Women in Law 2023

2023

LESLEE M. COHEN

MANAGING PARTNER AllRise Legal Counsel

L eslee M. Cohen is the founder and Managing Partner of AllRise Legal Counsel. AllRise concentrates its transactional practice in securities and startup law, corporate finance, technology law, mergers and acquisitions and general corporate law. It represents clients across many industries from consumer products to technology companies to healthcare businesses to real estate firms, with a focus on counselling startups and growth stage companies in connection with their early fundraising rounds. Leslee started her practice at a Wall Street firm in 1992, spent 13 years honing her skills at a large firm based in Chicago and left to form AllRise in 2010. AllRise was founded on Leslee’s desire to work with earlier stage and smaller businesses. Each of its attorneys is big firm trained and experienced and also warm, friendly, loyal and responsive to firm clients and to each other. AllRise is built on a new model intended to serve as an example for other firms as to how to attract and advance attorneys who need flexible work arrangements. Its lawyers are able to do compelling and challenging legal work and to build their own books of business (if they so desire), while maintaining the ability to be great parents/spouses/children, board members, charity workers, friends and siblings in a supportive, congenial and inviting work environment where they can be authentically themselves and celebrate highs and mourn lows together. Leslee is a member of the Executive Committee and Board of Advisors of the Small Business Advocacy Council, the co-chair of

the Advisory Committee of the Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in Law (of which she is also a co-founder) and the Women’s Presidents Organization, a speaker and mentor for the Good Food Accelerator, the Hatchery, LegalPad, the Wisconsin Technology Council/the Founders Institute and Workbox. She is involved with the Chicago Job Creators Grant organization and GirlCon, which supports high school girls interested in careers in technology. Leslee also enjoys frequent speaking engagements for podcasts and organization nationwide. Leslee was named an Enterprising Woman of the Year in 2023 by Enterprising Women Magazine . She was granted the Advocate of the Year Award by the Small Business Advocacy Council in 2019 and the Women of Influence Award by Best Lawyers in 2017, recognized for Outstanding Service to Entrepreneurs by the Daily Herald Business Ledger in 2016, granted the Women Making an Impact Award by the Chicago Law Bulletin in 2014 and named as one of 40 Illinois Lawyers Under 40 to Watch by Chicago Law Bulletin in 2006. She has been named by Illinois Super Lawyers as a Top 100 Lawyers in the State of Illinois and Top 50 Women Lawyers in the State of Illinois, corporate finance and securities, every year since 2010, a Leading Lawyer in mergers & acquisitions, securities and venture finance every year since 2007 and a Best Lawyers in America in corporate law every year since 2013. Leslee received her B.A. from the University of Michigan and her J.D. from New York University School of Law.

WOMEN IN LAW 2023