Reid J. Schar

San Francisco

Reid J. Schar is co-chair of Jenner & Block's litigation department and oversees nearly 400 litigators. His prior background as a former assistant U.S. attorney includes securing the conviction of former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich.

More recently, Schar led the independent investigation into the Chicago Blackhawks sexual assault scandal.

"Our investigation into the allegations of sexual misconduct leveled at a former coach for the Chicago Blackhawks and the organization's internal response to the allegations was significant because it resulted in a public report with detailed findings, which allowed the organization to publicly face and properly address these difficult issues," he said. "The investigation was large and multifaceted. We peeled back decades-old travel records, emails, and text messages and interviewed more than 100 witnesses central to the case. The investigation and report had a significant impact not just on the team but also on professional sports more broadly."

Schar has also been involved in major ongoing cases, such as representing Pat Haden in the "Varsity Blues" admissions fraud investigation and Dartmouth College in a class action lawsuit alleging antitrust violations in financial aid practices.

He is also guiding a large commodity company in settling a matter with the Commodities Futures Trading Commission over allegations that Schar's client manipulated a commodity market.

"In the matter where we guided Ceres Global Ag Corp to a settlement with the CFTC related to allegations that Ceres manipulated the U.S. oat futures market, we had to learn the nuances of the oat trading market while trying to explain to the regulator that the conduct was historical, not as harmful as first suspected, and that there was a difference of opinion as to the intent of what was occurring," Schar said.

Observing trends in the field, he said, "I expect we're going to see increased and aggressive regulator review of the public statements that companies make during a crisis for accuracy, which is particularly fraught for publicly traded companies. I also think we'll see a focus on antitrust enforcement on both the DOJ criminal and civil sides. Finally, as we head into an election year, I anticipate a heavy emphasis on election interference. "

Beyond his litigation work, Schar is active in various legal and community engagements. He is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, a member of several legal associations and contributes his expertise to pro bono work, such as assisting an Afghan university student in obtaining asylum and a green card in the U.S.