Eleni Kouimelis Profiled in Leading Lawyers Magazine

Eleni Kouimelis, Winston & Strawn partner and chair of environmental law, was featured in the February 2014 issue of Leading Lawyers Magazine—Real Estate, Construction & Environmental Edition. The article, “Environmental Lawyer Sees Her Practice as a Driven Journey,” focuses on Ms. Kouimelis’ background as the daughter of Greek immigrants who sought to pursue an alternative path.      

Ms. Kouimelis left her small Greek village of Lahanada with her parents at the age of five to pursue better opportunities in America. By the age of 10, she knew she wanted to be a lawyer. She went on to earn her Bachelor’s degree and J.D. at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Loyola University Chicago School of Law, working her way through college and attending night programs to make ends meet. 

She considers her Greek heritage essential to her interest in environmental law, particularly Greece’s poor natural resources management and environmental struggles when she was a child. She also references two of her cousins’ political activity concerning environmental issues as significant to her interest in environmental law, as well as the fact that more women were involved in the area.

Ms. Kouimelis joined Winston & Strawn as an associate in 1989. Her practice concentrates on compliance, transactions, and representing clients in enforcement proceedings. She also advises on remediation and redevelopment of contaminated sites. On top of her busy practice and family life—she’s married with three daughters—Ms. Kouimelis is an integral part of the Hellenic Bar Association of Illinois, where she will take over as the organization’s president in June 2014 with the aim of further developing opportunities for young Greek attorneys.

“I came from this poor little village in Greece to a partner at Winston & Strawn. That journey for me is a big one,” Kouimelis says. “As I get older, I should be more comfortable saying that.”