Jenner & Block Names Partner Reid Schar as Co-Chair of the Firm’s Litigation Department

CHICAGO, September 9, 2020 – Jenner & Block is pleased to announce that Partner Reid J. Schar has been named Co-Chair of Jenner & Block’s Litigation Department. Mr. Schar leads the department with Co-Chair David J. Bradford, who previously served as the department’s sole chair. Like Mr. Bradford, Mr. Schar is an experienced litigator, a fellow of the prestigious American College of Trial Lawyers and has held several leadership positions at the firm.

With nearly 400 lawyers across the firm’s offices in the US and London, Jenner & Block’s Litigation Department, often described as a “powerhouse” team of lawyers, has a long history as one of the nation’s pre-eminent litigation practices. The firm’s litigators are recognized for helping clients around the world with their most sensitive and important litigation, arbitration, and investigation matters. The department provides extensive subject matter experience in more than 30 disciplines critical to serving clients – from antitrust to white-collar defense.

Since joining Jenner & Block in 2012, Mr. Schar has been involved in multiple significant litigation cases, representing clients in high-stakes multidistrict litigation, nationwide class actions, consumer and securities fraud claims, contract disputes, civil RICO matters, professional malpractice claims, and antitrust issues, as well as in high-profile investigations. In one matter, he led a team that obtained a more than $1 billion judgment in a breach of contract action. 

“Reid is an extraordinary individual and a skilled advocate who represents the next generation of Jenner & Block leaders,” said Mr. Bradford. “It is my privilege to work together with him to lead our practice to its next level.”

During his 13-year tenure as an assistant US attorney for the Northern District of Illinois before joining the firm, Mr. Schar led a number of significant prosecutions and trials, including United States v. Rod Blagojevich, the case that led to the conviction of the former Illinois governor. Mr. Schar also served as counsel to the US attorney, providing management, personnel, and other guidance for the US Attorney’s Office, including charging decisions involving businesses and individuals, strategic investigation decisions, and interactions with various US Department of Justice (DOJ) components and officials.

“Reid is a proven litigator who has earned our clients’ trust on multiple complex and sophisticated matters, and he is the right person to head the Litigation Department with David,” said the firm’s Co-Managing Partners Katya Jestin and Randy Mehrberg. “Most importantly, Reid leads with integrity, accountability, and a commitment to the firm’s core values – excellence, collaboration, diversity and inclusion, and pro bono and public service.”

In addition to his trial and litigation experience, Mr. Schar has led domestic and foreign internal investigations across a wide range of industries and has extensive experience handling compliance reviews around the globe. He regularly interacts with the DOJ, Securities and Exchange Commission, and other regulatory bodies in enforcement actions and investigations. Mr. Schar has been recognized in Chambers USA every year since 2014 and is Band 1-ranked; he has also earned recognition from Legal 500, most recently in 2020.

“It is an incredible honor to assume this role and help lead the firm in providing the highest level of service to clients while being a voice for the integrity that Jenner & Block stands for,” said Mr. Schar.  “I am looking forward to continuing to foster excellence in all we do, facilitating diversity in our client teams and throughout the firm, and providing growth and development opportunities for all of our litigators.”

Mr. Schar is also part of a long tradition of Jenner & Block lawyers who have moved between public service and private practice, including firm Chair Thomas P. Perrelli (former Associate Attorney General of the United States), firm Co-Managing Partner Katya Jestin (former Assistant US Attorney and supervisor in the Criminal Division of the Eastern District of New York), Thomas P. Sullivan (former US Attorney), Anton R. Valukas (former US Attorney), Ian Heath Gershengorn (former Acting US Solicitor General), Neil M. Barofsky (former Special Inspector General of the Troubled Asset Relief Program), David Bitkower (former Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the DOJ’s Criminal Division), Emily M. Loeb (former Associate Counsel in the Office of White House Counsel), Kali Bracey (former Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Torts Branch of the DOJ’s Civil Division), Suedeen G. Kelly (former Commissioner with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission), Andrew Weissmann (former Chief of the Fraud Section in the DOJ’s Criminal Division, former General Counsel of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, former lead prosecutor in the Special Counsel investigation, former Director of the Enron Task Force, and former Chief of the Criminal Division in the United States Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of New York), and former federal prosecutors Gayle E. Littleton (Northern District of Illinois and Northern District of Florida), Anthony S. Barkow (Southern District of New York, District of Columbia, and Main Justice) and many others.