Editing Jenner & Block

{{Infobox Law Firm
| logo                      = [[Image:Jenner & Block_logo.jpg|200px]]
| headquarters              = Los Angeles; CA
| num_offices               = https://jenner.com/about/offices
| offices                   = 
| num_attorneys             = 523
| num_employees             = 
| practice_areas            = General practice
| established               = 
| key_people                = Anton R. Valukas
| revenue                   = $408M (2014)<ref name="AL profile" />
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| billable_hours            = 
| website                   = 
| nalp_profile              = 
| nickname                  = 
}}
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}}'''Jenner & Block''' is a [[United States]]-based [[law firm]] with offices in [[Chicago]], [[London]], [[Los Angeles]], [[New York City]] and [[Washington, D.C.]]<ref name=offices /> The firm is active in [[corporate law|corporate litigation]], [[business law|business transactions]], the public sector and other legal fields. It has litigated several prominent cases before the [[United States Supreme Court]].  As of 2014, it is the 103rd largest law firm in the US, based on ''[[The American Lawyer|The American Lawyer's]]'' annual ranking of firms by headcount.<ref name="AL profile" />

==History==
The firm was founded in Chicago in 1914 as Newman, Poppenhusen & Stern. Since its founding, the firm has had ten names. Name partner [[Albert E. Jenner, Jr.]], a former assistant counsel to the [[Warren Commission]], established Jenner & Block's longstanding relationship representing [[General Dynamics]] in the 1950s.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1988/09/20/obituaries/albert-e-jenner-81-a-watergate-counsel.html "Albert E. Jenner, 81, a Watergate Council"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', September 30, 1988; retrieved May 14, 2015.</ref> The name of the firm was changed to Raymond Mayer Jenner & Block in 1964 after [[Samuel W. Block]] became a name partner. In 1969, it was shortened to its present title.

In late 1928, the former chief justice of the [[Illinois Supreme Court]] [[Floyd Thompson (lawyer)|Floyd Thompson]] joined the firm. Known plainly as “The Judge,”{{to whom|date=August 2016}} Thompson handled several high-profile cases for the firm.

Jenner & Block was one of the first national law firms to establish a Washington D.C. practice specifically focused on appeals before the [[U.S. Supreme Court]]. It was once headed by Bruce Ennis, Jr., who argued more than a dozen cases before the Supreme Court, including three cases arising under different provisions of the same law, the landmark [[Telecommunications Act of 1996|Telecommunications Act]] of 1996.  The appellate practice is led by [[Paul M. Smith]], a partner with the firm.<ref>[http://www.chambersandpartners.com/usa/person/172296/paul-m-smith Paul M. Smith], Chambers & Partners; retrieved May 14, 2015.</ref> The outgoing [[Solicitor General of the United States|U.S. solicitor general]], [[Donald Verrilli Jr.]], is a former member of the practice.<ref>[http://www.justice.gov/osg/meet-solicitor-general-0 Meet the Solicitor General], US Department of Justice; retrieved May 27, 2014.</ref> A number of lawyers in the Washington D.C. office have served as clerks to the US Supreme Court.<ref>[http://www.chambersandpartners.com/usa/firm/3580/jenner-block "Jenner & Block LLP"], Chambers and Partners; retrieved May 14, 2015.</ref><ref>[https://jenner.com/about/firm "Our Firm"], Jenner & Block; retrieved May 14, 2015.</ref>

==Prominent legal work==
The firm has a history of litigating and representation in prominent cases, including several argued before the [[US Supreme Court]].  The firm's 1985 antitrust lawsuit of [[AT&T]], on behalf of [[MCI Communications|MCI]], sowed the seeds for the eventual break-up of telecommunications monopoly in the 1980s.<ref>{{cite news| url= http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1985-05-23/business/8502010799_1_blair-white-mci-execunet| title= MCI-AT&T Suit Goes To The Jury: Firms Billions Of Dollars Apart In Damages| date= 23 May 1985| first= Christine |last= Winter| work= Chicago Tribune | accessdate= 18 September 2015}}</ref>

The firm’s involvement in civil rights cases spans decades.  In the 1960s, the firm represented prominent Chicago cardiologist Jeremiah Stamler when he was subpoenaed to testify before the [[House Committee on Un-American Activities]].  The firm sued the Committee, seeking to have its mandate declared unconstitutional.  After eight and a half years of litigation in the 1960s and 70s, the government agreed to drop its indictment against Dr. Stamler for contempt of Congress, and the doctor agreed to drop his civil suit against the Committee. In 1975, Congress officially abolished HUAC, by that time known as the Internal Security Committee.

