Stephen "Steve" Michael Slavin, ’64, 1940-2026
Stephen "Steve" Michael Slavin
Stephen (“Steve”) Michael Slavin, 86, died peacefully in Lake Forest, Illinois, on May 21, 2026, with his family by his side. Steve was born March 3, 1940, in Queens, NY, to Allen E. Slavin and Gertrude Welt Slavin. He grew up in Queens and Long Island and graduated from Westbury High School. Steve attended Colgate University on a full scholarship, majoring in Political Science and Philosophy and Religion. Steve then attended The University of Chicago Law School, again earning a full scholarship, and graduated in 1964. While in law school, Steve met Carol Shellenbarger on a blind date, and they married in 1962. Steve spent his early career at several small law firms, primarily practicing labor and corporate law. Steve’s daughters Joan Slavin and Linda Slavin Feeney were born in 1966 and 1968, and the family settled in Deerfield, Illinois, and later in Lake Forest. Steve volunteered in roles in local government and in the Democratic Party, and in 1972, ran as the Democratic candidate for the Illinois State Senate. In 1977, he co-founded the law firm of Coffield Ungaretti Harris & Slavin, which grew to over 100 lawyers, where he specialized in corporate law and mergers and acquisitions, represented several international companies, and mentored many junior lawyers. Steve also served as the Chairman of the Board at Digital Biometrics and the Chicago Youth Centers. In 1991, he moved his law practice to the new Chicago office of Foley & Lardner, from which he retired in 2002.
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