Elizabeth Barton is a Managing Deputy General Counsel for the Board of Education of the City of Chicago with responsibility for overseeing three legal practice area groups in the Board’s law department: Litigation (state, federal, and administrative agencies), Transactions/Contracts, and Investigations. Reporting directly to the General Counsel, Elizabeth advises the Board, the Chief Executive Officer, and district senior leadership on organizational and risk management strategies, their implementation, and legal strategy. Prior to her current role, for 4 years, Elizabeth managed a team of lawyers who represents the Board in federal litigation, defending claims involving employment discrimination, due process, civil rights, Title IX, and special education. In that role, Elizabeth acted as first chair in higher-profile cases and obtained defense verdicts in three federal trials. Prior to joining the Board, Elizabeth spent 11 years in private practice representing a variety of local government entities across Illinois such as police departments, school districts, and park districts. Elizabeth is on the Board of Directors for the Chicago Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. In her free time, Elizabeth enjoys spending time with her active 12-year old son and their beloved English bulldogs, Duke and Maggie.