In 2009, firm chairman [[Anton R. Valukas]] was appointed as the examiner in the [[Lehman Brothers]] bankruptcy, and he hired Jenner & Block to produce the report that captured the findings of a year-long investigation of the bank’s finances.<ref>{{cite news|author=Dealbook| url= https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2010/03/11/lehman-directors-did-not-breach-duties-examiner-finds/?_r=1 |title= Court-appointed Lehman examiner unveils report| newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date= 11 March 2010| accessdate= 11 May 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url= https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703625304575115963009594440 |title= Examiner: 'Lehman Torpedoed Lehman'| first1= Mike |last1=Spector| first2= Susanne |last2= Craig | first3= Peter |last3= Lattman| work= [[The Wall Street Journal]]| date= 11 March 2010| accessdate= 11 May 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/jenners_chair_anton_valukas_to_probe_lehman_bros._as_new_examiner/| title= Jenner's Chair, Anton Valukas, to Probe Lehman Bros. as New Examiner| date= 20 January 2009|first3= Martha |last3=Neil| website= [[ABA Journal]]}}

</ref>  In 2010, the firm oversaw [[General Motors]]’ $23.1 billion [[initial public offering]] of common stock and Series B mandatory convertible junior preferred stock, the largest US IPO ever at the time.<ref>{{cite web| url= https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1467858/000119312510192195/ds1.htm| date=18 August 2010| publisher= Securities and Exchange Commission |location= Washington, D.C.| title= Form S-1: Registration Statement under The Securities Act of 1933: General Motors Company| accessdate= 18 September 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url= http://money.cnn.com/2010/11/17/news/companies/gm_ipo_pricing/ |title= GM IPO biggest ever| first= Chris |last= Isidore| publisher= CNN Money| date= 18 November 2010| accessdate= 11 May 2015}}</ref>

The firm has achieved several victories before the US Supreme Court regarding free speech, gay rights, copyright, civil procedure, political asylum and other matters.{{cn|date= September 2015}} The firm’s first principal litigator, Edward R. Johnston, earned the firm's first Supreme Court victory, a landmark antitrust case against the US government (''[[Maple Flooring Manufacturers Association v. U.S.]]'') that allowed for trade association members to exchange information.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1985-01-22/business/8501050133_1_howe-american-dairy-association-professional-societies |title= Jenner & Block's Howe the pro of professional societies| first1= James |last1=Warren| first2=Maurice |last2= Possley |first3=Joseph | last3=Tybor| work=Chicago Tribune| date=22 January 1985| accessdate= 8 June 2015}}</ref>

The firm represented plaintiff Stephen Law in ''Law v. Siegel'' in the US Supreme Court in 2014; it had already been representing the plaintiff Law (who had earlier represented himself) in the US Court of Appeals (Ninth Circuit). The Supreme Court overturned a California court's decision to allow Law's home equity to be used as payment for legal fees to a trustee, even though the equity was protected by the state's homestead exemption.<ref name= slightly />

Jenner & Block has continued to represent environmental groups such as the Alliance for the Great Lakes and Natural Resources Defense Council in a [[Clean Water Act]] suit against [[Metropolitan_Water_Reclamation_District_of_Greater_Chicago |Chicago's Metropolitan Water Reclamation District]] regarding raw sewage.<ref>[http://www.leagle.com/decision/In%20FDCO%2020120809D06/U.S.%20v.%20METROPOLITAN%20WATER%20RECLAMATION%20DISTRICT%20OF%20GREATER%20CHICAGO ''U.S. v. Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago''] (2012), 11 C 8859.</ref>

===Pro bono work===
{{expand-section|date= August 2016}}
According to annual surveys by ''The American Lawyer'', in 2014 and 2015, Jenner & Block was the leading law firm for per-attorney hours devoted to pro bono work in the US.<ref name= slightly>{{cite news| url= http://www.americanlawyer.com/id=1202730101637/Survey-Pro-Bono-Hours-Dip-Slightly-at-Am-Law-200-Firms| title= Survey: Pro Bono Hours Dip Slightly at Am Law 200 Firms| first= M. P. |last= McQueen| work= The American Lawyer| publisher= ALM Media Properties, LLC| date= June 29, 2015 | accessdate= August 13, 2016|subscription= yes}}</ref> From 2008 to 2015, it was the leader for five of those seven years.<ref name=CSullivan>{{cite news
| title= Jenner and Exelon: A Business Case for Pro Bono 
| date= April 13, 2015 
| first= Casey 
| last= Sullivan 
| url= https://bol.bna.com/jenner-and-exelon-a-business-case-for-pro-bono/ 
| work= Bloomberg Law 
| publisher= The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc.
| access-date= }}</ref>

