Barnes & Thornburg Adds to Foundations Practice

CHICAGO – Barnes & Thornburg LLP is adding depth to its national Associations & Foundations Practice Group with the arrival of noted non-profit and hospitality attorney Barbara F. Dunn, who is joining the firm’s Chicago office as a partner in the Corporate Department.

Dunn previously worked for Howe & Hutton Ltd., where she practiced law for more than 20 years. Dunn represents a significant number of non-profit and related organizations on a broad spectrum of legal issues, including meetings, hospitality and travel law; contracts; employment law; computer law and trademark and copyright law; litigation and risk management; administrative law; taxes; antitrust; and governance issues. In addition to her non-profit client base, she counsels clients in the travel, tourism, hospitality, incentive and meetings industries.

“Barbara Dunn is well known and respected throughout the association and meetings communities,” said Paula Cozzi Goedert, chair of the firm’s Associations & Foundations Practice Group. “She is a terrific addition to our practice.”

Attorneys in the firm’s Associations & Foundations Practice Group represent more than 300 trade associations, professional associations, foundations, museums, symphony orchestras, clubs, universities, health care organizations, credit unions, and other non-profit, tax-exempt organizations.

Dunn’s arrival is the latest high-profile addition to the firm’s Chicago office, which has now reached 100 attorneys. Similarly, Barnes & Thornburg has added more than 20 lateral partners this year to various offices throughout the country.

“We have become an attractive destination for experienced attorneys who are seeking a more effective platform to expand their business and to more efficiently support their clients’ needs,” said Mark E. Rust, managing partner of Barnes & Thornburg’s Chicago office. “Barbara brings to the firm a wealth of experience that will help us continue to expand the depth and reach of the firm’s national Association practice, which is one of the largest in the country.”

About Barbara Dunn

Dunn is a noted commentator on issues affecting non-profit corporations, industry trade organizations and professional societies.

She has served in a variety of leadership positions in organizations that serve the associations and hospitality industries. She was the first woman to serve in a leadership role as chair of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) Legal Section Council in 2005-2006. She also currently serves as secretary on the board of directors of the Academy of Hospitality Industry Attorneys (AHIA) and is a member of the St. Louis University Hospitality Industry Advisory Board. In addition, she is a member of the Association Forum of Chicagoland.

She also is deeply involved in the community, serving as a member of the American Brain Tumor Association (ABTA) and as a career mentor for the Rockwood School District.

Dunn earned her law degree in 1992 from The John Marshall Law School in Chicago, where she was a member of the editorial board of The John Marshall Law Review. She earned her bachelor’s degree in 1989 from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where she was a political science major and president of the student government.

She is a member of the American, Illinois, Missouri and Chicago Bar Associations. She served as the Chair of the Chicago Bar Association’s Trade and Professional Association Committee in 1998-99.

Ms. Dunn is admitted to practice in the states of Illinois and Missouri, before the Supreme Courts of Illinois and Missouri, and before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

With more than 600 attorneys and other legal professionals, Barnes & Thornburg is one of the largest law firms in the country. The firm serves clients worldwide from its offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Delaware, Indiana, Los Angeles, Michigan, Minneapolis, Ohio, and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit us online at www.btlaw.com.