When Randi joined the Butler Rubin law firm in Chicago over 25 years ago, she was fresh out of law school and eager to get to work. She had served as a summer clerk at the firm and enjoyed the people and the firm culture. Her journey began in the area of reinsurance arbitration and litigation, and often she was the sole woman in the room. In fact, during her first reinsurance arbitration hearing — and after her first direct witness examination ever — an arbitrator remarked it was nice that lead counsel had “given his daughter a chance to put on a witness.”
“In that arbitrator’s mind, nepotism, rather than skill or talent, had to be the only reason why a young woman would be given that opportunity,” said Randi. “Thankfully, the industry appears to have moved past that mentality, and now there are many more women in senior roles at companies and acting as arbitrators or outside counsel.”
Women leadership in the reinsurance industry continues to rise, and Randi has played a direct role in its growth. In the early 2000s, she and other women lawyers at Butler Rubin worked together to create the Women in Reinsurance (WIR) program. Their goal? To provide an authentic and trustworthy space for women to network, share, debate, learn, grow and cultivate lasting connections.
