Bringing people together and supporting them at every level has been Laura Sears’ hallmark during her more than 30 years at Gould & Ratner. As chief administrative officer, she fosters an inclusive environment where collaboration, innovation and efficiency drive the firm forward, ensuring that attorneys and staff alike have the tools and processes to thrive.

Laura oversees the firm’s operations, office services, facilities, workflows, process improvement initiatives and vendor relationships, with a focus on smooth, efficient day-to-day management. Her responsibilities include initiating, executing and enforcing office procedures and protocol, as well as supervising the maintenance and improvement of office facilities and reviewing various operational agreements and contracts. She also partners with the HR director to support employees and leadership while playing a key role in risk management, cybersecurity, business continuity planning and information governance.

A Certified Legal Manager®, Laura is a recognized leader in the legal administration community. She currently serves as co-chair of the risk management committee of Pilot Legis, a risk-purchasing group focused on lawyers’ professional liability. She is a past president of the Greater Chicago Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators and has served in multiple national leadership roles, including regional officer, chair of the annual conference committee and member of the national business partner relations team.

Laura holds a B.A. from Knox College.