Blume named Chicago office managing partner
Anne Blume has been appointed to serve as the Office Managing Partner for the Chicago office of the law firm Cozen O'Connor.
She will lead the downtown Chicago office of more than 50 attorneys.
Blume has also been appointed to Cozen O'Connor's Management Committee for a two-year term, effective immediately.
Blume's area of practice ranges from construction and commercial litigation to professional liability and insurance coverage. She had previously practiced for more than 20 years with the Chicago-based law firm of Meckler Bulger & Tilson before it combined with Cozen O'Connor in 2015.
Blume has been involved in construction litigation for more than 25 years and has represented developers, construction managers, architects, structural, civil, mechanical and electrical engineers, and land surveyors and has testified as an expert witness in a legal malpractice action involving construction. Blume has gained vast experience and a reputation for her pragmatic approach to efficiently resolving disputes including breach of contract, delay and acceleration, property damage, personal injury, mechanics' liens, negligent misrepresentation, design defects, construction defects, and construction management.
For her construction clients, Blume provides general corporate counseling related to contract negotiations, risk management, insurance procurement and coverage, fee disputes and employment issues.
A frequent lecturer, Blume speaks on topics of risk avoidance, mitigation and transfer including contract language and negotiating, construction project documentation, and other best practices topics.
Blume was recognized on the 2013 "Women Making an Impact" list by The Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, honoring 17 Chicago women attorneys who are making the greatest impact on the legal profession in Illinois. She is also recognized as a "Leading Lawyer" in Illinois.
Blume is a longtime member of the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (CLM), an independent organization of over 35,000 members dedicated to the convergence of resources to develop and share claims and litigation management principles and ethical standards. She has been the Education Director of the organization's annual conference since 2009.
In 2011, the CLM's Advisory Board, which consists of senior claims executives at leading insurance companies and corporations, elected Blume to serve as the only outside counsel on the Board and, most recently, she was appointed to the Advisory Board of the CLM Management and Professional Liability community.
Blume earned her J.D from The John Marshall Law School in 1991 and her B.A. from Michigan State University in 1985.