Sonnenschein Names Elliott I. Portnoy Next Chairman
June 23, 2006
Prominent Washington partner to lead national law firm; will succeed long-time chairman Duane C. Quaini
(CHICAGO, June 23, 2006)--Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP announced today that Elliott I. Portnoy will become the next chairman of the law firm. He will succeed current chairman Duane C. Quaini after a planned transition period in 2007, the year in which Quaini’s term of office expires. Quaini, 61, has been chairman of the firm since 1997. Portnoy, 40, will become the youngest and first partner outside Chicago, where the firm was founded 100 years ago, to serve as chairman.
“Sonnenschein is very fortunate to have Elliott Portnoy as its next chairman. Elliott is a true leader, and I am confident that our clients, attorneys, staff and friends will join with me in endorsing his selection,” said Quaini. “In addition to being an outstanding lawyer and one of our country’s leading public policy management strategists, Elliott is among the most caring individuals I know. His remarkable combination of talent, vision and humanity make him the right choice to guide Sonnenschein into what I believe will be a period of unprecedented progress and achievement
Portnoy is based in Sonnenschein’s Washington, D.C., office, where he will remain resident. He is a member of the firm’s Policy & Planning Committee and serves on its strategic planning steering committee.
“I am deeply honored by the confidence my partners and colleagues have shown in me,” said Portnoy. “I look forward to continuing to merit their trust as together we begin Sonnenschein’s second century of meeting our clients’ needs. We are committed to further building an integrated network of high-value practices in the key business centers that matter most to our clients, with an unwavering commitment to excellence, diversity and integrity.”
Portnoy joined Sonnenschein in 2002 as the founding chair of the firm’s Public Law & Policy Strategies Group, which is consistently ranked as one of the preeminent public policy practices in the nation. Under his leadership, the group has experienced dramatic growth and launched multiple new practice offerings, and recently received national recognition in the 2006 Chambers USA Guide to America’s Business Lawyers. Portnoy has directed many of the firm’s large and high-profile representations with public policy components.
Portnoy received a J.D. degree, cum laude, from Harvard Law School and a Ph.D. in politics from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. He is the founder and board president of the Kids Enjoy Exercise Now (KEEN) Foundation, a nonprofit organization with branches in the United States and England that provides free recreation opportunities to children with severe and profound disabilities. He has served on the board of directors of several additional Washington-area nonprofit groups, and is the recipient of numerous awards from community and professional organizations for his community service and advocacy efforts. Portnoy has been recognized in Time magazine, as “Humanitarian of the Year” by the Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington, and as a “Washingtonian of the Year” by Washingtonian magazine for his community service efforts.
Since 2000, Sonnenschein has doubled in size. It currently is the 48th largest law firm in the country with 2005 gross revenues of $448 million, according to American Lawyer magazine. The firm has enjoyed five consecutive years of record achievement and growth, adding hundreds of attorneys in both new and established practice areas.
Sonnenschein, with more than 700 attorneys and other professionals in 10 U.S. cities and a global reach, serves the legal needs of many of the world’s largest and best-known businesses, nonprofits and individuals. For more information, visit www.sonnenschein.com.
Media Contact:
Linda Butler
Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP
(312) 876-3453
LButler@sonnenschein.com
