Paula Cozzi Goedert
Paula Cozzi Goedert is a partner in the Chicago office of Barnes &
Thornburg LLP where she chairs the Associations and Foundations Practice Group.
She concentrates her practice on the representation of non-profit organizations,
including professional societies, trade associations, public charities and
private foundations. Ms. Goedert was listed as a 2014 Leading Lawyer in
Association and Non-Profit Law by Leading Lawyers Network. Since 2007, she has
been listed in The Best Lawyers in America® in Non-Profit/Charities area. Ms.
Goedert has also been named an Illinois Super Lawyer® every year since 2005 in
the Non-Profit, Business/Corporate and Tax practice areas.
Ms. Goedert serves as general or lead counsel for many national associations
including the American Architectural Manufacturers Association, the American
College of Surgeons, the Bank Administration Institute, the National PTA and the
American Library Association. She is a frequent lecturer and has authored many
articles on non-profit and association topics including governance, antitrust,
copyright issues, lobbying by exempt organizations, human resource issues, legal
status of chapters and the unrelated business income tax.
Ms. Goedert was the recipient of the John C. Thiel Distinguished Service
Award from Association Forum and was also named Associate Member of the Year.
She received the President’s Award from the Association Foundation Group. She
has served on the Association Forum's board of directors, the board of the
American Society of Association Executives Foundation and as Chairman of the
Legal Section Council of the American Society of Association Executives. She
served as a faculty member of DePaul University's association management program
and was a member of the Rush Oak Park Hospital Board of Directors. She also
served as a member of the Guild Board of the Lyric Opera.
Ms. Goedert earned her B.A. summa cum laude from Mundelein College and her
J.D. magna cum laude from Northwestern University where she was named to the
Order of the Coif and served as special projects editor for the Northwestern Law
Review. She is admitted to practice in the state of Illinois and Washington,
D.C.