Profile

Margaret Hickey

ArentFox Schiff LLP

My Contact Information

ArentFox Schiff LLP
Chicago, IL
Phone 1: (312) 258-5572

Chapter Location

Chicago

Bio

With a long and notable career in government, Maggie has a wealth of experience in internal investigations, compliance programs, sexual harassment issues in the workplace, and ethics training.

In 2015, she was appointed Executive Inspector General for the Agencies of the Illinois Governor, an independent executive branch state agency that ensures accountability across state government, nine state public universities, and four Chicago-area regional transportation boards.

Maggie’s experience spans both Springfield, Ill., and Washington, D.C., on a range of legal issues. Before becoming Executive Inspector General, she was the Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois for more than five years. Prior to that, she spent five years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) in the Criminal Division, Financial Crimes, and Special Prosecution Section investigating and prosecuting complex and sensitive matters. Maggie also served as chief of staff and chief legal counsel to U.S. Senator Peter Fitzgerald, and was an AUSA in the Criminal Division for the Southern District of West Virginia. She began her career with the U.S. Senate as the Investigative Counsel for the Committee on Government Affairs.

During her tenure as Executive Inspector General, Maggie was chair of the Illinois Health Care Fraud Elimination Task Force, a comprehensive effort to prevent and eliminate health care fraud, waste, and abuse in state-administered health care programs. In addition to her practice, Maggie remains active in several community service and pro bono legal initiatives.

In 2019, Maggie was appointed as the independent monitor to oversee implementation of the multi-year consent decree for the Chicago Police Department (CPD).

In 2018, Maggie was tapped by the Board of Education of the City of Chicago to lead an independent review of the school district’s policies and procedures following the Chicago Tribune’s investigation that revealed cases where students were sexually abused by Chicago Public School (CPS) employees.

Also in 2018, Maggie was handpicked by multiple state legislators to investigate sexual harassment within all departments of the Office of the Speaker of the House in Illinois.

In 2019, Maggie was named to Law360’s MVP list for White Collar, one of five to appear on Law360’s national list. She was listed as a Notable Gen X Leader in Law by Crain's Chicago Business. Clients have described her as "an extraordinarily talented lawyer," who "gets to the heart of legal issues very quickly," according to the 2020 Chambers USA guide.

Practice Areas

  • Monitorship Experience
  • Receivership Experience
  • White Collar Crime