Recent pro bono victories include the acquittal of Jezon Young and the 2012 acquittal of Calvin Marshall who had been charged with murder.<ref>{{cite news| url= http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20140414/NEWS01/140419890/jenner-block-taps-new-managing-partner| date= April 14, 2014| title= Jenner & Block taps new managing partner| first= Steven R. | last= Strahler| newspaper= Crain's Chicago Business| access-date= August 14, 2016}}</ref>

==Notable cases==
*''Maple Flooring Manufacturers’ Association v. US'':  The firm had an early US Supreme Court victory in an antitrust case that helped establish its appellate credentials.  The firm represented the Maple Flooring Manufacturers Association, a trade association based in [[Grand Rapids, Michigan]].  The US government charged that the group’s activities — such as sharing weekly statistics showing charges that had been made for various grades of lumber during the previous week — violated the [[Sherman Act]].  The firm’s principal litigator at the time, Edward Johnston, argued that the Association shared permissible economic information.  In June 1925, the Court agreed.
*[[Sam Insull]] cases:  In the 1930s, former chief justice of the [[Illinois Supreme Court]] [[Floyd Thompson]] successfully defended Chicago utility czar Samuel Insull in three separate federal and state trials related to the collapse of his empire after the [[Great Depression]].
* ''[[Witherspoon v. Illinois]]'':  The firm represented William Witherspoon, who had been sentenced to death  for the shooting death of a police officer,  on a pro bono basis.  In 1968, the US Supreme Court ruled that a state statute providing the state unlimited challenge for cause of jurors who might have any objection to the death penalty gave too much bias in favor of the prosecution.  The Court reasoned:  “A jury that must choose between life imprisonment and capital punishment can do little more — and must do nothing less — than express the conscience of the community on the ultimate question of life or death.  Yet, in a nation less than half of whose people believe in the death penalty, a jury composed exclusively of such people cannot speak for the community.”<ref name= WvI> [https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/391/510/case.html ''Witherspoon v. Illinois''], 391 U.S. 510 (1968); accessed January 4, 2016</ref>  The Court added:  “To execute this death sentence would deprive [Witherspoon] of his life without the [[due process]] of the law.”<ref name= WvI /> As a result of the Witherspoon decision, more than 350 inmates on death row around the nation had their death sentences lifted.<ref>{{cite news| title= The Elder Statesman |first= Kevin |last= Davis |work= 2008 Illinois Super Lawyers |date= February 2008| url= http://www.superlawyers.com/illinois/article/The-Elder-Statesman/c71c91ae-4a97-4ca2-8dcf-d2a366ae0dc4.html| accessdate= January 4, 2016}}</ref>
*''[[Lawrence v. Texas]]'': A significant case to ensure civil rights for the gay, lesbian and transgender community. In 2003, working with the [[Lambda Legal Defense Fund]], the firm challenged Texas’ anti-sodomy statute.  The US Supreme Court struck down the statute, effectively invalidating anti-sodomy laws throughout the nation.<ref name=LvT>[https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/02-102.ZO.html ''Lawrence v. Texas''], 539 U.S. 558 (2003)</ref> Justice [[Anthony Kennedy]] wrote that two gay men arrested after police walked in on them having sex "are entitled to respect for their private lives.  The state cannot demean their existence or control their destiny by making their private sexual conduct a crime."<ref name=LvT />
