Inspiration Awards - Chicago Honorees

Sonia Menon

Chief Operating Officer, Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg LLP

Sonia Menon is the Chief Operating Officer at Neal Gerber Eisenberg, a Chicago based law firm with over 140 lawyers, where she leads the day-to-day operations of the firm, including information technology, facilities and space planning, human resources and talent management, knowledge management, marketing and information governance. She has overall responsibility for the design and implementation of the firm’s corporate social responsibility program, talent management initiatives and operating policies for lawyers and staff at the firm. She works with the firm’s leadership to ensure that the recruitment, development, advancement and diversity policies and programs are aligned to support the firm’s strategic agenda.

Ms. Menon is a certified practitioner of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, and conducts training workshops for leadership development, team building and management development. Ms. Menon chairs the firm’s Sustainability Committee, and is an active member of the firm’s Hiring Committee, Women’s Network, and Diversity & Inclusion Committees, developing new initiatives to enhance the recruitment, advancement and retention of traditionally underrepresented lawyers.

Ms. Menon has been a featured speaker on subjects relating to pathways to create a sustainable legal organization, law firm economics and profitability, information governance, competency talent management, diversity and inclusion, managing a multigenerational workforce and alternate career models. She serves on the boards of All Stars Project of Chicago, a not-for-profit focused on after school development for underprivileged youth. She also serves as a member of Profit Recovery Partners’ Advisory Board. She is an active member of NALP and has held various leadership role over the years. Ms. Menon is also actively involved with the Law Firm Sustainability Network, the Society for Human Resource Management, Professional Development Consortium, Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago, Human Rights Campaign and International Legal Technology Association. Ms. Menon graduated in 1988 with an honors degree in Psychology, and is an alumnus of Harvard Business School Executive Education.

Monica Laddaran

Dominican University Class of 2022

“It’s been wonderful being part of Step Up. I always continue to reach out to girls to get them to join our community because the mission really resonates with me and I feel like it’s made a huge impact in my life.”

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