CHICAGO, July 27, 2026 – With new and evolving state and federal regulatory measures directly impacting higher education and other institutional clients, international law firm Cozen O’Connor today announced the addition of higher education attorney Paula Burke to its national Institutional Response Group. Burke, who has represented major universities and colleges across the country in confidential internal investigations and assessments, as well as policy, risk, compliance, and governance matters, joins the firm as counsel and will reside in Cozen O'Connor's fast-growing Chicago office.
Burke comes to the firm from Huron Consulting and brings a lengthy track record of working closely with chief legal officers and other senior-level executives to assess and ultimately strengthen organizational structures and frameworks for legal operations, governance, and institutional risks. Informed by an M.S. in higher education administration and policy from Northwestern University and background as a labor and employment attorney, Burke regularly conducts detailed compliance risk, conflicts of interest, and other benchmarking assessments, many of which involve comprehensive reviews of state higher education commission mandates and their underlying governance structures. Educational institutions also rely on her to advise on regulatory and accreditation matters impacting higher education mergers and acquisitions.
Burke has assisted Fordham University, The George Washington University, Johns Hopkins University, The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Michigan Medicine, Southern New Hampshire University, St. Jude Children’s Hospital, The University of Chicago, The University of Maryland, and component institutions within The University of Texas System.
“Having been at the helm of sensitive investigations and other engagements at major public and private institutions throughout the country, Paula brings us a proven ability to cultivate ongoing, trusted partnerships with in-house counsel and executive leadership,” said Gina Maisto Smith, chair of the firm’s Institutional Response Group. “Our higher educational and K-12 institutional clients are confronting a range of new and evolving governance issues — oversight measures that will greatly impact their future. Paula is an important addition to our team, and I am thrilled to welcome her to the firm.”
Prior to joining Huron, Burke served with three prominent Chicago law firms, helping educational institutions implement the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Titles VI & VII); the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967; and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (Titles I & III). In that role, Burke developed employee handbook policies, employment agreements, collective bargaining agreement provisions, memoranda of understanding, and position statements for various regulatory agencies, including OSHA and the EEOC. She also prepared management and legal policy recommendations on employee retention, discipline and separation, workplace investigations, and disability accessibility.
“Paula’s in-depth understanding of the diverse and far-reaching regulatory measures that impact employer-employee relationships will serve our clients well,” said Jeremy J. Glenn, managing partner of the firm’s Chicago office. “This is a legal area that will continue to grow in complexity — not just for educational entities, but for our corporate/business clients as well. Paula’s another tremendous addition to the Chicago office, and I’m very happy to welcome her aboard.”
Outside the office, Burke co-chairs Project Law Track with the Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana, which gives girls in grades 6-12 the opportunity to put together a case and argue it in a courtroom — developing their communication and critical thinking skills and teaching them that their voices have power.
“Given my background and skillset, Cozen O’Connor’s Institutional Response Group is the perfect home to continue to develop and grow my practice,” Burke said. “From a legal standpoint, this is a critical time for higher education, and I am looking forward to helping educational institutions continue to strengthen their policies, practices, and procedures in support of institutional mission.”
Burke earned her J.D. at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law, an M.S. in higher education administration and policy at Northwestern University, and a B.A. in philosophy and political science at Loyola University Chicago.
About Cozen O’Connor
Established in 1970, Cozen O’Connor has over 1,000 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 serves its clients’ needs through 35 offices across two continents.