Jenner & Block Names New Managing Partner

CHICAGO, April 14, 2014 – Jenner & Block LLP today announces that Terrence J. Truax – a 26-year veteran of the firm and co-chair of its Patent Litigation and Counseling Practice – has been elected managing partner, effective May 1, 2014.  He will succeed Susan C. Levy, who leaves the 450-attorney firm at the end of April to assume her new position as executive vice president and general counsel at Northern Trust Corporation.

Mr. Truax served on the firm’s Management Committee starting in January 2007 and subsequently has served on the firm’s Policy Committee since 2009.  Mr. Truax joined Jenner & Block as an associate in 1988 and was promoted to partner in 1997.  Based in the firm’s Chicago office, Mr. Truax has represented clients from around the world and has been involved in some of the firm’s most complex and high-profile matters.

Mr. Truax has been instrumental in the direction and execution of the Jenner & Block’s Patent Litigation and Counseling practice, the firm’s antitrust-related work and its relationships with several leading Japanese, European and U.S.-based corporations.

Jenner & Block Chairman Anton R. Valukas said of Mr. Truax:  “Terry is the right person to take on the role of managing partner at Jenner & Block.  He has strong leadership skills and management experience and has the confidence of our clients and partners.  He is an exceptional attorney.  Terry also strongly embodies the firm’s core values, managing a significant personal practice while also maintaining an active pro bono practice and commitment to the community.”

Mr. Truax is a past recipient of the Albert E. Jenner, Jr. Pro Bono Award and serves on the Pro Bono Executive Committee.  He has mentored dozens of young associates through the years and has been a passionate proponent of the firm’s focus on talent and career development.  He currently serves as chair of the board of Breakthrough, a nonprofit headquartered in East Garfield Park, Chicago, which provides overnight housing and jobs programs for men and women, a youth development program and a fresh food program.  Mr. Truax also has been involved with Cabrini Green Legal Aid for many years as both a director and advisory board member and is presently a board member of the Chicago Bar Foundation.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to serve my partners at Jenner & Block in the role of managing partner.  My predecessor and friend Susan Levy has set a very high bar to follow.  But, I am excited about the expanded opportunity to collaborate with a very talented group of partners and other colleagues across our national platform,” Mr. Truax said.  “Our unique brand of serving our clients and the greater community has endured for 100 years, and we are committed to building on that legacy in the years to come.”

Mr. Truax obtained his law degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law, with honors, in 1988 and his B.A. from Florida State University in 1983.

About Jenner & Block


Jenner & Block is a national law firm with approximately 450 attorneys and offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Washington, D.C.  Celebrating its 100^th anniversary in 2014, the firm is known for its prominent and successful litigation practice and experience handling sophisticated and 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 2013, The American Lawyer magazine named Jenner & Block to the AmLaw A-List recognizing the top 20 law firms in the country, for the second consecutive year and the fifth time overall since the ranking was established a decade ago.  The firm also has been named by American Lawyer as the nation’s leading pro bono firm in four of the past six years.