CHICAGO, September 8, 2022 ― Anna Wermuth, vice-chair of Cozen O’Connor’s national Labor & Employment Department, has been named to the 2022 list of Chicago’s “Notable Women in Law” by Crain’s Chicago Business.
This is the fourth time Wermuth has been honored by Crain’s Chicago Business. In 2017, she was named to the inaugural list of Chicago’s “Most Influential Women Lawyers” and in 2018 and 2020 she was named to the “Most Notable Women Lawyers” in Chicago lists.
Wermuth and the other honorees are featured in a special section of the September 5 Crain's Chicago Business magazine in both print and online editions, accessible here.
The 2022 list highlights more than 140 women attorneys nominated from across the Chicago legal community recognized for their professional and civic contributions.
Earlier in 2022, Wermuth was named “Lawyer of the Year” by Best Lawyers in the area of Employment Law – Management. In addition, she was named by the American Lawyer magazine as a 2022 “Midwest Trailblazer,” an accolade that recognizes attorneys who represent agents of change – making significant marks on practice, policy, and technological advancements in their areas of practice.
Also in 2022, Wermuth was named, for the sixth consecutive year, both as one of the year’s “Top 500 Leading U.S. Corporate Employment Lawyers” and as one of the “Top 20 Lawyers in Traditional L&E Law” by Lawdragon. In 2021, she was honored by the publishers of the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin and Chicago Lawyer magazine as one of that year’s Chicago “Top Women in Law.” Similarly, Wermuth has been recognized by Chambers USA in each of the past five years (2017 – 2022).
Practicing for 23 years, Wermuth has been an integral force behind the growth of Cozen O’Connor’s national Labor & Employment Department. She represents management in high-stakes labor and employment litigation, including recently securing a precedent-setting decision from the Seventh Circuit in a FLSA collective action case.
Wermuth was recently appointed to the seven-member Advisory Committee for the Study of the Rules of Practice and Internal Operating Procedures of the District and Bankruptcy Courts of the Northern District of Illinois. She has also held numerous leadership positions in the American Bar Association including her recent election to the Labor & Employment Law Section’s Council and as the management co-vice chair for the Section’s National Trial Advocacy Competition. In addition, she is the immediate past-employer-vice-chair of the Section’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession Committee. She has also served as the past-management chair of the Developing Labor Law Under the NLRA Committee and as an associate editor of Developing Labor Law - the leading traditional labor law treatise jointly published by Bloomberg/BNA and the ABA.
In addition, Wermuth is the past chair of the Labor & Employment Law Committee of the Chicago Bar Association and was elected in 2020 as a Fellow to the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers.
In addition to her legal practice, Wermuth serves on the board of directors of the Chicago Youth Centers, a 60-year-old nonprofit organization that services children and families in Chicago each year with early childhood education, out-of-school and teen leadership programs.
Prior to entering private practice, Wermuth served as law clerk to the Honorable Rebecca R. Pallmeyer, Chief Judge of the District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. She received her J.D. (1999) from the Loyola University Chicago School of Law where she graduated second in her class. She received an M.A. (1992) from Northwestern University and graduated with high honors from DePaul University (B.A., 1991) where she also competed in NCAA Division I Women’s Track and Cross Country.
About Cozen O’Connor
Established in 1970, Cozen O’Connor has more than 825 attorneys who help clients manage risk and make better business decisions. The firm counsels clients on their most sophisticated legal matters in all areas of the law, including litigation, corporate, and regulatory law. Representing a broad array of leading global corporations and middle market companies, Cozen O’Connor services its clients’ needs through 32 offices across two continents.