Our team of former award-winning and top-market journalists focused on the legal industry.
Our Leadership
Anne Kavanagh
Anne Kavanagh was a nine-time Emmy-award winning Chicago television reporter for more than two decades covering the courts, news, politics, business and sports before launching her own communications firm in 2010. Anne has built a strong reputation for handling legal communications especially well. Anne’s clients have included many of Chicago’s leading lawyers and law firms and have come from all areas of the law.
Anne leverages her knowledge of the news cycle, media contacts, storytelling skills and her ability to create strategic written and video content to help frame legal issues to the media, government officials and the general public on behalf of her legal clients.
The communications strategies she has developed for her clients have positively impacted settlements and court rulings, prompted changes in the law and government policy and successfully diffused crisis situations. Anne has worked on some of the highest profile and most controversial legal cases and crisis situations in Chicago and the nation. Her legal clients have received positive media coverage for their practices, clients, cases, and for themselves as experts in their fields as well as successfully building their brands. Anne’s legal clients regularly appear in national and local media outlets.
Anne worked as a reporter at FOX News Chicago for more than two decades. She has also written award winning stories magazines and has produced several documentary films included one that was screened at the White House in 1998. Her work has been honored by the Associated Press, United Press International, the Chicago Headline Club, the and National Association of Black Journalists.
She has taught investigative journalism at DePaul University at both the undergraduate and graduate level. Anne earned a master’s degree in broadcast journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. She graduated with honors from DePaul University with an undergraduate degree in English. Anne serves on the Women’s Board of The Field Museum of Chicago.
Tracy Slutzkin
Tracy Slutzkin is an innovative, award-winning communication leader with an extensive national network of media contacts. She has an in-depth knowledge of news operations from a more than 20 year career in journalism at ABC News, Fox Chicago, Cumulus Media and Westwood One. Tracy has reported and produced legal, political and breaking news at some of the most influential media outlets in the country. She served as Program Director at a major market newstalk radio station for several years.
After starting a communications firm, Tracy has leveraged her knowledge of the newsroom and has been counseling corporations and leading law firms on PR, marketing and digital strategies for nearly a decade. She has developed and launched many successful strategic national media relations campaigns for some of the most high-profile legal cases in the country, including a national class action case that led to a $425 million dollar settlement for consumers. She has secured local, national and international coverage for her legal clients in media outlets like The New York Times, CNN, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post.
Tracy is the co-founder and President of Lincoln Forum, an influential public affairs event series. She serves on the board of the Museum of Broadcasting and has earned several coveted industry awards for programming and news coverage, including being named one of the “Most Influential Women in Radio”. She has a B.S. from Northwestern University.
Lilia Chacon
With more than four decades of experience on the front lines of journalism as an Emmy, Edward R. Murrow and Peabody award winning reporter and communications director for elected officials. Lilia has the media expertise to provide clients with the highest level of communication services.
Lilia spent most of her career working as a television reporter at FOX News Chicago. Lilia is fluent in Spanish and has covered many news stories involving the Latino community throughout the United States.
After leaving TV news, Lilia served in the administrations of both Chicago Mayors Richard M. Daley and Rahm Emanuel, as communications director for Chicago City Treasurer Stephanie Neely, and City Business Commissioner Rosa Escareño. She provided a wide array of communications services including outreach programs to Spanish-speaking citizens in print, radio and TV.
Hayley Bierkle Burns
Hayley Burns is a communication, public affairs and marketing leader with a record of helping clients achieve aggressive business goals. Hayley has built successful communication strategies for clients in some of the toughest political, legal, and business environments including cyber-security, finance, education, and international business. Hayley has brought her expertise and years of covering some of the most controversial and complex legal cases to serve her clients in the legal industry. Hayley leverages her deep connection in the media to help her clients tell their sides of the story with conviction. Hayley has developed many media and communication strategies for her legal clients that have impacted case outcomes and led to successful settlements - in a varied portfolio of areas of law.
Hayley has led communication plans targeting diverse audiences, including a global rollout in India and an education public affairs campaign for the Latino community in Illinois for the Chicago Public Schools.
Hayley is also a cofounder of Lincoln Forum, the leading public affairs event platform in Chicago, hosting some of the most powerful leaders in government, business, and the media.
Hayley’s career began in broadcast journalism where she covered breaking news, business and politics at NBC Chicago, Fox News Chicago and the CNN Midwest Bureau.
Hayley has created and led communication initiatives for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Quicken Loans, Mopar, Kraft, Principal Financial Group, Chicago Public Schools, and Ronald McDonald House Charities, among others.
Gigi Lubin
Gigi has worked with a wide variety of high-profile clients including numerous legal clients. Gigi is adept at identifying news stories within news organizations and framing them properly to the media. She has a huge rolodex of media contacts in Chicago and around the United States. She leverages her media relationships on behalf of her clients to secure high level television, print, radio and online stories.
During the past five years, Gigi has worked on numerous high-profile legal cases that have received worldwide media coverage and most have been in the area of personal injury and medical malpractice law. She has worked with Anne Kavanagh creating and implementing legal strategies in the
Northwestern hazing case working with 10 former players who filed lawsuits against the University, a case against the State of Illinois on behalf of more than 20 veterans who died during Covid at the LaSalle Veterans Home where Covid protocols were not followed, a class action lawsuit filed with AARP on behalf of nursing home patients and their families, a child falling from a climbing wall at Navy Pier that was captured on video, a sexual assault victim suing Massage Envy and the Jussie Smollett case. Additionally, she has placed profile stories on legal clients positioning them as leaders in their field in the Chicago Tribune, the Daily Herald and the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin.
In addition to her experience in legal communications, Gigi has worked with public safety and safety alarm product companies for more than two decades as a strategic partner in crafting successful and high-visibility media campaigns. For one client, Gigi led a team in winning the prestigious Public Relations Society (PRSA) Silver Anvil award for consumer products.
As part of her work with safety organizations, Gigi developed partnerships with numerous major market fire departments across the country. She serves on the Board of the Chicago Fire Department’s Survive Alive House Foundation. She recently spearheaded the successful renovation of the Survive Alive House itself, located at the spot of Mrs. O’Leary’s famous barn. Chicago Fire Chief Wally Schroeder recently described her as “like a BB in a can.”