Please join us for another installation of our Busch School of Business HR Speaker Series as we welcome Patrick Kenneally on April, 10th.
The 2023 supreme court decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, which struck down race-based admission policies at Harvard University and University of North Carolina, seems like ancient history considering the many legal developments over the past two years, including recent executive orders. In this talk, Patrick Kenneally, a lawyer and businessman, brings you up to speed on the present DEI and affirmative action legal landscape, explains why DEI is getting and will continue to get companies sued, and offers suggestions on how companies can protect themselves.
Patrick Kenneally Bio
Patrick Kenneally serves as Legal Advisor for Advantage DES, a company dedicated to improving workplace performance by providing a values driven alternative to DEI programs. Patrick is also a partner at Burke Law Group, a Houston-based law firm with offices nationwide. There he focuses his practice on white collar defense, products liability, employment law, environmental law, and other complex civil litigation and general counsel matters.
A former elected McHenry County State’s Attorney, Patrick has litigated everything from high-stakes felony cases to intricate civil disputes. For his efforts in investigating and prosecuting the murder of a five-year old child, he was awarded the Heroes Award by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Federal Bureau of Investigations in 2020.
Patrick earned his law degree from Washington University School of Law in 2005 and has a master’s degree in environmental law from the University of Vermont. Prior to law school, Patrick earned his bachelor’s degree in biology and liberal arts from College of the Holy Cross in 2001.
Patrick is a practicing Catholic and attends St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Crystal Lake, Illinois with his wife and four boys.