint ventures. With 19 offices across the United States, Asia, and Europe, clients around the world partner with Cooley on transformative deals, complex IP and regulatory matters, and high-stakes litigation.
Aizenstein routinely represents global companies on cross-border transactions. His practice also includes advising public companies on corporate governance matters and securities offerings and counseling boards of directors, board committees, and executive officers regarding day-to-day and extraordinary events. Aizenstein has 37 years of experience and began his career in 1987. Before joining Cooley, He was a partner at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP. He worked with Sonnenschein Nath and Rosenthal as a partner earlier in his career. Aizenstein graduated from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with an undergraduate degree in accounting.
13. Kristy Jackson
Partner, Baker & Hostetler
Kristy Jackson is a Partner of BakerHostetler’s White Collar, Investigations, and Securities Enforcement and Litigation team. Baker & Hosteler LLP was founded in 1916. Today, they have more than 1,000 attorneys contributing to the success of their clients. Jackson focuses her practice on internal and government investigations, regulatory compliance matters, and criminal defense. Her experience includes representing individuals and companies in confidential, high-stakes and often cross-border investigations involving alleged fraud, bribery, violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), antitrust violations, improper accounting practices, and the theft of confidential information and trade secrets.
Jackson regularly represents clients in connection with inquiries from government agencies, including the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). She also has experience advising clients who face parallel civil proceedings and inquiries by federal and state authorities and counseling clients on implementing pragmatic measures that minimize corporate risks. Jackson earned a J.D. from DePaul University College of Law and an undergraduate degree in history from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
14. Gary Klinger
Partner, Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman
Gary Klinger is a Partner at Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman. Since its founding in 1965, the firm has repeatedly led landmark cases that have set legal precedents, prompted changes in corporate governance, and recovered over $50 billion in verdicts and settlements. As Milberg Senior Partner and leader of the Milberg IT Litigation Practice Group, Klinger’s privacy practice includes data breaches, ransomware attacks, unlawful collection and/or disclosure of personal information, and violations of privacy statutes and/or laws.
Klinger and his team have settled more than fifty class actions involving privacy violations in state and federal courts across the country as lead or co-lead counsel. Their success is paving the way for data protection and accountability, having secured hundreds of millions of dollars for his clients while setting novel legal precedents in the digital realm. Klinger received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is presently obtaining his Master of Laws (LLM) in Data Privacy and Cybersecurity from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law. He is a Certified Information Privacy Professional and a member of the International Association of Privacy Professionals.
15. Laura Ferrell
Partner, Latham & Watkins
Laura Ferrell began her professional career 20 years ago. Today, she is a Partner at Latham & Watkins, a prominent global law firm with over 3,500 lawyers spread across offices in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and the United States. The firm has earned widespread, international recognition for its practices spanning transactional, litigation, corporate, and regulatory domains. Its success is attributed to a steadfast dedication to the collaborative process, extending across global offices and practices.
As a Partner in Latham & Watkins' corporate department and a member of the firm’s Investment Funds Practice and Financial Institutions Group, Ferrell represents financial service institutions in the formation of investment funds, advises clients on the structuring, operation, and regulation of closed-end mutual funds, and represents fund sponsors in non-routine matters. She first got her start in 2004 as a legal assistant at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates, her most recent position prior to joining Latham & Watkins. Ferrell graduated from the University of Michigan Law School with a J.D. in law and from Dartmouth College with an undergraduate degree in English.
16. Carol Gilden
Partner, Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll
Carol Gilden is a Securities Litigation Partner at Cohen Milstein Sellers Toll PLLC. Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC focuses on corporate reform and fair market cases. Gilden is currently a Vice President of the Institute for Law and Economic Policy. Notably, Gilden represented the Seafarers Pension Plan in two parallel shareholder disputes against Boeing. Her win was significant not only to her clients but shareholders nationwide, resulting in both the Illinois federal court and Delaware Chancery Court requiring Boeing to revise its forum bylaw, thereby allowing stockholders to file exclusively federal derivative claims in the future.
Gilden has served on the Advisory Council to the Council for Institutional Investors, and she was the first woman President of the National Association of Shareholder and Consumer Attorneys. Gilden graduated from Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology with a J.D. and from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with an undergraduate degree in business administration.
Carol Gilden's Input
“I am very proud of our securities litigation and investor protection work at Cohen Milstein. We fight for institutions and people who have been harmed by fraud and other misconduct in our financial markets. When misconduct is uncovered, we work relentlessly to hold the wrongdoers accountable and get the best results for investors.”
