Paul Buscher Uhlenhop, 84, a Senior Partner of Lawrence Kamin, LLC and prominent legal expert in financial services compliance and regulation law, passed away on January 30, 2021, surrounded by his devoted family.
In so many ways, Paul was the very soul of our firm. He believed that every person deserved to be treated with dignity and respect, from his most important client, to the opposing counsel who perturbed him beyond measure, to the cab driver he would never see again. Throughout his life, Paul inspired his family, friends, colleagues and countless others by being a model of faith, generosity, devotion, fortitude, diligence, and integrity. These virtues were the foundation of all of his relationships and endeavors. For those who knew him, he was a steadfast guide and standard for living a life of principle, commitment, and enthusiasm.
Paul had a long and distinguished career as a financial services attorney, adjunct professor of law, and a driving force in the areas of securities, commodities and business law. Practicing law was Paul’s true passion and being an attorney remained a central component of his identity and of daily conversations until his passing. Despite his early involvement with business acquisitions, Paul gravitated toward the securities area, where his father had worked as a broker and Paul got his start.
Paul practiced with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) from 1962‐63, and then with the Standard Oil Company of Illinois until 1970. He first joined our firm in 1971—then named Lawrence, Goldberg, Lawrence & Lewin (later to become Lawrence, Kamin, Saunders & Uhlenhop, and then Lawrence Kamin)—where he practiced until 2018. Over the years, Paul became an integral partner, sought after leader, and one of the most highly respected securities lawyers in the field. He accumulated a group of major clients in various parts of the securities business and grew his practice so significantly that the firm expanded its team of lawyers to assist him.
For decades, Paul skillfully represented securities and commodities firms, including wire houses, regional firms, clearing firms, floor brokers, specialists, traders and floor personnel, investment advisers and mutual funds, with respect to regulatory matters and in the litigation and arbitration of financial claims.
In addition to championing his clients’ interests, Paul was very active in many national, state and local legal organizations that kept him in a leadership role among prominent attorneys across the United States. He served in a wide range of leadership and advisory roles in various Sections and Committees within the American Bar Association, Illinois State Bar Association, and Chicago Bar Association from 1961-2018. Paul was an active member of the Futures Industry Association, the National Regulatory Service, and the National Society of Compliance Professionals (NSCP), where he served on the Board of Directors from 2002-05. He was a member of the Business Conduct Committee at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange from 1992-2007. Paul also served on the Board of Editors for several legal industry publications, including Futures and Derivatives Law Reporter, Global Markets Journal, Practical Compliance & Risk Management for the Securities Industry. He was invited often to serve as a presenter and speaker at national and regional conferences and events, including the NSCP, and his industry guidance and expertise was regularly published by numerous law publications.
In 2015, Paul received the Joan Hinchman Award from the NSCP for his long service as an unrelenting advocate for the NSCP and his extraordinary contributions to the financial services compliance industry. He always carved out time from his busy law practice to readily and selflessly inspire and inform the NSCP and its members with the depth and breadth of his knowledge and experience.
Paul shared his love of the legal field in service as an Adjunct Professor of Law at both the University of Illinois College of Law (1985-2008) and the IIT‐Chicago Kent College of Law (1983-2005), and served as the President of the Board of Visitors for the University of Illinois College of Law from 1985-87. Paul was a proud alumnus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (B.A. with honors, 1958; J.D., 1961) and loyal brother of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity.
Paul was an honored officer in the U.S. Navy, a long-time parishioner at Saint Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Wilmette, and a generous and unwavering supporter and advocate for several community organizations. He served on the Board of Trustees for The Cradle Foundation for 25 years, and for the Ravinia Festival for 15 years and was an adviser to the Wilmette Harbor Association in various capacities for nearly 30 years.
Born October 22, 1936, to Paul C. and Betty Buscher Uhlenhop in Litchfield, Illinois, Paul was the eldest of five children. He was predeceased by his beloved wife of 61 years, Virginia Louise (Zucks) Uhlenhop, and is lovingly remembered by his daughter, Karin Uhlenhop, and his son, Jon (Anne) Uhlenhop. Paul is also fondly remembered by his siblings, Michael (Linda) Uhlenhop, Robert (the late Marsha) Uhlenhop, Lola (Tom) McDonald, and Mary (Henry) Hudson, many beloved nieces, nephews, grand-nieces and grand-nephews, and dear friends.
Visitation will be held Friday, February 19, 2021 from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at St. Francis Xavier Church, 525 Nineth Street Wilmette, IL 60091. Social distancing and masks are required. Funeral Mass will be private at 11:30 a.m. due to COVID-19 restrictions. A livestream will be available at: www.donnellanfuneral.com. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that memorial donations be directed to The Cradle Foundation https://www.cradlefoundation.org or Ravinia Festival https://www.ravinia.org/Page/SupportRavinia.
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