* [[Lehman Brothers bankruptcy]]:  After [[Lehman Brothers]] filed for bankruptcy in 2008—the largest bankruptcy in US history—the court hired Jenner & Block's Chairman Anton Valukas to examine Lehman’s collapse.  Some commentators pointed to the bankruptcy as a factor contributing to the late [[Financial crisis of 2007–08|2000s global financial crisis]].<ref>{{cite news| title=Bubble Trouble| first= Robert J. |last= Shiller |website=ProjectSyndicate.com| url= http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/bubble-trouble |date= September 17, 2007| accessdate= January 4, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url= http://money.cnn.com/2009/01/20/magazines/fortune/okeefe_schiff.fortune/index.htm | title= Peter Schiff: Oh, he saw it coming| first= Brian |last= O'Keefe| date= January 23, 2009 |website=CNN.com| accessdate= January 4, 2016}}</ref> In March 2010, Valukas issued his 2,200-page report on the matter.<ref name=here>{{cite news| url= | work= Wall Street Journal| date= March 11, 2010| title= Lehman Brothers: Here Is a Copy of the Court Examiner’s Report | first= Michael |last= Corkery | accessdate= January 4, 2016}}</ref>
* [[General Motors bankruptcy]]:  In the late 2000s, General Motors had what ''The American Lawyer'' called a “near-death” experience as it filed for bankruptcy.  In 2010, the $23 billion offering by GM set the record as the largest [[initial public offering]] (IPO) in history. Jenner & Block represented GM as it went through bankruptcy and the subsequent IPO.<ref name=amlawdaily0509>{{cite news| url= http://amlawdaily.typepad.com/amlawdaily/2009/05/weil-dewey-jenner-and-honigman-heading-gm-legal-team.html | date= May 22, 2009 | title= Weil, Dewey, Jenner, and Honigman Heading GM Legal Team| first= Brian |last= Baxter| work= The AmLaw Daily| publisher= ALM| accessdate= 4 January 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url= https://blogs.wsj.com/autoshow/2009/06/01/gm-press-release-on-new-gm/ | title= GM Press Release on ‘New GM’ | date= June 1, 2009| author= WSJ Staff| website= [[Wall Street Journal]] | accessdate= 4 January 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url= http://www.americanlawyer.com/id=1202487436229/GMs-Jump-Start | title=  GM's Jump Start: Joseph Gromacki of Jenner & Block| first= Vivia |last= Chen| website= AmericanLawyer.com | date=April 1, 2011 | accessdate= January 4, 2016}}</ref>
*''[[Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association]]'':  The firm represented the Entertainment Merchants Association in a battle against a California law that restricted the sale or rental of violent video games to minors.  In 2011, the US Supreme Court agreed with the firm’s argument that the law violated the [[First Amendment]]’s protection of freedom of speech and expression.  Justice [[Antonin Scalia]] wrote that depictions of violence have never been subject to government regulation.<ref name= 28scotus>{{cite news| url= https://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/28/us/28scotus.html | title= Justices Reject Ban on Violent Video Games for Children| first= Adam| last= Liptak | date= 27 June 2011| location= Washington, DC| work= The New York Times| accessdate= 4 January 2016}}</ref>
*''[[American Broadcasting Cos. v. Aereo, Inc.]]'': The firm represented a group of broadcasting company clients in a fight against [[Aereo]], Inc., a company that retransmitted copyrighted television programming without broadcaster authorization for a fee.<ref name=Aereo>{{cite news| url= https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/22/business/aereo-files-for-bankruptcy.html| title= Aereo Concedes Defeat and Files for Bankruptcy| first= Emily| last= Steel | date= 21 November 2014| accessdate= 4 January 2016| work= The New York Times}}</ref> In June 2014, the US Supreme Court agreed with the firm’s argument that Aereo violated copyright law.  Aereo filed for [[Chapter 11 bankruptcy]] in November 2014.<ref name=Aereo />

