CBA Record July-August 2023

I ncoming president Ray J. Koenig III is the first openly gay individual to serve as president of The Chicago Bar Association. He takes the helm during a momentous time as the CBA celebrates its 150th anniversary. A staunch advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion through out his career, Koenig’s presidency will highlight the importance of inclusion in the legal profession as well as in our broader community. Background Koenig grew up outside of Detroit in the working-class town of White Lake, Mich igan. His mother, Deborah Koenig, was a single mom who worked as a letter carrier for the U.S. Postal Service to provide for her two sons. Ray’s mother always made it clear – her boys were going to college. Koenig headed off to Michigan State University with the idea of becoming a teacher. Growing up, he did not know a single lawyer, nor did he know anything about the legal profession. The thought of a career in law had entered his mind, but he thought that goal might be out of reach. At MSU, though, his eyes were opened to the possibilities of a career in law. A first-generation college graduate, Koenig received his Bachelor of Arts degree and then worked as a legislative aide in the Michigan House of Representatives. He then headed to the Windy City for law school, landing in Chicago knowing only a few people and with little money in his pocket. But Koenig found his new home at DePaul University College of Law. During law school, he first had a job clerking in the offices of a criminal defense attorney. It was fascinating work, but he quickly realized criminal law was not for him. He found he was interested in prop erty issues and, after a short stint in estate planning, decided trust and estate litiga tion was the right path for him. Practice Koenig spent nine years at Peck Ritchey before joining Clark Hill in 2009. He was brought on to help build the Fiduciary, Estate, Trust, and Guardianship practice. In 2011, he became the leader of Clark Hill’s Chicago office as its member in

Koenig with Clark Hill Co-Workers MacKenzie A. Hyde, Latasha R. Thomas, and Kevin H. Morse.

I first met Ray when I interviewed him to become a member at Clark Hill in 2009. At that time, I knew Ray as having a highly regarded trusts and estates litiga tion practice. What I learned was that Ray was engaging, intelligent, inquisitive, and forward-thinking. Other Clark Hill members and I believed Ray would be a tremendous addition to our growing two-and-a-half-year-old office in Chicago. Within his first two years at the firm, the trusts and estates and litigation practices in which Ray was intimately involved grew, as did the firm’s headcount. – Rich Chapman, Of Counsel, Clark Hill

charge. He became the face of the office in addition to his practice work, taking on office management, staffing business development, and marketing. Thereaf ter, he was elected and re-elected as a member of Clark Hill’s Executive Com mittee, a seat he continues to hold today. In 2021, Koenig was appointed co-lead of Clark Hill’s Global Litigation practice. He represents individuals, families, finan cial institutions, medical institutions, and governmental organizations in all tax and estate planning areas. Inclusion Although hard work has been essential to his success, Koenig credits something else as well. Throughout his career, he was for tunate to have met other attorneys who championed, mentored, and made connec

tions for him. These attorneys, all of whom were CBA members, practiced inclusion. They did this not only by inviting Koenig to meetings and making introductions, but by giving him “a seat at the table.” For this reason, his focus for this bar year is inclusion. Koenig believes the legal profession needs to continue to make strong efforts to create a diverse work force. He wants legal professionals to understand that hiring diverse candidates is only the first step toward true equity. Inclusion is the next critically important step. By prioritizing inclusion this year, Koenig knows the profession can make a more significant impact by practicing inclusion through sharing diverse per spectives, providing access to justice, and growing professionally.

CBA RECORD 19