Fern Bomchill was beloved by colleagues across our firm and was a trailblazer in the legal profession. A gifted trial lawyer, she was among the first women to make partner at Mayer Brown and became one of our clients’ most trusted advisors. She spent her entire career at the firm, and retired from the partnership in 2018.
Fern joined our Chicago office as an associate in 1972 after receiving her law degree from the University of Chicago. She built a prominent practice as a federal and state court litigator, mediator and counselor handling a broad spectrum of corporate, commercial and financial matters. She had a well-deserved reputation as a courtroom manager and mediator who mastered every detail of the cases she oversaw.
Fern received numerous special appointments during her career, including acting as associate general counsel to Continental Bank in the mid-1980s and as a special master in antitrust litigation in federal court. Beginning in 2002, she served as Mayer Brown’s claim counsel.
Fern was engaged in the professional community throughout her career, including serving as national president of the Federal Bar Association and as a member of the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on Judicial Improvements. She also lectured and wrote widely on the subject of legal ethics, a natural for her given how deeply principled she was in every aspect of her life.
One could not ask for a better colleague than Fern Bomchill. We will miss her greatly and will cherish the memories of her friendship and her many contributions to Mayer Brown and the legal profession.