Benesch’s O’Donnell Named to Crain’s 2020 “Most Notable Women Executives Over 50” List

Crain’s Chicago Business has named Margo Wolf O’Donnell to its 2020 “Most Notable Women Executives Over 50” list.

The publication’s annual list recognizes 50 women who have overcome odds to reach the highest levels of business, medicine, higher education, and nonprofits, and risen to influential positions in male-dominated fields such as banking and financial services, law and manufacturing.

“I am honored to be included in this list with other strong and accomplished women from a whole range of businesses and industries,” said O’Donnell. “One thing we all have in common is a desire to ‘pay forward’ the opportunities we have found in our careers. This has always been a priority for me and, since joining Benesch two years ago, I have had the support of my firm in finding new ways to support the next generation of women in the legal profession.”

O’Donnell co-chairs the Labor & Employment Practice Group at Benesch. She also co-founded B-Sharp, a networking and professional development group, sponsored by the firm, supporting women in-house counsel. The group has grown exponentially since its 2018 launch, helping women lawyers across multiple industries connect to one another.

“We are fortunate to have Margo as a partner. The excellence of her work, combined with her leadership in advancing women in the legal profession, strengthens us as a firm—and delivers real value to our clients, who benefit from being served by teams with diverse perspectives,” said Gregg Eisenberg, Benesch’s Managing Partner and Executive Committee Member.

O’Donnell brings 25 years of legal experience to her work counseling clients on best practices for strategic training, drafting employment and separation agreements, managing individual and group discharges, and conducting high-level internal investigations. She regularly serves as lead counsel in employment litigation matters, such as restrictive covenant and trade secrets issues, and defends claims involving allegations of discrimination, harassment, wage and hour violations, and breach of contract.