CBA Record July-August 2021

of day-to-day environmental compliance challenges and cleanup obligations. She counsels corporate leadership on material environmental risks and liabilities; advises clients on critical enforcement, regulatory and litigation matters; and serves as lead counsel in U.S. and international transac- tions.

you closer to your goals. Give yourself grace and know that all will be well.” CommunityWork Grayson has always been very active in serving the public through pro bono work, volunteering on boards of numerous organizations and also teaching the next generation of environmental law attorneys. For many years, she has served as pro bono counsel for WINGS Group, Inc. (Women In Need Growing Stronger Group, Inc.) and for the Alliance for the Great Lakes. She is a member of the Board of Direc- tors of The Chicago Bar Foundation and serves as Co-Chair of the CBA/CBF Task Force on the Sustainable Practice of Law and Innovation. In 2019, she was elected to serve on the Board of Trustees of Frank- lin College in Franklin, Indiana. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Geneva Lake Museum and the Geneva Lake Association. Grayson also is finishing her five-year term on the Board of Direc- tors of the Washington, DC-based Envi- ronmental Law Institute and is a member of its Environmental Leadership Council. She was asked to serve on this elite Board of select lawyers and national and inter- national environmental professionals to address improvements to the environmen- tal regulatory scheme and advance the rule of law as it relates to environmental law.

Furthermore, President Grayson has taught Natural Resource Law as an adjunct professor at University of Illinois Chicago School of Law for 10 years. She is a fre- quent author and speaker on environmen- tal law and policy matters and has received the City of Chicago Recognition Award for Service to the Environmental Community. Lynn is a special person. Her smile is infectious. Even an opposing counsel can’t help but like her. She earns your respect immediately because she is so pre- pared, knowledgeable, and trustworthy. That respect quickly grows into admi- ration. Throughout her career, Lynn has been active in her community and profession, and it is no surprise that she will be the next CBA President. I wish her continued success. ‒Andrew Perellis, Perellis & Associates, LLC Grayson has been instrumental on two significant initiatives that have been imperative for making change within the legal profession. First, as Co-Chair of The Chicago Bar Association’s Alliance for Women with Jane DiRenzo Pigott in 2005, they created “Call to Action” to increase the number of women partners Advocate for Change in the Legal Profession

Family

Grayson credits her family and their sup- port for her professional accomplishments. Her husband, JosephMadonia, is a partner at Barnes & Thornburg and a member of the firm’s Environmental Litigation team. Besides being the quintessential environ- mental law power couple, they have raised their son, Joe, who just finished his 1L year and received his Masters of Applied Eco- nomics at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. When reflecting about her son’s pan- demic-challenged first year in law school, she is able to empathize with law students everywhere. She also has the following message for law students: “The last year or so has been an extraordinary time for law students. I am so impressed with their resil- ience and perseverance and that of the law schools that support them. I would like every law student to understand that becoming a successful lawyer is a marathon, not a sprint. Every action, effort, and step forward brings Grayson wi th her husband Joseph Madonia and son Joe at the University of Alabama.

Grayson with CBA Executive Director BethMcMeen, Chicago Books toWomen in Prison President Vicki White, and 2021-22 CBA Secretary Kathryn C. Liss.

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