CHICAGO, May 16, 2022 — Anna Wermuth, vice-chair of Cozen O’Connor’s national Labor & Employment Department, has been named to The American Lawyer’s 2022 list of Midwest Trailblazers. The Trailblazers represent agents of change who have moved the needle at their respective firms, making significant marks on practice, policy, and technological advancements in their areas of legal practice.
Wermuth, who practices out of Cozen O’Connor’s Chicago office, was recognized on the list for the breadth of her representations within higher education, her work related to student athlete unionization, and helping universities balance unique demands from campus and community constituents — ranging from policing reforms to essential worker concerns. As recognized by Trailblazers, over the past decade Wermuth has also become a “go to” legal resource for the higher education industry representing colleges and universities in faculty, staff, and student litigation, as well as in organizing efforts and collective bargaining negotiations on campus.
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 named a 2022 “Lawyer of the Year” by Best Lawyers in America, recognized in her practice area, by peer attorneys nationwide, for her outstanding legal ability, professionalism and integrity. She was also recognized as one of the 2021 Chicago “Top Women in Law” by the publishers of the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin and the Chicago Lawyer magazine, recognizing her success in the field of law and for her leadership and mentorship.
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 and as employer vice-chair of the American Bar Association’s Labor & Employment Section’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession Committee. Wermuth has held numerous leadership positions in the ABA including currently serving as the management co-vice chair for the Section’s National Trial Advocacy Competition. She has also served as the past-management chair of the Developing Labor Law 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 also the past chair of the Labor & Employment Law Committee of the Chicago Bar Association. In addition, Wermuth was named a fellow to the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers.
Wermuth has also been honored in three of the past four years 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 included on the list of the “Most Notable Women Lawyers” in Chicago. Wermuth has also been consistently recognized by Chambers USA and by Lawdragon.
In addition to her legal practice, Wermuth serves on the Board of Directors of the Chicago Youth Centers, a 60-year-old non-profit organization that services over 4,000 children and families in Chicago each year with early childhood education, out-of-school and teen leadership programs.
Below is a link to a digital copy of the Midwest Trailblazers supplement, which is included in the May issue of The American Lawyer. See page 16 of the supplement for Anna Wermuth’s profile: The American Lawyer Trailblazers - Midwest 2022
About Cozen O’Connor
Established in 1970, Cozen O’Connor has over 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 but not limited to, litigation, corporate, and regulatory law. Representing a broad array of leading global corporations and middle-market companies, Cozen O’Connor serves its clients’ needs through 32 offices across two continents.