Women in Law 2025

2025

ALLISON POWERS PARTNER Blank Rome LLP

A llison Powers is a Partner in Blank Rome’s Chicago office. A member of the Labor & Employment group, Allison devotes her practice to guiding management through a wide array of organizational conflicts and to vigorously defending clients facing agency actions or litigation. In devising custom solutions for clients, Allison capitalizes on nearly 20 years as an employment litigator, trial attorney, and strategic partner, plus a unique set of soft skills that have made her indispensable to clients navigating high-profile matters requiring discernment, discretion, and sound judgment. Allison’s employment litigation practice is focused on defending discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims in private lawsuits, as well as government agency actions under federal and state statutes. She is experienced in single-plaintiff, multi-plaintiff, and class action litigation, having previously implemented complex and effective defense strategies in high-profile cases involving sensitive workplace issues and reputational risk. Allison’s background enables her to provide bespoke, client-first service in a variety of industries. Her current and previous clients include Fortune-ranked companies in the luxury, fashion and retail, banking, telecommunications, motor vehicle, and pharmaceutical sectors, among others. More than a litigator, Allison acts as a strategic partner for clients, counseling them on a wide array of employment-related issues. She brings an in-house perspective from her experience being seconded to multiple clients, assisting her in offering relevant, practical, and legally sound solutions tailored to each organization’s unique needs and culture.

Allison also maintains a vibrant pro bono practice. She has represented immigrants seeking asylum and other relief under federal immigration laws, veterans requesting benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs and various branches of the armed forces, inmates coming forward with claims of civil rights violations, and first-time home buyers from Chicago Housing Authority units receiving Section 8 benefits. Alongside her professional practice, Allison has, since March 2022, served by appointment of Illinois Governor JB Pritzker as a Commissioner of the Executive Ethics Commission (EEC), an agency that advocates for sweeping ethics reform in Illinois and is responsible for enforcement of the State Ethics Act. Allison’s two appointments to the EEC have each received unanimous confirmation in the State Senate. Moreover, Allison is a leader in her community. Having chosen to devote most of her civic involvement to the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, she serves on its Board of Directors as Vice President and as chair of the Board Development Committee. Additionally, she is a member of the Black Women Lawyers Association of Greater Chicago. Allison received her J.D. from the Washington University School of Law in 2008. In 2017, she earned recognition from her alma mater as the Dean’s Attorney of the Year for Public Service. Allison is licensed to practice in Illinois, California, New York, and Missouri as well as in a variety of U.S. Appellate and District Courts. Outside of work, Allison enjoys spending time with her family, including her husband, Ken, and their two children Sydney (10) and Julian (7).

WOMEN IN LAW 2025