Laura M. Barzilai, JD, LLM, was elected Chair of the AFAR Board of Directors in December 2023.

Beginning her term in January 2024, Ms. Barzilai brings to this role more than three decades of leadership. She recently retired as a partner at Sidley Austin, LLP, where she served on the Firm's Executive Committee and global head of the Firm's tax practice.

Laura practiced law for over 37 years, focusing on federal income tax matters, with particular emphasis on mergers & acquisitions, tax-free reorganizations. She also advised clients in tax controversies and on tax matters in connection with alternative risk transfer transactions, including offerings of insurance-linked securities and formations of sidecars, and in connection with the formation of funds that invest in insurance-linked securities.

She joined AFAR's Board of Directors in 2015 and was elected Vice-Chair in 2023. Additionally, she has served as Chair of AFAR’s Board Development and Governance Committee and was a member of the Strategic Development Committee and the Compensation Task Force. She currently also serves on the Succession Planning Task Force.

She earned a BA from Wellesley College, JD from the University of Virginia, and LLM in Taxation from New York University.