Elliott Portnoy

Elliott I. Portnoy (born November 1, 1965) is a Washington, D.C., attorney, Chairman of SNR Denton US LLP, and Chief Executive of international legal practice SNR Denton, which launched Sept. 30, 2010 with the combination of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP and Denton Wilde Sapte LLP. The combination created a client-focused firm in eight core industry sectors with 48 locations in 32 countries across four continents and is a top 25 firm by lawyers and professionals worldwide, spanning the US, UK, Europe, the Middle East, Russia and the CIS, South-East Asia, and Africa

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, a practice he founded that quickly became one of the fastest growing law firm public policy practices in the nation. In less than four years, Portnoy guided the bipartisan team of lawyers and non-lawyer policy professionals to a national profile, with Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business designating it one of the nation's leading government relations practices and Influence magazine ranking the group No. 9 on its annual "Influence 50" list of the nation's highest-grossing lobbying practices for 2008.

In his legal practice, Portnoy has represented corporations, trade associations, creditors' committees, private equity and hedge funds, investment banks, educational institutions, local and foreign governments and nonprofit organizations. His work on behalf of these clients has encompassed a broad array of government affairs matters and legislative efforts before Congress, executive branch departments and agencies, state legislatures and other public bodies.

Education

Harvard Law School, J.D., cum laude, 1992
Oxford University, Rhodes Scholar, Ph.D., 1986-1989
Syracuse University, 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 on its 2007 list of 50 top lobbyists, which noted how quickly Sonnenschein's lobbying practice has grown under his leadership.

He has been selected for the past four 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.”

Portnoy’s community service and advocacy efforts have earned him multiple awards, including the S. Robert Cohen Award from the Jewish Foundation for Group Homes (2006) and the Abe Pollin Humanitarian Award from the Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington (2005). He has also been named “Washingtonian of the Year" by Washingtonian magazine.

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 an innovative nonprofit that provides sports opportunities to children with severe and profound disabilities. In addition to Washington, the organization currently operates affiliates in Chicago, Kansas City, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix, St. Louis and San Francisco. The organization has trained more than 12,000 volunteers and each week serves hundreds of young people with disabilities. Portnoy also serves on the board of directors of several non-profit foundations including the MetaCancer Foundation.