As a Director for In-House Counsel Recruiting in our Chicago office, Lee Berger works with the legal departments of global, national and regional companies as well as start-ups, institutions of higher education and non-profits to identify general counsel, senior-level attorneys and compliance professionals who will enhance and grow their teams. He uses his extensive experience as an advisor to executive leadership teams and boards to provide guidance that will help position legal departments for long-term success. Lee is passionately committed to promoting diversity in the legal profession and seeks to provide a diverse slate of candidates in connection with every search.
Lee’s hometown is Chicago, but he developed a love for engaging with diverse cultures and exploring other countries while growing up in Sao Paulo, Brazil. For fun, Lee enjoys endurance sports, skiing/snowboarding, motorcycle riding and attending concerts. Lee has two wonderful Gen-Z daughters who are on the cusp of adulthood.
For the decade prior to becoming a legal recruiter, Lee served as the group vice president and general counsel for Broan-NuTone, LLC. As GC, he established the company’s legal and compliance function and built a global legal team tailored to support business objectives. He also implemented a global anti-corruption compliance program and deployed a global intellectual property management process.
Lee previously led compliance for the Americas Region of the Building Efficiency division at Johnson Controls, Inc. directing over 150 internal investigations throughout the region annually. He also delivered FCPA and comprehensive compliance related training to global audiences. Lee began his career with Johnson Controls as a senior group counsel, where he served as the primary legal counsel for one of its businesses. Before that, Lee was a managing director at GLRC, a private investment firm focused on wireless telecommunications. He began his legal career as a corporate associate at Baker McKenzie in Washington, D.C., and later at Winston & Strawn in Chicago.
University of Michigan: JD
University of Michigan: MBA
University of Paris, Sorbonne: Post-graduate study
Brown University: AB, Ethics & Political Philosophy