17. Amy Gaylord
Partner, Akerman
Amy Gaylord is a Partner at Akerman and first joined the company in 2019. Akerman LLP is composed of more than 700 lawyers and business professionals who collaborate with successful enterprises and entrepreneurs to navigate change, seize opportunities, and help drive innovation and growth. With over 25 years of experience, Gaylord focuses her practice on traditional labor matters and employment litigation for both public and private sector employers with an emphasis on National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) proceedings, union organizing drives, NLRB-conducted elections, arbitration cases, contract negotiations, and employment discrimination matters. She has experience counseling clients in various industries, including healthcare, higher education, not-for-profit, public safety, hospitality, and entertainment, among others.
Gaylord has served as lead negotiator in hundreds of collective bargaining negotiations in both the public and private sectors. She frequently represents employers in state and federal court, including class action and TRO/preliminary injunction proceedings, in arbitrations, and before administrative agencies. In addition, she counsels clients regarding union avoidance, workplace harassment, and compliance with a variety of employment-related statutes. Previously, Gaylord was a partner at Franczek P.C. and an attorney at Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP. Earlier in her career, she also worked with the National Labor Relations Board as an attorney. Gaylord earned a J.D. in law from the University of Illinois College of Law and an undergraduate degree in industrial and labor relations from Cornell University.
18. Clare Pinkert
General Counsel, Hogsalt
Clare Pinkert is a General Counsel at Hogsalt, a nationally acclaimed restaurant group with 30 locations in Chicago, New York, Las Vegas, and Paris. In this role, she is responsible for leading the full range of legal affairs for Hogsalt as the company expands, including real estate transactions, financings, corporate governance, risk management, labor and employment, intellectual property, and litigation.
Prior to joining Hogsalt, Pinkert held in-house roles in the real estate, hospitality, and blockchain industries. She served as Associate General Counsel at Protocol Labs, an innovation network that drives breakthroughs in computing, and as General Counsel of Schatz Companies, a commercial real estate company in Chicago. Pinkert was also a litigation associate at Kirkland & Ellis, and later, Midwest Civil Rights Counsel to the Anti-Defamation League, where she advanced a broad civil-rights agenda through amicus advocacy and lobbying. Pinkert earned her J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School and her A.B. from Dartmouth College. Early on, she clerked for Honorable Joel M. Flaum, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, and for Honorable Young B. Kim, U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Northern District of Illinois.
19. Daniel Gurfinkel
Partner, Dennemeyer
Daniel Gurfinkel is a Partner with the international IP law firm Dennemeyer & Associates. Dennemeyer runs the gamut of IP management with a combination of business support services: its global IP law firm, Dennemeyer & Associates, Dennemeyer Consulting, and the state-of-the-art software packages DIAMS iQ and Octimine.
Gurfinkel has practiced Intellectual property since 1989 and is a registered patent attorney in the USPTO. His practice has included work in small, medium, and large intellectual property firms and currently includes mostly transactional IP matters including patents, trademarks, and copyright registrations for international and domestic clientele. He has made appeals before the USPTO in both patents and trademarks and litigated in Federal Court. Gurfinkel is a member of the bar of the Illinois Supreme Court, the U.S. Supreme Court, and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. He is also a member of the Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago (IPLAC) and the International Trademark Association (INTA), having served on committees in both organizations. Gurfinkel earned his J.D. from Indiana University Maurer School of Law and his BSCE in structural engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
20. Kevin Sherlock
General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, SpotHero
Kevin Sherlock is the General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for SpotHero, a parking reservation marketplace in North America with over $1 billion in parking reservations sold. Since assuming his role in 2016, Sherlock has been responsible for building, leading and overseeing all of SpotHero’s legal affairs, government relations, risk management, and corporate governance matters. He also serves on the company’s executive leadership team.
Prior to joining SpotHero, Sherlock was lead M&A counsel at Groupon. Before that, he was a corporate attorney with the Chicago-based law firm Mayer Brown LLP, where he focused primarily on mergers and acquisitions, securities, and corporate governance matters. Sherlock graduated with high distinction from The University of Iowa College of Law, where he served as editor-in-chief of the Iowa Law Review. He also received his bachelor’s degree from The University of Iowa.
21. Anthony Curtis
Attorney, Schwegman Lundberg & Woessner
Anthony Curtis is an Attorney at Schwegman Lundberg & Woessner, a boutique law firm dedicated to intellectual property law and focused on all phases of intellectual property prosecution practice. Curtis has advocated for a strong Intellectual Property system for over a quarter of a century and is experienced in all aspects of the patenting process both in the U.S. and foreign jurisdictions around the world. His practice includes patent procurement, portfolio management, and strategic counseling in a wide range of electrical, software, and mechanical technologies. He has worked on diverse technology, focusing on developing and maintaining client assets in short and long-range telecommunication devices, systems, and software, semiconductor materials, devices, and equipment, healthcare-related software and devices, AI/ML systems, and business methods, among others.
