Chicago (April 13, 2010) – Sidley Austin LLP is pleased to announce that partner John G. Levi has been elected as Board chairman of the Legal Services Corporation (LSC), the single largest provider of civil legal assistance to the poor in the nation. Mr. Levi will remain a partner at Sidley during his tenure as LSC Board chair.
Mr. Levi was sworn in and elected as Board chairman at the Board’s inaugural meeting on April 7, 2010. The oath of office was administered by Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy during a ceremony at The Eisenhower Executive Office Building. Mr. Levi was nominated to the 11-member Board of Directors in August 2009 by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the Senate.
“John has a long and distinguished career of service to the legal profession and advocacy on behalf of the community and those in need of legal services,” said Thomas A. Cole, Chair of the firm’s Executive Committee. “On behalf of the entire firm, I congratulate John on this well-deserved achievement.”
“I am truly honored to serve on the LSC Board of Directors as Board chair,” said Mr. Levi. “LSC’s programs serve as the cornerstone of our nation’s pro bono efforts and during this time of increased need, it is a great privilege to have this opportunity to increase citizens’ equal access to our nation’s justice system.”
Mr. Levi has been instrumental in many of Sidley’s pro bono programs, including its corporate partnership with Gerald Delgado Kanoon Magnet Elementary School, the longest corporate partnership for any Chicago public school. Mr. Levi leads the firm’s committee which oversees the partnership, which is one of many programs in which Sidley lawyers throughout the country give back to the broader community.
Mr. Levi practices in Sidley’s Labor, Employment and Immigration practice and represents major professional and financial services firms, national and multi-national corporations, as well as a host of medium-sized and smaller corporations in employment and labor matters before numerous federal and state courts, government agencies and arbitration forums.
LSC is the single largest provider of civil legal assistance to the poor in the nation. Funded by Congress, LSC operates as an independent nonprofit corporation that promotes equal access to justice and provides grants for high-quality civil legal assistance to low-income Americans. The grants, in an annual amount of approximately $420 million, currently go to 136 nonprofit legal services programs across the country.
Sidley Austin LLP is one of the world’s largest full-service law firms, with approximately 1700 lawyers practicing in 17 U.S. and international cities, including Beijing, Brussels, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hong Kong, London, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo. Every year since 2003, Sidley has been named to Legal Business’ Global Elite, its designation for the 18 firms “that define the pinnacle of the legal profession.” Sidley is recognized for service and responsiveness—BTI, a Boston-based research and consulting firm, has named Sidley as one of only two firms to have been in the top ten of the BTI Client Service rankings every year since the inception of those rankings in 2001, and was number one in three of those years.
For purposes of the New York State Bar rules, this press release may be considered Attorney Advertising and the headquarters of the firm are Sidley Austin LLP 787 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10019, 212.839.5300 and Sidley Austin LLP One South Dearborn, Chicago, IL 60603, 312.853.7000. Prior results described herein do not guarantee a similar outcome.