==Recognition==
The firm has won many awards for its work.<ref name= awardsJB>[https://jenner.com/about/firm/about/awards "Awards"], Jenner & Block; retrieved May 14, 2015.</ref> In 2012 and 2013, it was listed as one of the 20 most elite law firms by ''The American Lawyer'', with inclusion on the magazine's A-List for revenue generation, [[pro-bono]] commitment, associate satisfaction and diversity representation.<ref name="VAULT">{{cite book|title= Vault Guide to the Top Law Firms for General Commercial Litigation|year= 2014 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yQRcAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT127|publisher=Infobase Learning|isbn=978-1-58131-913-2|page=127}}</ref>  In 2012 and 2014, the firm was awarded the Chambers USA "Award for Excellence" as the top law firm for media and entertainment litigation.<ref>[http://www.chambersandpartners.com/chambers-usa-awards-for-excellence-2012#media "Media: Jenner & Block Chambers USA Awards for Excellence 2012"], Chambers & Partners; retrieved May 14, 2014.</ref>   

In 2015, ''[[The National Law Journal]]'' named Jenner & Block to its "Appellate Hot List," a list of 20 national firms "with outstanding achievements before the US Supreme Court, federal circuit courts and state courts of last resort."<ref>{{cite web| title=The 2015 Appellate Hot List: Winning Big Cases, Changing the Law| work= The National Law Journal| date=November 16, 2015 | url= http://www.nationallawjournal.com/id=1202742390456/The-2015-Appellate-Hot-List-Winning-Big-Cases-Changing-the-Law}}</ref> That marked the seventh consecutive year that the firm was so ranked.<ref>{{cite web| title= Jenner & Block| first=Mike |last=Sacks| work= The National Law Journal| date= November 16, 2015|url= http://www.nationallawjournal.com/id=1202742389565/Jenner-amp-Block | accessdate= January 4, 2016}}</ref> The firm was also named to ''The National Law Journal''’s 2015 “IP Hot List.”<ref>{{cite web| title= The 2015 IP Hot List| work= The National Law Journal| date= June 1, 2015 | url= http://www.nationallawjournal.com/id=1202727880211/The-2015-IP-Hot-List | accessdate= January 4, 2016}}</ref> Also in 2015, [[Law360]] named the firm’s Bankruptcy, Workout and Corporate Reorganization Practice a "Bankruptcy Group of the Year.”<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.law360.com/articles/611331/bankruptcy-group-of-the-year-jenner-block |title= Bankruptcy Group of the Year: Jenner & Block| first= Matt |last= Chiappardi| website= Law360.com| date= 14 January 2015| accessdate= 11 May 2015}}</ref> 

In 2005, the firm received the [[National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty|National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty's]] "Legal Service Award" for its work with [[death row]] inmates.<ref>[https://jenner.com/library/news/7089 "Firm honored by NCADP for death penalty reform efforts"], Jenner & Block; retrieved May 16, 2015.</ref><ref name= awardsJB /> The New York office is a strong contributor to the firm's commitment to pro bono and public service. A team, along with the [https://www.law.yale.edu/studying-law-yale/clinical-and-experiential-learning/our-clinics/veterans-legal-services-clinic Veterans Legal Services Clinic] at [[Yale Law School]], successfully represented a proposed nationwide class of [[Vietnam War]] veterans suffering from [[post-traumatic stress disorder]] who challenged their [[Military_discharge#Other_Than_Honorable_.28OTH.29|less-than-honorable discharge]]s from the military.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Vets Clinic Wins Case over Bad Discharges for Vietnam Veterans with PTSD - Yale Law School|url = https://www.law.yale.edu/yls-today/news/vets-clinic-wins-case-over-bad-discharges-vietnam-veterans-ptsd|website = www.law.yale.edu|accessdate = 2015-12-15}}</ref> In addition to securing discharge upgrades for the named plaintiffs, the representation also prompted the [[United States Secretary of Defense|Secretary of Defense]] to issue new guidance to the administrative boards hearing discharge upgrade requests to consider PTSD diagnoses for veterans, a result that should help thousands of veterans.

In 2015, Jenner & Block was ranked first among all US law firms in the volume of its pro bono work<ref name="AL profile" /> and has ranked first in pro bono work in five of the past seven years, according to ''The American Lawyer'' annual rankings.<ref>{{cite web| title= Pro Bono Report 2015: Treading Water| work=The American Lawyer| date=July 20, 2015| url= http://www.americanlawyer.com/id=1202730400870/Pro-Bono-Report-2015-Treading-Water}}</ref><ref>[https://bol.bna.com/jenner-and-exelon-a-business-case-for-pro-bono/ "Jenner and Exelon: A business case for pro bono"], Bloomberg BNA, 13 April 2015; retrieved May 11, 2015.</ref>

==Offices==
Jenner & Block is headquartered in downtown Chicago. In 1982, the firm opened an office in Washington, D.C.<ref>[http://jenner.com/about/washington Washington, D.C. office], Jenner & Block</ref> In 2005, a New York City office was launched<ref>[http://jenner.com/about/newyork New York office], Jenner & Block</ref> followed by the opening of a Los Angeles office in 2009. In April 2015, the firm opened a London office, its first outside of the US.<ref>{{cite news| url= http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20150324/NEWS04/150329924/jenner-block-to-open-first-overseas-office |title= Jenner & Block to open first overseas office| first= Claire |last= Bushey| work=[[Crain's Chicago Business]]|date= 24 March 2015| accessdate= 11 May 2015}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
*{{Official website|www.jenner.com}}
*[http://www.lawperiscope.com/profiles/129.html Jenner & Block profile] at LawPeriscope

{{Illinois Corporations}}
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[[Category:Insolvency and corporate recovery firms]]
[[Category:Law firms based in Chicago]]
[[Category:Law firms established in 1914]]
[[Category:Privately held companies in the United States]]