In addition to his private practice, Mr. Valukas has made a career-long commitment to public service and pro bono.  Due in great measure to his solid leadership with respect to the performance of pro bono work, and his willingness, as Chairman of Jenner & Block, to devote considerable firm resources to these endeavors, the Firm’s pro bono program is nationally recognized for its unique breadth and depth.

Mr. Valukas has also led Jenner & Block in the formation of a “partnership” with Fairfield Academy, an elementary school on Chicago’s south side, 98 per cent of whose students reside below the poverty line.  Since 2002, this ongoing commitment has provided Fairfield students with more than 70 computers,more than $100,000 toward school supplies and parent education, and hundreds of hours of tutoring by Firm employees who go to the school on a bi-weekly basis (with transportation provided by Jenner & Block) to meet with students.

Mr. Valukas has served in many public capacities on behalf of the people of the City of Chicago and State of Illinois - for example, as Special Counsel to the City of Chicago to investigate the city’s health care system, Special Inspector General to the Chicago Transit Authority to investigate vendor fraud, and counsel to the Chicago Housing Authority to investigate vendor and pension fraud.  In 1993, he chaired the Illinois Governor’s Task Force on Crime and Corrections, a two-year effort that led to the passage of major prison reform legislation.

He is a member of the Board of Directors of Business and Professional People for the Public Interest and the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Steering Committee of CHANGE Illinois, an influential coalition of more than 40 major civic organizations aligned to bring honesty and ethics to Illinois government.  He is an active member of numerous other community and civic organizations.

In 2007, Mr. Valukas chaired the inaugural Chicago Bar Foundation’s groundbreaking “Investing in Justice” Campaign, which raised more than $905,000 to supplement the salaries of Chicago’s legal aid attorneys and is now an annual fundraiser.

In 2006, he was appointed by U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., to the select U.S. Judicial Conference’s Advisory Committee on Civil Rules, responsible for drafting and recommending amendments and additions to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
 

Awards

• American Jewish Committee
     Judge Learned Hand Human Relations Award, 2005
• Anti-Defamation League
     First Amendment Freedom Award - 2010
• Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, Chicago, Illinois
     Distinguished Public Service Award, 1990
• Armed Forces Council of Chicago
     Civilian of the Year Award, 1988
• Benchmark Litigation
     Litigation Star (Illinois), 2009
• Best Lawyers in America
     Listed in the following biennial editions: 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989,
     1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005
     Listed in the following annual editions: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009,
     2010, 2011, 2012
• Chambers Global
     Named as one of the world's leading litigation lawyers, 2004
• Chambers USA
     Named as one of the country's leading litigation lawyers, 2003-2012
     Litigation - White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations, 2003-
     2012
• Chicago Chamber of Commerce and Industry
     Distinguished Service Award, 1990
• Chicago Jr. Chamber of Commerce
     Named one of Ten Outstanding Young Citizens of Chicago, 1976
• Chicago Lawyer
     Person of the Year, 2009
• Constitutional Rights Foundation
    Citizen of the Year Award, 1987
• Crain's Chicago Business
    Who's Who in Chicago Business
• Department of Justice, Chicago
     Special Commendation Award, 1975
• Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago
     Richard N. Rovner Award, 2004
• Illinois Super Lawyers
     Business Litigation - 2010, 2011, 2012
     Top 10 Illinois Super Lawyers - 2010, 2011
     Top 100 Illinois Super Lawyers - 2010, 2011
• Jewish Council On Urban Affairs
     Arthur Goldberg Social Justice Award, 2009
• Lawdragon Magazine
     500 Leading Lawyers in America, 2010, 2011
• Lawrence University
     Distinguished Achievement Award, 1990
• Leading Lawyers Network
     Top 10 Leading Lawyers in Illinois in All Areas of Law - 2011
     Class Action/Mass Tort Defense Law - 2004-2010
     Commercial Litigation - 2004-2010
     Criminal Defense Law: White Collar - 2004-2010
     Products Liability Defense Law - 2004-2010
     Number 5 on the list of Top 10 Business Lawyers in IL  - 2004-2009
     Number 3 on the list of Top 10 Business Litigators in IL  - 2004-2009
     Top 100 Business Lawyers in Illinois - 2004-2009
• Legal 500
     Finance: Corporate Restructuring, 2010
• Metropolitan Family Services Legal Aid Bureau
     William H. Avery Award for Equal Access to Justice, 2007
• Northwestern University Alumni Association
     Alumni Merit Award, 1995
• Northwestern University School of Law - Student Funded Public Interest Fellowship Program
     Distinguished Alumni Award, 2009
• Palatine High School, Illinois
     Distinguished Graduate Award, 1984
• The International Who's Who Legal Commercial Litigation
     Nominated by his peers as one of the world's leading practitioners in
     the field, 2004
• The John Marshall Law School
     Freedom Award, 1985
• WBBM Radio, Chicago
     Man of the Year Award, 1988
• Who's Who Legal
    International Who's Who of Commercial Litigators, 2010
• Who's Who Legal Illinois
    Business Crime - 2007 and 2008 Edition
    Commercial Litigation - 2007 and 2008 Edition

Community

• Boy Scouts of America
    Member, Board of Directors
• Business and Professional People for the Public Interest (BPI)
    Member, Board of Directors, 1998-Present
• Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce
    Member, Board of Directors, 1999-Present
• City of Chicago
     Special Counsel, 1991
• Economic Club of Chicago
     Member, 1990-Present
• Executives Club of Chicago
     Member, 1996-Present
• Governor's Task Force on Crime and Corrections
    Chairman, 1992-93
• Lawrence University
    Trustee, 1992-95
• Metropolitan Fair and Exposition Authority
     Director and Treasurer, 1985
• Metropolitan Planning Council of Chicago
• Northwestern University School of Law
     Member, Visiting Committee, 1992-95
• Smithsonian Institution Libraries
     Member, Board of Directors, 2004-2009

Educational

• Northwestern University School of Law
     Adjunct Professor, 1980-1982
• The John Marshall School of Law
     Instructor, 1972-76

Other

• Judicial Conference Advisory Committee on Civil Rules
     Member, 2006-Present

Service To The Bar

• Chicago Bar Foundation
     Investing In Justice Campaign 2007, Chair