Title: Counsel
Firm: Nixon Peabody LLP
Age: 35
Gretchen Sherwood has developed Nixon Peabody’s charter school finance practice into a nationally respected program while maintaining excellent relations with clients, mentees, and those she works with.
She has spent her entire legal career at Nixon Peabody and has gained extensive experience as borrower’s, underwriter’s, and bank counsel.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Gretchen has co-lead Nixon Peabody’s Project Finance and Public Finance practice groups’ 50 member bi-weekly team calls. These discuss industry topics, interesting new engagements, and other happenings.
Gretchen brings in outside speakers and educational content, which speaks to her focus on collaboration, said Nixon Peabody Practice Group Leader Virginia Wong.
Gretchen has actively participated in pro bono work, oversees Nixon Peabody’s relations with an organization dedicated to special education advocacy, and helped people form a nonprofit dedicated to restoring a historic area of Chicago.
“Gretchen is an exceptional team player, with a client-centric approach to her work,” Wong said. “She has led the development of our charter school work into a nationally recognized practice and serves an important role on our national banking and healthcare finance teams.”
Ziegler Managing Director Scott Rolfs said, “Gretchen is an incredible detail person. She does a fantastic job of making sure that all the things we need done on a deal get done. And she does it in a way that keeps comity among the working group.”
“A large part of my practice involves conduit financings for the benefit of 501c3 [nonprofit] organizations,” Gretchen said. “I like the complexity of the transactions that we help bring to life and to see how those transactions positively further the missions of the nonprofits.”
In her spare time Gretchen likes spending time with her husband and four-year-old daughter, taking morning runs, and planning weekend trips.