Women in Law 2025

2025

ELIZABETH O'BRIEN PARTNER Levenfeld Pearlstein, LLC

E lizabeth is a partner in and leader of the Real Estate Practice Group and a member of the firm's Executive Committee at Levenfeld Pearlstein. With nearly 20 years of experience in commercial real estate law, Elizabeth represents clients in acquisitions and dispositions, development transactions, and construction financing, as well as retail, office, and industrial leasing. Elizabeth enjoys the sense of being part of something bigger, whether it is the deal that marks the beginning or the end of an era for a client or the development of a grocery-anchored shopping center in a food desert that is bringing job opportunities to the community. She enjoys being a part of a client's journey and is constantly inspired by her clients' energy and ideas. Among her most fulfilling accomplishments are the grocery- anchored shopping center developments that she’s facilitated across the Southern United States. Not only are these major development deals, with a puzzle-like challenge to them, but they also create new jobs and increased access to affordable food in locations that lack an abundance of options. Elizabeth’s unique leadership strategy focuses on anticipating change and leveraging a growth mindset. She strives to create an environment in which people feel comfortable sharing their opinions, allowing the firm and practice to grow through a true diversity of ideas. Elizabeth is actively involved in the professional development of women associates, enabling them to acquire the skills necessary to shape their careers. In her current role on the Executive Committee

and the Compensation Committee, Elizabeth advocates for a cultural shift that enables veteran attorneys and the new generation of attorneys to engage in difficult conversations and listen to each other, thereby allowing the firm to make the necessary changes to move forward. By focusing on collaboration and empowerment, Elizabeth approaches her legal practice from a place of abundance, rather than scarcity, so that women in the legal industry can advance and thrive together. An active member of the community, Elizabeth is involved in Catholic Charities of Chicago and was featured on its Voice of Charity podcast in July 2024. She has been a member of Commercial Real Estate Executive Women (CREW) Chicago for several years and previously served on the Board of Directors for the Howard E. Eisenberg Foundation, including having served on its annual dinner committee for three years and co-chairing the dinner for two years. She was a member of the Board of Directors of Friends for the Chicago River from 2020–2023, serving on its Gala Committee and DEI Committee, and is a previous member of the Associate Board of Greater Chicago Food Depository. In addition, she serves on the St. Catherine of Sienna President’s Council for Regina Dominican High School. on the Pastoral Council for St. Mary of the Woods parish and on the Steering Committee for the Greater Chicago Food Depository’s Commercial Real Estate Awards Dinner. She earned her J.D. from Loyola University of Chicago School of Law and her B.A. from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

WOMEN IN LAW 2025