Chaka Patterson has over three decades of experience in corporate government, and private practice. He served as senior vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary at a global education corporation where he led a team of 30 and guided the business development, M&A transactions, investor relations, corporate governance, risk and compliance, and litigation functions. He was the chief of the Civil Actions Bureau for Cook County’s State’s Attorney in Illinois where he managed a team of 100 lawyers in defending the county and its officeholders and employees in civil suits. Chaka also served as an assistant attorney general and chief of the Illinois Attorney General’s Office Special Litigation Bureau, where he prosecuted civil and criminal fraud cases, including health care fraud, securities fraud, complex consumer fraud, charitable trust fraud, and False Claims Act cases.

Chaka’s private practice experience as a partner in two Am Law 100 law firms includes representing clients in complex business and commercial litigation, white-collar criminal defense involving state attorneys general investigations, and internal investigations. Chaka holds a B.A. in political science from Amherst College, a JD from Harvard Law School, and an MBA from Booth.