Federal Litigation Guide

Howard S. Suskin is a partner in Jenner & Block‘s Litigation Department, where he serves as Co-Chair of the Firm‘s Class Action Practice and Securities Litigation Practice. Mr. Suskin has substantial first-chair experience representing individuals and business entities in civil and criminal securities matters, including class actions alleging securities fraud and misrepresentation claims, derivative actions claiming breach of fiduciary duty, contests for corporate control, insider trading investigations, and broker-dealer issues. In addition to his litigation practice, Mr. Suskin serves as an arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association, the Chicago Board Options Exchange, the Circuit Court of Cook County, FINRA, and the National Futures Association, and also as a mediator with FINRA. Mr. Suskin is the General Counsel for the Chicago Bar Association, and formerly was a member of the CBA‘s Board of Managers. Mr. Suskin also served as Chairman of the CBA‘s Class Action Committee, Bench & Bar Committee, Financial & Investment Services Committee, and Securities Law Committee. Mr. Suskin is an active member of the ABA Securities Law Committee, including serving as co-chair of the Class and Derivative Actions Subcommittee. Mr. Suskin serves on the Advisory Boards for Board IQ, a Financial Times publication, and The Deal, and previously served on the Securities Editorial Advisory Board of Law360. Mr. Suskin is on the faculty of Practising Law Institute and co-chairs its annual Class Action Symposium. He has published and lectured extensively on issues relating to class actions and securities law. Members of the Leading Lawyers Network have recognized Mr. Suskin‘s work in several areas, including class actions, commercial litigation, alternative dispute resolution, and securities and venture financing law. He has been named one of the "Best Lawyers in America" for commercial litigation, and has been named a "Top 100 Illinois Super Lawyer" eight times since 2007, and a “Top 10“ Super Lawyer“ in 2015. Mr. Suskin graduated from Northwestern University with distinction, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and obtained his J.D. degree with honors from the University of Michigan Law School, where he was a member of the Michigan Law Review.

Jerold S. Solovy (1930-2011) was chairman (1990-2007) and chairman emeritus (2007񮖫) of Jenner & Block LLP. He was regularly cited in The National Law Journal as one of the 100 most influential lawyers in America. Mr. Solovy had extensive experience in successfully handling high stakes litigation, both at the trial and appellate levels, and argued several cases before the United States Supreme Court. His practice focused on the litigation of complex business matters including securities cases, control contests, and class actions. Mr. Solovy was the co-author of a regular column on litigation practice and procedure for The National Law Journal. He served as a Trustee of the U.S. Supreme Court Historical Society, and was appointed in 2008 as Chairman of the Illinois Supreme Court Historical Preservation Commission. Mr. Solovy was honored in 2007 with The American Lawyer magazine's Lifetime Achievement Award, and was named Chicago Lawyer magazine's 2007 Person of the Year. In 2005, he received the American Bar Association Section of Litigation's prestigious John Minor Wisdom Public Service and Professionalism Award. Mr. Solovy was a graduate of the University of Michigan (B.A. with high honors and distinction, 1952) and Harvard Law School (LL.B., cum laude, 1955). At Harvard, Mr. Solovy was a member of the Board of Editors of the Harvard Law Review (1953-1955).

Born Council Bluffs, Iowa, July 31, 1960; admitted to the Supreme Court of Illinois, 1986, United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, 1986, United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, 1987, United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, 1990, United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, 1994, Supreme Court of the United States, 1996, United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, 1996, United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois, 1997, United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, 1999; Northwestern University (B.A. 1982), University of Iowa College of Law (J.D., with honors, 1986); Senior Articles Editor, Iowa Law Review, 1985-1986; Associate, Jenner & Block, 1986-1993, Partner, 1994¿, Member, American and Illinois State Bar Associations.

Matthew Neumeier (deceased) was a partner in Howrey LLP's Chicago office. He was one of the nation's outstanding class action defense lawyers in the areas of products liability, mass tort and financial services.

