Leslie Richards-Yellen is an experienced bond attorney. Since 1984, she has concentrated her practice in the public finance arena. She has experience as in-house counsel and in private practice.

In addition to her practice, Ms. Richards-Yellen serves as Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP’s Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer. She is a member of Hinshaw’s Executive Committee. Ms. Richards-Yellen is also Chair of the Diversity Committee and a co-chair of the Attorney Life Committee.

Ms. Richards-Yellen was an officer with a leading mutual fund company from 1993 to 2005. As an associate general counsel for the mutual fund company, she created the role and responsibilities of fixed income counsel, and provided legal services and analysis for the fixed income group. Ms. Richards-Yellen managed and developed strategies to enhance the value of distressed debt, and led recovery efforts for municipal and corporate deals. She performed legal and structural review and negotiations for securities and reviewed and negotiated many municipal derivative tender option bond programs. Ms. Richards-Yellen joined Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP in April 2007 as partner and the firm’s first Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer.

Prior to relocating to Chicago, she was an officer with a leading mutual fund company. She was appointed by senior management to serve on company-wide committees and initiatives, including Code of Ethics, and the Diversity Leadership and Training committees.

From 2007 to 2009, she served on the National Association of Bond Lawyers (NABL) Steering Committee where she was responsible for the “Defaults, Workouts and Bankruptcy Issues in Public Finance” panel. She was selected as an Investment Company Institute (ICI) delegate on the Muni Council, sponsored by the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB) (2001 to 2005). From 1994 to 2005 she was a member of the ICI Fixed Income Committee.

Ms. Richards-Yellen served a three-year term (2002 to 2005) on the National Association of Securities Dealers’ Fixed Income Committee (currently the Financial Industry Regulation Authority) where she represented the buy-side perspective.

Ms. Richards-Yellen is a former member of the National Forum for Black Public Administrators and served as its general counsel from 1991 to 1993. In addition, from 1992 to 1993 she was an advisor to the executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation.

From 1991 to 1993, Ms. Richards-Yellen was an adjunct professor at Hofstra University School of Law, where she taught a public finance seminar.

She is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago.

 

Diversity and Inclusion

Ms. Richards-Yellen is a member of the Executive Committee of the National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL) and was elected Recording Secretary in 2011. Since 2008, she has been a co-chair of NAWL’s program committee. Ms. Richards-Yellen is the Chair of the Board of Directors for the Chicago Committee on Minorities in Large Law Firms, and is on the advisory board for the Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession.

Ms. Richards-Yellen has been recognized by organizations for her work in diversity and inclusion and received awards, including:

• “Mentorship Award,” DePaul Black Students Law Association, 2012.
• “Helping Hand Award,” Black Women Lawyers’ Association of Greater Chicago, Inc. (BWLA), 2010.
• “Woman of Excellence Award,” Chicago Defender, 2010.
• “President’s Award,” Cook County Bar Association, 2008 and 2010 for her work with the first-year minority law students’ reception.

In speeches before regulators and industry and trade groups, Ms. Richards-Yellen represented the buy-side’s perspective on compliance, SEC and IRS regulations, disclosure, new products and workouts. She has presented at the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Municipal Securities Roundtable, the National Association of Bond Lawyers, MSRB and the National Federation of Municipal Analysts.

Ms. Richards-Yellen delivered Blackburn College’s 139th commencement address, entitled “Transformational Work,” during the college’s 2008 graduation ceremony, in Carlinville, Illinois. Her other presentations include:

• “Redefining the Face of Diversity – The Status of Black Women Lawyers in America,” BWLA National Summit of Black Women Lawyers, Chicago, Illinois, April 2012.
• “Programs and Strategies That are Working in Other Cities and States,” Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Professional, St. Louis, Missouri, April 2012.
• “Law Firm Economics 101,” The Leadership Institute for Women of Color, Atlanta, Georgia, March 2012.
• “Implicit Bias,” Kane County Bar Association, Geneva, Illinois, March 2012.
• “Career Paths and Diversity in Law Firms,” Black Law Students Association, Cornell University Law School, Ithaca, New York, February 2012.
• “Does Diversity Exist in Law Firms?” Chicago Lawyer Magazine Conference, Chicago, Illinois, November 2011.
• “Overview of Bond Financing for 501(c)(3) Hospitals,” Hinshaw’s Annual Healthcare Conference, Lisle, Illinois, November 2011.
• “Implicit Bias,” Winnebago County Bar Association, Rockford, Illinois, September 2011.
• “It Starts With You – Practical Steps You Can Take Now to Achieve Success and Advance Women in Law,” The National Association of Women Lawyers 2011 Annual Meeting, New York, New York, July 2011.
• “Balancing Work and Home: Is it Possible to be a Wife, Mother and Have a Successful Law Career?” DePaul Black Law Students Association, Chicago, Illinois, February 2011.
• “Tax-Exempt Bonds Post-Issuance Compliance,” Hinshaw’s 2008 Health Care Conference, Lisle, Illinois, November 2008.

In keeping with her active professional life, Ms. Richards-Yellen is involved in her community. Since 2009, she has been on the board of trustees of Blackburn College. From 2007 to 2011, she was on the board of directors and the finance committee of Chicago Jesuit Academy. She is an active fund raiser for her alma mater, Cornell Law School.

For nearly a decade, she was a board member and host parent for Radnor A Better Chance, which provides funding and housing to enable promising minority high school students. She was also a member of the Wayne Elementary Parent Teacher Association board of directors from 1995 to 2002. In addition, Ms. Richards-Yellen was from 1997 to 2002 the Chair of the Finance Committee of the Chester County Fund for Women and Girls, in West Chester, Pennsylvania.