Jenner & Block Names New Co-Chairs Of Its Appellate and Supreme Court Practice

"We are excited to have Matt, Jessie and Mike lead our team of talented appellate practitioners," said the firm's Managing Partner Terrence J. Truax.  "They are part of Jenner & Block's next generation of appellate advocates and have already amassed an impressive record of appellate success at the highest levels and in the most significant cases.  Our firm has had the great privilege to be on the front lines of cutting-edge appellate work in our country for decades.  We look forward to continuing that tradition in the years to come."

The appointment of Mr. Hellman, Ms. Amunson and Mr. Brody follows the departure of Chair Paul M. Smith, who is leaving the firm to teach at Georgetown University Law Center and litigate for voting rights and campaign finance reform at the nonprofit Campaign Legal Center.  

"It is an honor and a privilege to lead Jenner & Block's Appellate and Supreme Court Practice, helping clients prevail in some of their most complex and difficult matters," Mr. Hellman, Ms. Amunson and Mr. Brody said jointly.  "A hallmark of our practice has been our ability to dig in and work hand-in-hand with our clients to guide them through the appellate process.  We look forward to leading our talented team in continuing to provide appellate counseling that is second to none."

Mr. Hellman is a former clerk to now-retired US Supreme Court Justice David H. Souter; Ms. Amunson clerked for the Hon. Merrick B. Garland of the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit and Mr. Brody clerked for the late US Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia when Justice Scalia served on the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit.

Mr. Hellman, Ms. Amunson and Mr. Brody will lead a deep bench of talented partners and associates in the practice that includes a number of former clerks at all the levels of the judiciary, including the US Supreme Court.  The group is poised for continued success.  This term, for example, the Jenner & Block team is slated to argue four cases before the US Supreme Court in addition to dozens of appeals in other courts across the country.

"This is an exciting time for our Appellate and Supreme Court Practice as both our established practitioners and our next generation of advocates are contributing their many talents to our client engagements and to the continued expansion of our work," said Craig C. Martin, chair of the firm's Litigation Practice.

The Jenner & Block Appellate and Supreme Court group has a long tradition of excellence.  In 2016, for the eighth consecutive year, Jenner & Block was named to The National Law Journal's "Appellate Hot List".  The firm's Appellate and Supreme Court Practice has also been consistently recognized in Chambers USA as being among the nation's foremost appellate law practices. 

ABOUT THE CO-CHAIRS
Matthew S. Hellman -- Mr. Hellman has been lead counsel in dozens of appellate matters and has presented arguments in the US Supreme Court and in federal and state appellate courts throughout the country.  During his career, he has been responsible for $1 billion of commercial cases on appeal, prevailing in the Supreme Court in important bankruptcy, copyright, First Amendment and administrative law cases.  Mr. Hellman maintains a substantial pro bono practice including matters with significant commercial implications, such as his win in the US Supreme Court in Law v. Siegel, which was called the most important bankruptcy case of that term.  He serves as co-director of the Jenner & Block University of Chicago Law School Supreme Court and Appellate Clinic.  Mr. Hellman clerked for Justice David H. Souter and for the Honorable Michael Boudin of the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.  A graduate of Swarthmore College with a B.A., Highest Honors and Phi Beta Kappa, he received his law degree, magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School where he was president of the Harvard Law Review.

Jessica Ring Amunson -- Ms. Amunson regularly represents clients in both merits and amicus briefing before the US Supreme Court.  An experienced litigator who has briefed and argued matters before numerous federal and state appellate, as well as trial courts, Ms. Amunson's appellate and Supreme Court work has covered a broad range of topics including voting rights issues, First Amendment challenges, insurance coverage disputes, ERISA issues, breach-of-contract cases and administrative law matters. She received her law degree, magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School, where she served as articles editor for the Harvard Law Review.  She received her B.A., magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, and M.A. from Georgetown University.  Ms. Amunson clerked for the Honorable Merrick B. Garland of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Michael T. Brody -- Mr. Brody is an experienced litigator who tries cases in state and federal courts and in alternative dispute resolution proceedings.  In addition to his trial practice, he has argued more than a dozen appeals in the Seventh Circuit, the Illinois Appellate Court and the Illinois Supreme Court.  Mr. Brody also teaches at the University of Chicago Law School.  He is a past president of the Seventh Circuit Bar Association, having previously served as its first vice president, secretary, member of the board of governors and a committee chair.  A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, with Distinction and Phi Beta Kappa, he received his law degree, cum laude, from the University of Chicago Law School, where he was Order of the Coif and served as comment editor and was on the editorial board for the University of Chicago Law Review.  Mr. Brody clerked for the late Justice Antonin Scalia when Justice Scalia served as a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

ABOUT JENNER & BLOCK'S APPELLATE AND SUPREME COURT PRACTICE
Jenner & Block's Appellate and Supreme Court Practice lawyers combine exceptional skills in crafting persuasive briefs and oral arguments with extensive experience shepherding high-stakes matters through appellate courts.  We appear before federal and state appellate courts on a range of issues and also have an extensive amicus practice before the US Supreme Court and other appellate courts and regularly brief, argue and advise on complex legal issues that arise in various trial-level fora.

ABOUT JENNER & BLOCK
Jenner & Block is a law firm with global reach, with more than 500 lawyers and offices in Chicago, London, Los Angeles, New York and Washington, DC.  The firm is known for its prominent and successful litigation practice and experience handling sophisticated, high-profile corporate transactions.  Firm clients include Fortune 100 companies, large privately held corporations, financial services institutions, emerging companies, and venture capital and private equity investors.  In 2016, The American Lawyer named Jenner & Block to the A-List, which recognizes the top 20 US law firms.  The American Lawyer has also recognized the firm as the #1 pro bono firm in the United States in six of the past nine years; the firm has been ranked among the top 10 in this category every year since 1990.

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