After graduating from MIT and Princeton and completing his doctorate at the University of Illinois, Curtis has helped protect and promote the patent portfolio of numerous companies as both outside counsel and in-house counsel at Verizon and Motorola Solutions. In addition to his IP practice, Curtis has been active in the AIPLA and AIPPI for several years, organizing sessions at stated meetings, contributing articles to patent law publications, and presenting on various patent preparation and prosecution matters, portfolio management, as well as other aspects of Intellectual Property and Ethics in different venues. Curtis is currently the chair of the AIPLA Patent Law Committee and co-chair of several subcommittees.
22. Mohib Husain
Attorney, Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson
Mohib Husain is an Attorney at Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, a national law firm that specializes in collecting delinquent accounts receivable for government entities. The firm's recovery efforts empower state and local governments to reinvest in their communities. Husain is a highly regarded attorney with over a decade of experience in tax law and collections litigation. Based in Chicago, Husain is a valuable member of Linebarger, Goggan, Blair & Sampson's Municipal Collections Litigation Practice and Tax Collections Practice. His expertise extends beyond advising state and local governments to representing consumer finance companies, individuals, and businesses. Additionally, his comprehensive understanding of tax law positions him as a trusted advisor on complex legal matters.
Throughout his career, Husain has held key positions at prominent law firms and government agencies, providing him with invaluable experience in both pre and post-judgment litigation scenarios including settlement negotiations. Husain holds an LL.M. in Taxation from Chicago-Kent College of Law and a J.D. from The University of Iowa College of Law, along with an undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Iowa.
23. John Byron
Attorney, Steptoe
John Byron is a Partner in the Chicago office of Steptoe LLP and one of the Deputy Practice Group Leaders of the Firm’s Commercial Litigation group. After joining Steptoe, John won a trial judgment of more than $30 million for a business seller in a COVID-related business acquisition deal termination case against a private equity firm in Delaware Chancery Court. He also co-led the defense of a former laboratory director at Oklahoma State University in a three-week criminal jury trial that ended in no jail time. In the last year, John helped an agency of one of the world’s largest advertising firms negotiate a national multi-state settlement related to its advertising work for Purdue Pharma. He also obtained a ground-breaking injunction against the CFTC for its revocation of no-action relief and the complete vacatur of the FDA’s decision to deem premium cigars subject to the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009.
Byron has helped his clients achieve success in everything from regulatory litigation and commodities/securities enforcement to shareholder disputes. Byron is a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation and a member of the bars of Illinois, Texas, and the District of Columbia. He graduated from Wake Forest University School of Law with a J.D. in law and holds an undergraduate degree in political science & sociology from Tulane University.
24. Erica Rozow
Partner, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett
Erica Rozow is a Partner at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, an international law firm that provides legal advice and transactional capability related to its clients’ commercial challenges. The firm serves companies worldwide, from startups to Fortune 500 corporations, operating from 11 offices, across 32 major practice areas, reaching almost every industry sector. Rozow has 16 years of experience and began her career in 2008.
Before joining Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, Rozow was a partner at Kirkland & Ellis and before that a human capital - talent & reward at Ernst & Young. Earlier in her career she worked with PricewaterhouseCoopers as an actuarial consultant. Rozow received her J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Illinois College of Law and her bachelor’s from the University of Illinois. She was a judicial extern for the Honorable Judge Kay M. Hanlon of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, in 2011 and was previously an Employee Benefits & Federal Tax Consultant at Ernst & Young.
25. Hilarie Carhill
Attorney, Ogletree Deakins
Hilarie Carhill is the Attorney of Ogletree Deakins, one of the premier labor and employment law firms exclusively representing management in a broad spectrum of employment-related legal matters. Carhill represents and advises employers in a broad range of employment matters before federal and state courts and administrative agencies. She routinely defends clients against claims involving discrimination, harassment, retaliation, violations of civil rights and claims under Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and other state and federal employment laws.
Carhill started her career in 2018 as an attorney in the U.S. Army JAG Corps. From there, she went on to Nyhan Bambrick Kinzie & Lowry before eventually rising to attorney at Robbins Schwartz. She has experience representing clients from all walks of life and prides herself on her ability to connect with her clients and advocate for their desired legal outcomes. Carhill graduated from Tulane University Law School with a J.D. and from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with an undergraduate degree.
