John G. Levi is a partner in Sidley’s Chicago office. He represents major professional and financial services firms, national and multi-national corporations, as well as a host of medium-sized and smaller corporations in employment and labor matters before numerous federal and state courts, government agencies and arbitration forums. He regularly handles claims regarding wrongful termination, fair employment issues, restrictive covenants, wage and hour, and other employment related matters in these various forums. He negotiates with labor unions for unionized employers, and also handles mediations and arbitrations arising under collective bargaining agreements. In addition, Mr. Levi handles mediations and arbitrations for non-union companies. He also handles wage and hour disputes and other issues before the U.S. and Illinois Departments of Labor. He has counseled numerous clients regarding their internal policies and governance. He prepares and negotiates executive employment agreements and post-employment covenants and assists employers in enforcing non-competition agreements.
Mr. Levi is the immediate past chair of Sidley’s Law School Recruiting and currently co-leads the firm’s Committee overseeing the firm's adoption of the Kanoon Magnet School, Chicago Public School. He was appointed by President Obama to the eleven member Board of the Legal Services Corporation and was confirmed by the Senate and elected as Chairman of the Legal Services Board of Directors on April 7, 2010. He was elected in 2013 as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and was honored as the first recipient of the Abner and Zoe Mikva Corporate Citizenship award given by Mikva Challenge in 2011. He is a recipient of the Harvard Law School Society of Illinois’ 2010 Role Model Award, the 2004 Abraham Lincoln Marovitz “Lend A Hand” volunteer award and was given an Honorary Diploma by the Francis W. Parker School in 2003, and in 2014 was elected as a Life Trustee, and Parker also honored Mr. Levi by using his name in the title for its Chief Advancement Officer. Mr. Levi was the recipient of the University of Rochester's 2014 College of Arts and Sciences “Distinguished Alumnus Award.” In 2015, Mr. Levi was again honored by the Harvard Law School Society of Illinois as it gave him the Society’s highest honor, the Jerold S. Solovy Award “in recognition of commitment to public service and the highest ideals of the profession.” Mr. Levi is listed in Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in American Law. He is recommended in The Legal 500 U.S. 2014 and 2015 for Labor and Employment. Additionally, Mr. Levi is recognized in the 2015 and 2016 editions of The Best Lawyers in America in Labor Law Management.