REID J. SCHAR

SAN FRANCISCO - Reid J. Schar relocated to San Francisco from Chicago in 2021 to open Jenner & Block LLP's new offices. There, he serves as managing partner and as co-chair of the firm's litigation department. He joined Jenner in 2012. Earlier, as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, he was lead prosecutor in the corruption trials of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. He is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.

"The move's been great, and we have the office up and running effectively," Schar said. "It turns out this past year we've been the busiest of the firm's offices with 12 or 13 lawyers fully deployed -- plus, it's not snowing."

Schar followed a lengthy path. "I was the kid who moved around, from Chicago to Ohio to Louisiana to Connecticut. I came out to Stanford for college, then went to law school in Chicago. I joke that it took me 25 years to find my way back to the Bay Area."

This year, in his role as corporate defense counsel to PG&E Corp. during the fallout over the 2010 San Bruno natural gas explosion that killed eight, he successfully aided the firm emerge from criminal probation and monitorship by Senior U.S. District Judge William H. Alsup of San Francisco. U.S. v. Pacific Gas and Electric Co., 3:14-cr-00175 (N.D. Cal., filed April 1, 2014).

The criminal matter was part of Jenner & Block's role as special corporate defense counsel. Schar and his team also advise the company regarding regulatory and enforcement matters. "I proudly continue to represent the utility in other areas of need," he said.

Working for a different utility, Schar and his team successfully defended Commonwealth Edison Co. in the negotiation of a deferred prosecution agreement with the Department of Justice over allegations that ComEd gave jobs and contracts to associates of leaders of the Illinois House of Representatives in an influence-peddling scandal. U.S. v. Commonwealth Edison Co., 1:20-cr- 00368 (N.D. Ill., filed July 17, 2020).

"I ran the internal investigation," Schar said. The resulting deal will not require the client to plead guilty to any crime; it includes a fine below the sentencing guideline range. Schar helped write new company policies to ensure the challenged activities will not recur.

Other current matters include Schar's defense of Uber Technologies Inc. in connection with engineer Anthony Levandowski's effort to obtain indemnification for the $179 million arbitration award over Google LLC's breach of loyalty claims. In re Anthony Scott Levandowski, 4:22-cv- 02783 (N.D. Cal., filed May 11, 2022).

"We've been very busy," Schar said. "I have very much enjoyed the move to California. I appreciate the Bay Area legal community. It's been a very positive year."