Claire A. Manning focuses her practice primarily in the fields of environment, energy, agriculture, natural resources, administrative and regulatory law, having had key legal roles in government prior to entering private practice in 2002, specifically as Chairman of the Illinois Pollution Control Board from 1993-2000 and as one of the original members of the Illinois Public Labor Board, 1984-1993. She has successfully represented her clients in federal and state courts throughout Illinois and before various administrative agencies, such as the Illinois Pollution Control Board, the Illinois and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Illinois and U.S. Departments of Agriculture, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and the Illinois Department of Public Health. She counsels clients regarding specific laws and legislation, assisting them in making and implementing strategic business decisions related to permitting, licensing, regulatory compliance, due diligence, and court challenges to administrative authority or decision-making.
Manning has been recognized as one of the top ten female lawyers in downstate Illinois, was profiled in a Leading Lawyer publication, and is recognized as such in the following areas of law: environment; agriculture; government, regulatory and administrative; and labor and employment law. She serves as co‑chair of the Environmental and Energy Practice Committee of Meritas, an international association of law firms in which BHS is a member. Manning actively participates in the Illinois State Bar Association, having served as Chair of the Administrative Law Section Council, of the Women and Law Standing Committee, and of the Judicial Evaluation Committee for Downstate Judges. She has also served on the Environmental Law Section Council and the Agricultural Law Section Council and currently serves on the new Food Law Section Council. Manning currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Illinois Bar Foundation and previously served on the Board of Directors of the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation, the Land of Lincoln Legal Aid Association, and the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education. Upon appointment of the Illinois Supreme Court, she served as Chair of the Hearings Review Board of the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission, the appellate body hearing attorney discipline cases. In 2007 Manning received a Laureate Award from the Illinois bar, an honor bestowed on lawyers “who have established and maintained the highest principles of the profession as demonstrated by their pervasive record of service to the law and the public.”
