Mayer Brown appointed Debra Bogo-Ernst as managing partner of the firm’s Chicago office, effective July 1. Ms. Bogo-Ernst succeeds Britt Miller, who held the role since 2018 and was recently appointed to serve on the firm’s eight-person global Management Committee. Ms. Bogo-Ernst is the third consecutive female leader of Mayer Brown’s Chicago office, as Ms. Miller was preceded by Rebecca Eisner.
“Deb’s varied contributions to our firm, clients and the Chicago legal and business communities make her the ideal lawyer to assume this role,” said Mayer Brown Chair Jon Van Gorp. “I look forward to the energy she will bring as we build new generations of leadership and deepen client relationships in this market.”
Ms. Bogo-Ernst has spent her legal career at Mayer Brown, having joined the Chicago office in 2000. She serves as co-leader of the firm’s national Consumer & Class Actions practice. Ms. Bogo-Ernst represents national and multinational corporations in a wide range of business sectors, with particular emphasis on the defense of commercial and consumer-based litigation and enforcement actions in the financial services and insurance industries. Ms. Bogo-Ernst’s other leadership roles include serving as co-chair of the firm’s Recruiting Committee. Outside the firm, she is a board member of Metropolitan Family Services.
“I joined Mayer Brown two decades ago and never looked back because of our culture, talent and clients,” said Ms. Bogo-Ernst. “I am excited to lead the office as we embark on this new chapter of growth by strengthening our investment in the success of our clients and continuing to raise our profile in the Chicago market.”
Mayer Brown’s Chicago office is the original, and still largest, office of the firm. It is also one of the largest law offices in Chicago, with deep roots in the community and a prominent place in the city’s history. Founded in 1881, the Chicago office advised on the original incorporations of Sears, Roebuck and Co. and Continental Bank, guided Chicago leaders in the city’s phenomenal growth, including the negotiation of the opening of O’Hare Airport to commercial flights, major expansions of O’Hare and Midway airports, and the leasing of the Chicago Skyway (the first long-term concession of an American toll road), and represented clients in some of Chicago’s most storied trials. Finance, corporate, and litigation work are among the office’s widely recognized strengths.
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