Jeffrey E. Stone

During his 35-year tenure at the firm, Jeffrey has served as chairman of the firm, global head of the Trial Department and head of the White-Collar Criminal Defense Practice Group.

A frequent teacher on both law and leadership, Jeffrey has taught trial advocacy at Harvard Law School, served as an Adjunct Professor at Northwestern University School of Law, and taught at the US Attorney General’s Advocacy Institute in Washington, DC. He also served as an Adjunct Professor at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, where he taught leadership. In 2022, Jeffrey co-taught a course at Stanford Law School on legal developments emerging in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade.

Prior to joining the firm, Jeffrey served in the US Attorney’s Office in Chicago as an Assistant US Attorney, concluding his tenure as deputy chief of the Criminal Receiving and Appellate Division. In that role, he tried numerous federal jury trials involving white-collar crime, with a particular focus on complex financial crime, fraud, public corruption and tax prosecutions. He also argued and supervised numerous cases before the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.

From 1983 to 1984, he served as a law clerk to Chief Judge Robert F. Peckham of the US District Court in San Francisco.

In addition to his active legal practice, Jeffrey has served in leadership roles for a variety of nonprofit organizations. From 2018 to 2023, he served as a member of Stanford University’s Board of Trustees and currently serves as a director of Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford. From 2015 to 2026, he served as a director of ALAS and, from 2020 to 2022, served as chair of its board. He is an elected Fellow of the American Law Institute and a longtime member of the national executive committee of the American Jewish Committee, where he has also served as chair of the International Relations Commission and the Asia Pacific Institute.

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• Represented a senior partner of one of the world’s largest private equity funds in connection with allegations of mail/wire fraud
• Represented a senior partner of one of the world’s largest private equity funds in connection with an investigation into allegations of securities fraud and insider-trading
• Represented numerous senior partners of various private equity funds in connection with their departures from their existing firms
• Represented the Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board in a prosecution of the Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court which led to his resignation as Chief Justice
• Represented the Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board in a prosecution and trial of an Illinois Circuit Court judge in what was one of the first-ever prosecutions of a sitting judge for sexual harassment, leading to removal from the bench
• Represented one of the world’s largest media companies in a dispute over a multi-year leasehold interest
• Represented a leading global dialysis provider in nationwide litigation and regulatory compliance, including high-level criminal matters, False Claims Act cases, internal investigations, complex commercial and multi-district class actions, property and liability insurance matters, and other health care litigation
• Represented a consortium of the largest tobacco manufacturers in the world in a series of over 30 nationwide arbitrations in issues arising out of the Master Settlement Agreement of nationwide class action litigation brought by 46 states
• Represented the Audit Committee of a Fortune 500 national travel services company in a prolonged SEC investigation
• Defended a Fortune 500 sportswear and equipment supplier against a whistleblower action alleging failure to collect/remit sales/use tax on shipping and handling charges
• Represented a chemical manufacturer in connection with a federal criminal investigation related to alleged criminal wrongdoing and falsifications under the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, and Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act
• Represented an international health care company in a multi-year federal criminal and civil investigation
• Represented a senior executive of a Fortune 100 auto manufacturer in criminal and civil matters arising out of a worldwide automobile recall
• Represented a senior executive of a Fortune 100 international oil company in connection with criminal and civil environmental investigations
• Represented the Audit Committee of a global health care company in a prolonged SEC investigation
• Represented a senior executive of an international construction company in a federal criminal investigation
• Represented a senior business executive in a prolonged federal criminal tax investigation which, after a two-week jury trial, resulted in a verdict of not guilty on all counts

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• Best Lawyers in America, Bet-the-Company Litigation (2010-2027), Commercial Litigation (2006-2027), Criminal Defense: White-Collar, 2018-2027
• Legal 500 US, 2019, 2022, and 2025
• Crain’s Chicago Business, Notable Litigator and Trial Attorney, 2023
• Chambers Global, 2019
• Lawdragon, Top 500 Litigators in America
• Who’s Who Legal: Illinois
• Stanford University, recipient of the Gold Spike Award, Stanford’s highest award for lifetime volunteer service to the University (2016); inaugural recipient of The Stanford Medal for distinguished and sustained alumni service (2006)
• American Jewish Committee, Human Rights Medallion for service in defense of civil liberties and human rights, 2010

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• Center on Wrongful Convictions, Advisory Board member
• Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, served as a national trustee
• Legal Action Chicago, Chairman of the Board of Directors and co-founder
• Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board, served as outside counsel (1996 to 2000)
• Jewish Family and Community Services agency, past president
• Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, served as board member
• National Institute of Trial Advocacy, faculty member
• Northwestern University, adjunct professor, Kellogg School of Management (leadership); adjunct professor, Pritzker School of Law (trial advocacy)
• Stanford University
  • Board of Trustees, member
  • Committee on External Relations, chair
  • Stanford Fund, national chairman (responsible for all annual giving to Stanford University)
  • Stanford LEAD Council, founder and co-chair (identifying and nurturing future leaders)
  • Stanford’s $1 billion Campaign for Undergraduate Education, former vice chair
  • Stanford on Purpose Campaign Steering Committee, member
  • Overseas Studies Board of Advisors member
  • Advisory Council the Task Force on Undergraduate Education
• US Supreme Court Historical Society, member of Board of Directors

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