Donna Rotunno

Ms. Rotunno grew up in the Chicago suburbs, the granddaughter of a police officer and the daughter of a businessman in the grocery industry and a teacher. She went to a local Catholic college, graduated from the Chicago-Kent College of Law, then landed a job as a clerk with the Cook County state’s attorney office in 1997. Three years later, she became an assistant state’s attorney in Illinois, working on domestic violence cases and felony crimes. By 2003, she had gone into private practice with a defense lawyer, and two years later, at age 29, she started her own firm. In Chicago, she became known for her personal style and for winning criminal trials and specializing in sex crimes.