Presented annually by Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business, the Business Leader of the Year award has become one of the most prestigious honors in the Greater Philadelphia region. This award was established in 1954 by a student, George Ross ’55, Hon. ’99, who was later recognized as the 36th Business Leader of the Year in 1989.
Proceeds from the event fund scholarships and support academic programs within the Bennett S. LeBow College of Business.
This year’s honoree is Jami McKeon.
Jami McKeon
Chair, Morgan Lewis
Jami McKeon is a legal industry pioneer. As Chair of Morgan Lewis, she has driven the innovation and strategic vision of one of the world’s most elite global legal service providers—leading more than 4,000 lawyers, specialists, and professional staff across four continents through transformational growth and some of the most pivotal moments in recent history. Jami has been described in Chambers as “the number-one practitioner in this area” who as Chair “is so well known and grew the firm into an international powerhouse,” with another respondent describing Jami as “one of the most phenomenally capable people I’ve ever dealt with.”
The firm’s expansive-but-targeted growth under Jami’s leadership is grounded in a core tenet of Jami’s philosophy—to deliver clients the finest possible service, wherever and whenever it’s needed—through a collaborative commitment that is reflected in the firm’s longstanding tenet that “there is nothing we can’t achieve together as long as no one cares who gets the credit.” Shortly after Jami was elected Chair in 2014, she led the firm’s strategic and high-profile combination with Bingham McCutchen that welcomed 750+ lawyers and staff. Jami’s tenure has been defined by sustained global growth since that time—including the opening of new offices in Munich and Seattle, new or expanded offices in China and Japan, the launch of an Abu Dhabi office and expanded services in Dubai, and significantly expanded talent and capabilities in the firm’s Paris office. All of this has occurred alongside the steady pulse of lateral growth targeting practices and geographies that better serve the firm’s clients—including more than 80 lateral partner hires since 2024 across North America, Asia, and Europe.
The first woman chair in Morgan Lewis’s 150-year history, Jami is the architect of trailblazing initiatives earning Morgan Lewis its reputation as one of the most well-rounded and forward-thinking law firms in the world—including consecutive years in the coveted top-5 spot on The American Lawyer’s prestigious A-List and 23 consecutive years on BTI Consulting Group’s elite Client Service 30.
Among the most sweeping and impactful initiatives under Jami’s leadership was her establishment of a cross-functional AI & Knowledge Management team that galvanized the firm’s development and utilization of state-of-the-art technology, which has led to the cultivation of proprietary tech tools and a strategic partnership with Thomson Reuters to forge GenAI solutions that will define the legal industry of the future.
Jami was also pivotal in shaping the firm’s unique Engagement Model that encompasses well-being, inclusion, pro bono, community engagement, and sustainability, along with market-leading initiatives such as ML Well, a holistic program promoting intellectual, physical, emotional, and occupational wellbeing. Beyond these meaningful efforts, she founded the firm’s women’s initiative, ML Women, and launched the award-winning Mobilizing for Equality initiative focused on achieving justice in society and the legal profession. Morgan Lewis’s commitment to pro bono has also flourished under Jami’s leadership, for years garnering 100% lawyer participation and earning the firm accolades such as #1 for Breadth of Commitment on The American Lawyer’s Pro Bono Scorecard and #1 among the Best Law Firms for Pro Bono from Vault.
Jami is a frequent speaker and active in community service organizations, including service on the board of directors for Equal Justice Works, the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia, and the Philadelphia Orchestra Kimmel Center in Philadelphia. She is also a member of the advisory board of the Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession, the Penn Carey Law Board of Advisors, and the Utah Royals Football Club.
Among numerous personal accolades, Jami has been honored with the ABA’s Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award; the American Red Cross Lifetime Achievement Award; the United Way’s Women’s Leadership Initiative Award; a Special Achievement Award from Financial Times for her innovative approach to Morgan Lewis’s strategic growth; an Innovative Law Firm Leader Award from Corporate Counsel; the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce’s Paradigm Award for a career of achievement as a woman executive; and inclusion on Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Leaders list.