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For Kevin Brenner, the journey to senior managing counsel at health services company Cigna began with going to court as a child to watch the jury trials being tried by his father, a lawyer in Chicago.
“When you go to court, you see a lot of different types of trial techniques and behaviors. The one consistent thing that I observed was the way my dad handled himself in front of juries and judges,” says Brenner, who grew up in Chicagoland. “He was always prepared, respectful, and had a natural, easygoing way of communicating information to juries.”
Those formative experiences inspired Brenner to follow in his father’s footsteps. He received his bachelor’s in political science and government from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and his law degree from the Chicago-Kent College of Law at the Illinois Institute of Technology.
In 2002, he started his career at Arnstein & Lehr (since merged with Saul Ewing), where he gained experience in commercial litigation, tort defense, white-collar criminal defense, and appellate practice. This diverse practice gave Brenner the chance to develop key relationships with senior leaders, including criminal defense partners who took him under their wing. That exposure opened his mind to career possibilities he hadn’t considered before.
“Working to improve health services and outcomes for patients is complicated but incredibly fulfilling.”
Kevin Brenner
Brenner recalls one of the criminal defense attorneys championing public service, particularly for an attorney interested in becoming a trial lawyer. “That resonated with me, and as I began working more closely with the white-collar practice group and saw the quality of work generated by the US Attorney’s Office, I developed an interest in becoming a federal prosecutor.”
In 2008, after finishing his tenure at Arnstein and spending two years handling internal investigations and complex commercial litigation at Dewey & LeBoeuf, Brenner took that partner’s advice. Having received an offer to serve as a prosecutor for the US Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Brenner and his wife packed their bags and relocated from Chicago to Philadelphia. He believes the ensuing nine years he spent investigating and prosecuting complex criminal matters shaped him not only as a lawyer but as a person.
“On a professional level, I don’t think I’ll ever have a more rewarding experience,” Brenner says. “There’s no substitute for having the goal of your job be the pursuit of justice.”
Many of his cases involved working closely with cooperating defendants, who often were incarcerated and awaiting sentencing. The unique perspective gained through those experiences was eye-opening.
“You get to know about their background, their challenges, whether that’s in their upbringing or the environment they grew up in. You get to know their families,” Brenner says. “When you start to see someone as more than just an investigative target or criminal defendant, but as a person with a history and a future—over time it can take a toll.”
Eventually Brenner came to a decision point. He felt it was time to leave the US Attorney’s Office, but he also wanted to continue doing investigations and help root out harmful behavior. That drew him in-house, first to environmental services company Enviri and then to Cigna. Today, he manages an internal investigation team responsible for identifying, investigating, and remediating issues that present legal and regulatory risk across the enterprise.
“On a professional level, I don’t think I’ll ever have a more rewarding experience [as being a federal prosecutor]. There’s no substitute for having the goal of your job be the pursuit of justice.”
Kevin Brenner
As someone whose legal career has focused on public service and solving complex cases, Brenner is proud to work in healthcare. “Healthcare is very different than the other areas I’ve worked in previously,” he says, noting how his experience as a trial lawyer has helped him learn how to get up to speed quickly when venturing into new industries. “Working to improve health services and outcomes for patients is complicated but incredibly fulfilling.”
Brenner believes the key to success in law is aligning interests with skills. “Lawyers tend to struggle when they gravitate toward practice areas for the wrong reasons,” he says. “You have to be honest about who you are and what you have a natural aptitude for.”
“It’s always a pleasure to partner with Kevin, who brings the unique mix of an enforcement background and a solution-oriented approach to every legal challenge. His insights and problem-solving abilities make him an incredible lawyer.”
–MWE Team
