Elliott I. Portnoy is a Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

, attorney and chief executive of the law firm SNR Denton

SNR Denton

SNR Denton is an international law firm co-headquartered in London, United Kingdom and Washington, D.C., United States. The firm operates in 60 locations across 43 countries and has around 1,250 lawyers...

, which launched Sept. 30, 2010 with the combination of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP and Denton Wilde Sapte

Denton Wilde Sapte

Denton Wilde Sapte LLP was an international law firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom. On 26 May 2010, the firm announced that it had reached agreement to merge with the U.S.-based law firm Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal...

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Portnoy, who was 41 when he took over as chairman of Sonnenschein, was the youngest partner to serve in the role and the first outside Chicago, where that firm was founded in 1906. As chairman, he oversaw the growth of Sonnenschein to nearly 800 lawyers and other professionals, including the addition of 100 new attorneys from Thacher Proffitt & Wood LLP on Jan. 1, 2009.



Prior to assuming the Sonnenschein chairmanship, Portnoy was chair of the firm's Public Law & Policy Strategies Group, which he founded in 2002. This public policy

Public policy

Public policy as government action is generally the principled guide to action taken by the administrative or executive branches of the state with regard to a class of issues in a manner consistent with law and institutional customs. In general, the foundation is the pertinent national and...

 practice has received national recognition by Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business as one of the nation's leading government relations practices and The National Law Journal magazine ranked the group No. 8 on its annual “Influence 50” list of the nation’s highest-grossing lobbying practices for 2009.

Education

Harvard Law School

Harvard Law School

Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...

, J.D., cum laude, 1992

Oxford University, Rhodes Scholar, Ph.D., 1986-1989

Syracuse University

Syracuse University

Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...

, B.A., summa cum laude, 1986

Awards and honors

In 2009, Portnoy was named the top D.C. lawyer in the category of "Lobbying Law" by the Washington Business Journal. He was also recognized as one of the nation’s top lobbyists by Washingtonian magazine, which also credited him for the growth of Sonnenschein's lobbying practice.

He has been selected for the past three years as a prominent government relations specialist by Super Lawyers, and as one of Washington’s “Legal Elite” by Washington CEO magazine. Lawdragon named him one of its “100 Managing Partners You Need to Know” in 2008 and in its 2010 edition, Chambers USA calls him “a tremendously respected attorney.”

Community service

In 1988 while studying at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, Portnoy founded the organization Kids Enjoy Exercise Now (KEEN), which he expanded to Washington, D.C., in 1992. KEEN is a nonprofit organization that provides sports opportunities to children with severe and profound disabilities. Starting in 2006, the organization expanded beyond Washington, D.C. to eight U.S. cities. Portnoy also serves on the board of directors of several non-profit foundations including the MetaCancer Foundation.

In 1999, Washingtonian magazine

Washingtonian (magazine)

Washingtonian is a monthly magazine distributed in the Washington, DC area since 1965. The magazine describes itself as "the magazine Washington lives by." The magazine's core focuses are local feature journalism, guide book-style articles, and real estate advice.-Editorial Content:Washingtonian...

named him "Washingtonian of the Year" for his work with Kids Enjoy Exercise Now.