Delilah P. Jenkins

Companies turn to Delilah P. Jenkins when they face challenges fulfilling in-house general counsel roles, creating strategic plans, managing general counsel overflow and seeking diverse representation. They do this because Jenkins is committed to her clients, boasts a deep knowledge of business law and the demands of an in-house legal department and works tirelessly to earn the best results for the companies she represents. 

Jenkins has built a niche general counsel practice based upon her prior in-house legal experience coupled with her current experience as a Partner.  Jenkins’ practice targets companies that do not have an internal general counsel, legal departments that seek interim counsel or legal departments that require assistance with managing overflow. As the head of the general counsel practice, her effort includes creating and expanding an internal team through recruitment efforts and the training of junior associates to act in similar roles as in-house counsel or assistant general counsel for her clients. 

Dorothy Capers, Senior Vice President, General Counsel at Xylem, saw how talented Jenkins is. She worked with Jenkins over  4 years.   Capers said than Jenkins led 30+ Mergers and Acquisitions from start to finish. The deals ranged from small mergers to large international acquisitions. “She managed them all below budget and with excellent legal and advocacy engagement.”

Count Kathleen Sweitzer, senior vice president and general counsel with Trustmark Insurance Company, as another who counts Jenkins as a trusted ally. 

In 2013, Sweitzer was recruited to develop and build the legal support team for the U.S. Health Solutions business for financial services firm Aon. 

"Delilah has exceptional skills as a business partner and advisor," Sweitzer said. "As a member of my team, she demonstrated that she could assess risk in a situation and assist the business in completing difficult transactions in a partnering way. She has a calm demeanor, and she can look at risk from all sides to objectively advise business leaders."

Others refer to Jenkins as a problem-solver, and as someone who spots potential issues before they blossom into bigger challenges. 

Count Andrew Light, senior partner with Scopelitis, Garvin, Light, Hanson & Feary, one of the largest transportation law firms in the world, as being in this camp. His dealings with Jenkins have involved diverse issues specific to the passenger transportation industry. Jenkins' ability to spot potential trouble and quickly understand the legal needs of companies working in this industry has been impressive, he said. 

"In my 40-plus years of practice meeting the legal needs of companies in the transportation industry, it is rare to interact with a young attorney who so quickly grasped the issues related to passenger transportation as Delilah did," Light said.

Jenkins doesn't hesitate to volunteer her time on behalf of her profession and community, either. She is a board member with Housing Forward where she also co-chairs the Technology Committee and is a member of the Oak Park Township Financial Advisory Committee. She has also donated her time to the UIC Law Mentoring Program, is the former Young Lawyers' Creative Arts Section chair for the Chicago Bar Association, was a panelist for the Corporate Counsel Women of Color conference and serves as the Vice President of Community Engagement for the PTO of her son’s elementary school.