Victor Adeyemi

Victor's story

Victor was born in Lagos and came to the United States at nine when his mother took a nursing post at a hospital in Minneapolis. He learned English from courtroom dramas on television, which he admits gave him an unrealistic view of how often lawyers get to shout.

He studied philosophy at Carleton College and went to law school at Michigan, where he edited the law review. He spent twelve years at a large Chicago firm, the last four as a member of its professional-responsibility committee, and became known as the person other partners called at midnight when something had gone wrong.

His defining moment came in 2016, when he advised his former firm to withdraw from a lucrative engagement because of a conflict nobody else had spotted. It cost the firm a client and earned him a reputation. Elena Marsh hired him as Hale & Mercer's first General Counsel in 2021, with a mandate to run the firm's conflict checks, ethics reviews, and client-protection policies.

Victor lives in Oak Park with his wife Funmi, a university librarian, and their three sons. He is a deacon at his church and a trustee of the Chicago Bar Foundation.