Born Chicago, Illinois, July 10, 1953; admitted to the Illinois Supreme Court, 1978, United States Supreme Court, 1983, United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, 1978, United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois, 1994, United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, 1991, United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, 1993, United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, 2000, United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, 1987, United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, 1988, United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, 1979, United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, 1999, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, 1987, United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, 2002, United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, 1981, United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, 1989; University of Illinois (B.S. summa cum laude 1975), University of Illinois Law School (J.D. magna cum laude 1978); Topics Editor, University of Illinois Law Review, Order of the Coif; Law Clerk, Hon. Philip W. Tone, United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, 1978-1979; Hon. Robert J. Steigmann, Circuit Court of Champaign County, 1977-1978; associate, Jenner & Block, 1979-1984, partner, 1985-present; Member, American Bar Association, Seventh Circuit Bar Association, American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, American Law Institute, Illinois State Bar Association, Appellate Lawyers Association, Federal Bar Association; Recipient, The Walter J. Cummings Award for excellence in pro bono advocacy before the Seventh Circuit, 1995; University of Illinois College of Law Board of Visitors, 1998-2000.

C. John Koch is a partner in Jenner & Block's Chicago office and a member of the Firm's Securities Litigation Practice. Mr. Koch also concentrates his practice in class action litigation and appellate matters. Mr. Koch has substantial experience defending class action securities litigation for a variety of public companies and their officers and directors. His experience spans numerous forms of securities and related litigation, including securities fraud and misrepresentation claims, shareholder derivative actions, and merger and control contest litigation. He is the former Co-Chair of the Securities Law Committee of the Chicago Bar Association. Mr. Koch graduated summa cum laude from Washington University in St. Louis in 1978, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa in his junior year. He obtained his law degree from the University of Chicago Law School in 1981, at which time he joined the Firm. He has served as the law clerk for Judge David M. Ebel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.

Born Evanston, Illinois, January 20, 1967; admitted to the Illinois Supreme Court, 1994; U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit, 1996; U.S. District Court, Northern and Central Districts of Illinois, 1996; U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan, 1997; U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois (Trial Bar), 2000; U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit, 2002. Northwestern University (B.A. 1989), Indiana University (J.D. magna cum laude 1994); Order of the Coif; Executive Articles Editor, Indiana Law Journal 1993-1994; Law Clerk, Hon. S. Hugh Dillin, United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, 1994-1996; associate, Jenner & Block, LLC, 1996-2001, partner, 2002 to present, Member: American Bar Association, Chicago Council of Lawyers.

Timothy J. Chorvat served as of counsel to Jenner & Block’s London and Chicago offices, where he concentrated his practice in the areas of civil and commercial litigation. Mr. Chorvat served as Chair of the Illinois State Bar Association‘s Civil Practice & Procedure Section Council and the ISBA‘s Assembly Governance Committee. He has also chaired the Working Group on Electronic Evidence of the American Bar Association‘s Cyberspace Law Committee. He currently serves as website co-chair of the Seventh Circuit Electronic Discovery Pilot Program committee. Mr. Chorvat is an author of the chapters on Class Actions and Derivative Actions in Moore‘s Federal Practice and has written numerous articles, treatise sections, and book chapters on litigation-related topics, with a particular focus on technological developments in the law. Mr. Chorvat graduated magna cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School in 1986, where he served on the Michigan Law Review and was elected to the Order of the Coif. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Northwestern University in 1983, where he was chosen to be a member of Phi Beta Kappa. From 1988 to 1989, Mr. Chorvat was an Assistant Professor of Law at the IIT Chicago Kent College of Law. Mr. Chorvat joined Jenner & Block in 1986.

Robert L. Byman is a partner at Jenner & Block, LLP, Chicago, Illinois. He is a member of the firm's Complex Commercial Litigation Practice.

Born Milwaukee, Illinois, August 9, 1958; admitted to the Illinois Supreme Court, 1983, United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, 1984, United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, 1984, United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, 1984; University of Wisconsin-Madison (B.S. with honors, 1980), University of Chicago Law School (J.D., with honors, Order of the Coif, 1983); Comment Editor, University of Chicago Law Review, 1982-1983; Law Clerk, Honorable Antonin Scalia, United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, 1983-1984; Associate, Jenner & Block, 1984-1990, partner 1991-; member Chicago, Seventh Circuit, and American Bar Associations; General Chair, Representation of Indigents Committee, Seventh Circuit Bar Association; Lecturer in Law, University of Chicago Law School, 2000-.