Lisa S. Brogan

Lisa Sopata Brogan is a partner in the Chicago Office. She joined the Firm in 1987 and focuses her practice on ERISA/employee benefits and insurance coverage litigation. She has extensive experience in commercial and tort litigation, including solo trial experience in state and federal courts, arbitration and mediation settings, and extensive deposition and motion practice. She has considerable appellate experience.

By way of representative trial experience, Ms. Brogan served as second chair in the defense of a three-month medical malpractice trial which was named as one of the year’s top ten defense verdicts in The National Lawyer, and served with another Chicago Office attorney as Regional Trial Counsel for the Dalkon Shield Claimants Trust.

Ms. Brogan’s current practice focuses on litigation related to employee benefits, including those arising under the laws of ERISA and COBRA, and representation of health maintenance organizations, health care providers, insurance carriers, pension plans and fiduciaries, and employers in litigation in the federal and state courts.

She also has extensive experience in litigating issues involving insurance coverage for employment-related acts under fiduciary responsibility, directors and officers, professional liability, employment practices liability, and other insurance policies. She has argued an ERISA appeal before the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and has briefed such issues before the Fourth Circuit.

Ms. Brogan also focuses on insurance counseling and litigation. She presently handles the defense of a major insurance company in numerous multi-jurisdictional, multi-site environmental and toxic tort insurance coverage disputes. She has assisted as Regional Counsel for a thirteen-state region in coordinating the defense of all extracontractual claims against a major insurance company.

Education:

• Northwestern University School of Law (J.D.) (1987)
• Northwestern University (B.A.) (1984)

Admissions:

• U.S. District Court, Southern District of Illinois~United States (2015)
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit~United States (2004)
• U.S. District Court, Central District of Illinois~United States (1997)
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit~United States (1994)
• Federal Trial Bar~United States (1993)

Ms. Brogan is a past Chairman of the Diversity and Quality of Life Committee in the Chicago office of Baker McKenzie, has served on the Office’s Hiring Committee for many years, and has co-chaired North American Women Partners’ Initiative.

Ms. Brogan has been involved in pro bono work for Chicago Volunteer Legal Services, The Center for Disability and Elder Law, and the Social Security Disability Project of Northwestern University School of Law, as well as Firm projects supporting homeless youth. She has served on the Executive Board of Directors of the Northwestern (Alumni) Club of Chicago.