Carolyn is a partner in the Insurance Recovery Group and one of the nation’s leading D&O liability insurance lawyers. Her widely recognized practice includes advising corporations, directors and officers, risk managers, insurance brokers, lawyers, and other professionals on insurance coverage, corporate indemnification, enterprise risk management, and litigation matters. She frequently assists clients in evaluating insurance and other protections when negotiating transactions and obtaining or renewing coverage and represents them in resolving coverage disputes.
Experience
Representative matters
Representative Experience
Recognitions
Awarded Women, Influence & Power in Law (WIPL) Lifetime achievement award 2026 by Law.com
- Selected through peer review for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© for Insurance Law, 2020-2025, and for Litigation – Insurance, 2021-2025
Ranked in Chambers USA for Illinois Insurance: Dispute Resolution: Policyholder, 2008-2024, and 2025-2026 (Senior Statespeople)
Credentials
Education
- University of Michigan Law School, 1982, J.D.
- University of Michigan, 1979, B.A., with honors and highest distinction; Phi Beta Kappa; Rhodes Scholar finalist
Professional affiliations
- Co-chair, Reed Smith’s Jewish Inclusion Committee
- Advisen D&O Advisory Board, 2021-present
- University of Michigan Political Science Advisory Board
- Board of Trustees, Jewish Women’s Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago
- Jewish United Fund, Lawyers Division
- Former Member, Grant A Wish Advisory Board
- Former Co-chair, American Bar Association (ABA) Corporate Counsel Committee’s Subcommittee on Insurance Coverage
- Fellow, Leadership Greater Chicago
- Member, Leadership Greater Chicago Alumni Association
- Former Board Member, Rochelle Zell Jewish High School, 2016-2021
Clerkships
- Superior Court - District of Columbia, Honorable Frederick H. Weisberg
