Mayor Brandon Johnson has announced the appointment of Renee Hatcher as Chicago's Corporation Counsel, the city's lead attorney who provides legal counsel and representation to city departments and the City Council. She succeeds Mary Richardson-Lowry, who is retiring after serving in the role since 2023.
Hatcher currently serves as clinical professor and director of the Community Enterprise & Solidarity Economy Clinic at UIC Law, where she provides legal support to community-based businesses, cooperatives, and organizations. Earlier in her career, she worked as a staff attorney at the Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights, handling cases involving community benefits agreements, employment discrimination, and prisoners' rights. She also previously served as co-director of the Chicago Community Wealth Building Ecosystem Initiative at UIC's Center on Urban Economic Development.
"Throughout my career, I have partnered with communities to use the law to build economic power, strengthen neighborhoods, and advance justice with working people," Hatcher said.
Richardson-Lowry, the first Black woman to hold the position, led significant changes to the Department of Law during her tenure, including establishing the agency's first formal risk management division, building a Mass Torts and Complex Litigation practice, restructuring federal civil rights work, and strengthening oversight of outside counsel.
Hatcher holds a J.D. from New York University School of Law and a B.A. in Political Science from Indiana University Bloomington. She has taught law at UIC and the University of Baltimore School of Law and guest lectured at Harvard Law School. The appointment is subject to approval by the Chicago City Council.