As the Chief Administrative Officer of Gould & Ratner, Laura Sears is responsible for the management and operations of the firm. In her role, Laura interfaces daily with the firm’s leadership, providing strategic direction as well as operational efficiency.

Laura’s day-to-day responsibilities encompass all aspects of human resources and benefits functions for all firm administrative employees, including recruiting, orientation, training and development, evaluation and counseling, as well as assisting in the recruiting, onboarding, evaluation and retention of all lawyers at the firm.  

Laura also oversees the information technology resources available to the firm and is a member of the risk management team. Additional 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.

Laura holds a B.A. from Knox College and is a Certified Legal Manager. She currently serves as Co-Chair of the Risk Management Committee of Pilot Legis, a risk purchasing group focused on lawyers’ professional liability. Laura is a past President of the Greater Chicago Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators and has served on its Board of Directors for many years in a variety of leadership roles. On the national level, Laura served as a Regional Officer and was previously a member of the National Business Partner Relations Committee and chaired ALA’s annual Conference Committee.