Jenner & Block

Jenner & Block is defined by the exceptional results we produce, the values we share, the clients we serve and most importantly, our attorneys. Jenner & Block lawyers consistently deliver excellence in the most complex and demanding legal matters, both litigation and transactions. They do not consider the practice of law a job, but rather a calling to serve clients, the profession and the community. No matter what legal challenge is presented, our powerful combination of experience, professionalism and teamwork helps clients achieve their goals.

Founded in 1914, Jenner & Block is a national law firm of approximately 480 attorneys. Our Firm has been widely recognized for producing outstanding results in corporate transactions and securing significant litigation victories from the trial level through the United States Supreme Court. Companies and individuals around the world trust Jenner & Block with their most sensitive and consequential matters. Our clients range from the top ranks of the Fortune 500, large privately held corporations and financial services institutions to emerging companies, family-run businesses and individuals.

We have earned our reputation as a litigation powerhouse. The 350 attorneys in our nationally recognized litigation department have won impressive victories in complex and challenging cases in a broad range of substantive areas of law and across a wide variety of industries, before federal, state and administrative courts and in arbitrations. We have achieved landmark rulings on behalf of clients in matters before the United States Supreme Court — our appellate advocates have presented 25 oral arguments to the Court in the last 10 terms, and we also have an extensive amicus practice.

Lawyers in our transactional practices represent international and domestic clients in connection with mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic alliances and dispositions of businesses. We also regularly advise clients in connection with public and private securities offerings and financings and in areas such as real estate, tax, environmental, insurance, commercial law, technology, intellectual property, bankruptcy and reorganization, labor and employment, executive compensation, government contracts, health care and associations.

A commitment to public service is part of the DNA of our Firm. We are known for our long tradition of pro bono advocacy, as well as service to the bar and to our communities. The American Lawyer magazine has ranked Jenner & Block as the Number One pro bono firm in the country five times, most recently in 2012. Other accolades have come from The National Law Journal, which named the Firm to its 2011 “Pro Bono Hot List,” and Law360, which has recognized the Firm as a top “Pro Bono Firm” for three consecutive years since 2010.

Many organizations have recognized us for the pro bono work we do. The United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and the Chicago Chapter of the Federal Bar Association honored a Firm team with the 2012 Award for Excellence in Pro Bono Service. The Firm has received the prestigious Pro Bono Publico Award from the American Bar Association, the Pro Bono Institute’s John H. Pickering Award, the Public Interest Law Initiative’s Pro Bono Initiative Award, the DC Bar’s Pro Bono Law Firm of the Year Award and numerous others. In addition, many lawyers in the Firm have received individual awards for the pro bono work they have done.

In 2012, the Firm was named to The American Lawyer’s prestigious “A-List” of the top 20 law firms, nationwide, judged best at balancing the practice of law with their obligations to the profession. The recognition reflects our commitment to exceeding client’s expectations, investing in our people, increasing diversity in the legal profession and helping those with the greatest need for legal representation through pro bono service.

Our Firm Chairman, Anton R. Valukas, is a former United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois who received international attention as the Court-appointed Examiner in the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy, reportedly the largest bankruptcy in United States history and the event many commentators point to as the event triggering the economic crisis of 2008. In 2011, The American Lawyer named him “Litigator of the Year.” Susan C. Levy, who has served as Jenner & Block’s Firmwide Managing Partner since 2008, is also a nationally recognized trial and appellate litigator and one of the few women managing partners of an AmLaw 100 law firm.

Jenner & Block attorneys rise above the rest both in terms of their qualifications and their approach to practicing law. Several Jenner & Block lawyers currently serve as federal judges, building on a remarkable history of judicial service by member of the Firm. One former partner is now the United States Solicitor General.

We recruit our lawyers from top-tier law schools and prominent clerkships, and foster their growth and development with training, mentoring and casework. We foster creativity in the practice of law, while also holding our attorneys to a rigorous set of performance standards. Our culture combines entrepreneurism with an atmosphere of collegiality and teamwork.

The Jenner & Block Difference

We have members of the bars of every United States Court of Appeals and members of the state bars throughout the country.
Among our trial attorneys are 13 Fellows of the American College of Trial Lawyers, 10 former United States Supreme Court clerks, 87 former United States Courts of Appeals clerks, numerous state appellate court clerks, two former U.S. Attorneys, the former Associate Attorney General of the United States, and numerous former Assistant U.S. Attorneys.
Our attorneys are actively involved in writing, speaking and representing clients on issues at the leading edge of the world’s business community and the practice of law.

PRO BONO

The Jenner & Block name is synonymous with pro bono advocacy. Our passion for service began with the Firm’s founding Partners Albert E. Jenner, Jr. and Samuel W. Block, who worked on many pro bono cases involving civil and constitutional rights and were widely recognized for their contributions to public service. In the 1950s, Partners Thomas P. Sullivan, Prentice H. Marshall and Jerold S. Solovy launched the Firm’s pro bono program when, as active members of the Chicago Bar Association’s Defense of Prisoners Committee, they not only represented indigent criminal defendants, but also began recruiting dozens of other Jenner & Block attorneys to the same service. Our long-standing commitment to public service is a vital part of our culture and who we are as lawyers and people.

How Our Attorneys Get Involved
Our pro bono program offers junior associates significant choice and flexibility. From day one, we encourage our attorneys to identify matters that interest them and work under the guidance of a partner they choose. The experience is valuable for attorneys at all levels. Partners in the Firm find it fulfilling to train and mentor associates who show an interest in pro bono advocacy.

We do not limit the amount of pro bono work our lawyers can assume. Our attorneys are committed to providing pro bono clients with the same level of professionalism, dedication and service that we provide our corporate clients. The Firm takes into account all of an associate’s pro bono hours in considering bonus eligibility.

How We Serve Our Pro Bono Clients
The Firm offers pro bono litigation and transactional assistance to organizations and thousands of individuals related to a wide range of legal areas. From criminal to civil matters, from battles for human rights and civil liberties to death penalty challenges, Jenner & Block attorneys provide legal assistance to those whose voices may not have otherwise been heard in the justice system.

Read what our attorneys have to say about their pro bono work In Their Words.

About Our Pro Bono Committee
Our pro bono program is managed by a dedicated group of attorneys who volunteer their time and experience to this important effort. Jenner & Block’s Pro Bono Committee consists of four co-chairs who oversee the Firm’s comprehensive program.

Partner, Julie M. Carpenter
Co-Chair, Pro Bono Committee
Partner, Brian J. Fischer
Co-Chair, Pro Bono Committee
Partner, Jeffrey A. Koppy
Co-Chair, Pro Bono Committee

Partner, Andrew J. Thomas
Co-Chair, Pro Bono Committee