Education
- University of Chicago, Harris Public Policy, M.A. (2021)
- University of Illinois at Chicago School of Law, J.D. (2018)
- Roosevelt University, B.A. (2016)
Admissions
- Illinois
- Ohio
Overview
Vernita E. Cockrell joined the Chicago office of Whitt Sturtevant LLP in 2023. She practices law in both Illinois and Ohio. Prior to joining Whitt Sturtevant, Vernita was an Assistant State’s Attorney in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, Civil Actions Bureau. There she negotiated and litigated a high volume of complex workers’ compensation cases. Vernita also has experience developing mitigation plans and defense strategies.
Vernita earned her undergraduate degree in Political Science from Roosevelt University, a master’s degree in Public Policy from the University of Chicago, and a law degree from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law. During her time in law school, Vernita was a 711 licensed law clerk for Cook County Office of the Public Guardian, Juvenile division and was a certified mediator volunteer in the Cook County Circuit Court through the Center of Conflict Resolution. She also spent a summer working at a major intellectual property law firm, litigations division, in Beijing, China.