“Neal Gerber Eisenberg is deeply honored and delighted to be selected as the new home of the Chicago Committee on Minorities in Large Law Firms,” said Neal Gerber Eisenberg managing partner Jerry H. Biederman. “Our firm has been a member of the Chicago Committee for many years and has greatly benefited from its programs and services. The opportunity to serve as the Chicago Committee’s new home underscores our firm’s ongoing commitment to diversity and the idea of giving back to the community.”

The key goals of the Chicago Committee include:

• Pipeline. Increase the number of minority students in Chicago who are interested in becoming lawyers and are able to become successful lawyers in our member law firms.
• Education. Provide members with the programming, research, data, best practices and reference materials that will best inspire and equip them to advance racial and ethnic diversity in Chicago’s law firms.
• Advancement. Provide minority attorneys with the opportunities to gain the skills and build the relationships necessary to succeed and advance in law firms, creating a community of attorneys of color that have voice and impact.
• Knowledge. Serve as the premier source of information about diversity in the Chicago legal community.

Venu Gupta, Executive Director of the Chicago Committee, Gail Kim, Program Director and Director of Operations, and Eileen Rosette, Program Assistant, will move to Neal Gerber Eisenberg during the first week of January 2010 and remain until January 2012. The Chicago Committee rotates to a new home every two years. It was previously housed at Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP.

“We are very happy to be moving to Neal Gerber Eisenberg and are grateful for their generosity in providing us a new home,” said Venu Gupta. “We look forward to working with their attorneys and administrative staff in enabling us to further serve the needs of our membership and advance diversity within Chicago’s legal community.”

Gupta joined the Chicago Committee as the organization’s Executive Director in January 2006. Prior to joining the Chicago Committee, she was the Director of Diversity Education & Outreach at Northwestern University School of Law. Through her experiences in law school administration, private practice and non-profit organizations, she brings a working knowledge of the Chicago legal community and law firms on issues of diversity. She received her Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School in 1999. Subsequently, she was a law clerk for the Honorable David H. Coar of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

About the Chicago Committee

The Chicago Committee is a nonprofit, membership based organization founded in 1987 by ten minority lawyers. The organization was initially created to provide networking opportunities and support for minority lawyers in order to alleviate feelings of isolation at large law firms in the city. At its inception, the organization focused on hosting an annual reception for lawyers and summer associates. However, in the past 23 years, the organization has greatly expanded its scope, concentrating its efforts on providing substantive programming for its membership as well as minority law students, associates and partners. Website: http://www.chicagocommittee.org/

About Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg LLP

Neal Gerber Eisenberg is a Chicago-based law firm providing legal services to a diverse group of clients in a wide array of domestic and global business transactions and litigation matters. The firm’s clients include privately and publicly held companies, financial institutions, not-for-profit organizations and high net worth individuals. The firm’s client base reflects virtually every business industry, including a number of Fortune 100 companies. The firm has grown to nearly 175 attorneys who share common values of integrity, a dedication to high quality legal services and a commitment to diversity. The firm’s 22 practice areas range from Associations & Not-for-Profit Organizations, Corporate & Securities, Securities & Commodities Litigation, Financial Restructuring and Bankruptcy, White Collar Criminal, Real Estate, Information Technology, Intellectual Property and Private Wealth Services to Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation, Environmental, Finance, Health Law, Tax, Litigation and Labor & Employment. Website: www.ngelaw.com.

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