Chris L. McKenney

Chris L. McKenney, a named partner of Conlin, McKenney & Philbrick, P.C., passed away after more than six decades of service to the firm and to the Ann Arbor community. He advised businesses, banks, and corporate clients across Southeast Michigan, served as the firm’s senior partner and Chairman, and his name on the door reflects a tenure that shaped the firm’s identity from 1962 onward.

A Michigan native who moved to Ann Arbor in grade school, Chris built his entire legal career in the city where he grew up. He earned three degrees from the University of Michigan: a Bachelor of Business Administration, an M.B.A., and a J.D. from Michigan Law. That combination of business training and legal acumen defined his practice. Corporate clients and financial institutions sought him out for matters requiring both commercial judgment and legal precision, and his recognition as a corporate lawyer in The Best Lawyers in America confirmed a reputation built over decades of sustained performance.

Beyond the firm, Chris held directorships at several banks and manufacturing companies across Michigan and Ohio, including Ann Arbor Trust Company (and its successors through Key Bank), United Bank & Trust, United Bancorp, Inc., Brazeway, Inc., and RIMA Manufacturing Company. These board positions gave him an operator’s perspective that few attorneys possess.

Chris also invested heavily in the Ann Arbor community. He served as President of the Washtenaw United Way and chaired both the Ann Arbor Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and the Leadership Giving Association for Washtenaw County, and he was a past Trustee of the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation. These roles, alongside his legal work and board service, made him one of the more connected figures in the region’s business and civic life. He is remembered by his colleagues for the standard he set and the firm he helped build.