Jones Day Chicago opened its doors in 1987 with 14 lawyers.  Today, with over 180 attorneys, the Chicago office has well-established capabilities in each of the Firm's 22 significant practices areas.  Indeed, we are fortunate to have several of the Firm’s Practice Leaders reside in the Chicago Office.  Our Chicago attorneys routinely advise clients, at home and abroad, on matters ranging from multinational mergers and acquisitions, international real estate projects, and major bankruptcies to cutting-edge patent litigation and high-stakes multidistrict litigation. 

While the breadth of work done by our lawyers is enormous, the office itself is not.  Jones Day Chicago is a significant presence in the Chicago legal community but remains small enough that Chicago lawyers and staff not only know each other, but know each others’ families.  Outside of work, Jones Day Chicago lawyers and staff form tight bonds, participating in office sports teams (including the reigning softball and basketball city league champions), volunteering at local schools and even playing in, or enjoying, our office blues band.  The size of our office also fosters professional development of our lawyers with lean staffing on our matters and substantial opportunities for development and significant responsibility for our junior lawyers.

Our Chicago lawyers are also deeply involved in local community, charitable, and pro bono work.  Attorneys in the Chicago office have made significant time and charitable commitments to local organizations too numerous to list, but which include After School Matters, Working In The Schools, Neighborhoods in Transition, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and the ACT Charter School. 

Our lawyers lead local legal aid organizations, sitting on the boards of directors and advisory committees of the Legal Aid Bureau of Chicago and Cabrini Green Legal Aid.  Our pro bono coordinator, Lee Ann Russo, was recently recognized by the National Immigrant Justice Center with its Midwest Light of Human Rights Practitioner Award, in part in recognition of her leadership of Jones Day Chicago’s efforts in representing asylum applicants before the immigration and federal courts.  Jones Day Chicago also offers a Pro Bono Fellowship, by sponsoring a newly hired associate at a public interest legal services agency for one year.

Jones Day lawyers choose to work in Chicago not only because of the professional rewards and camaraderie but also because Chicago is a great place to live.  As a recent article in The Economist noted, "this is a city buzzing with life, humming with prosperity, sparkling with new buildings, new sculptures, new parks, and generally exuding vitality." Chicago – its downtown, its neighborhoods, its suburbs – provides a wealth of desirable alternatives for living, recreation, dining, the arts and sports. 

Jones Day Chicago provides an unlimited opportunity for talented, ambitious new lawyers – a sophisticated legal practice with true colleagues in a great American city.