Dawn Connelly
STEF Advisor
Dawn practiced commercial litigation at McDermott, Will & Emery, LLP in Chicago for eight years, focusing primarily on contract, eminent domain, class action, and product liability disputes. She has argued in front of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, drafted a writ of certiorari petition to the United States Supreme Court, and represented Fortune 500 companies in multi-million dollar lawsuits. She also has extensive experience in arbitration and mediation. In her practice of law, Dawn demonstrated a strong personal commitment to pro bono work, for which she was one of two out of 1,000 associates firm-wide to receive an award for "Outstanding Achievement and Commitment to Pro Bono Service in the Community." Her most fulfilling pro bono accomplishment was winning asylum for an Albanian woman who was sex-trafficked from Albania to Italy where she was raped, beaten, and starved before escaping to Chicago. Dawn argued before the United States Immigration Court in this highly publicized case that took place over a two-year period, and was written up twice in the Chicago Sun Times.
In the fall of 2006, Dawn and her husband moved their family back home to South Florida where she transitioned from the practice of law to full time real estate investing. She was featured in the December 2007 issue of Money Magazine for her foreclosure investing. In addition to being a devoted wife and mother, Dawn is committed to preserving the Treasure Coast's endangered ecosystem, a passion that she has pursued in the local community since childhood. She currently serves on the board of the Young Friends of the Florida Oceanographic Society.
Dawn joined ShopToEarth in July 2008. She currently sits on the company’s advisory board and enjoys being part of the leadership council.Dawn graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Florida, where she served as the Director of Environmental Affairs for the student body. As a scholarship student, she earned her juris doctorate from Chicago-Kent College of Law. She has clerked for the Honorable Blanche M. Manning of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Dawn is licensed to practice law in Illinois and Florida and is a member of the American Bar Association.
