Tressler Celebrates Jennifer Jerit Johnson’s 35-Year Legal Career

Chicago, IL, December 16, 2020 - Tressler is honored to announce that Jennifer Jerit Johnson will be retiring from the full-time practice of law at the end of the year and will become Of Counsel beginning January 2021. Jennifer has been practicing with the same group of Tressler attorneys for more than 35 years and has been an integral part of the firm’s ongoing success. As an award-winning attorney and mentor, Jennifer’s career is a stellar example of legal excellence and dedication to client service. We are proud to share the following statement from Jennifer as well as highlight her many accomplishments below.  

Statement from Jennifer Jerit Johnson 

I have been blessed to work my entire career with an outstanding group of lawyers and leaders at Tressler. I could not have asked for a better work family than my Tressler Family, and we are indeed family. We have shared the joys of client successes, the challenges of an evolving legal environment and the pain of losing some of our own along the way. These shared experiences have been critical to my happiness at work and home and the success of our firm.  

We are in this together. 

I have been honored to serve my clients from the outset of litigation through trial and every step along the way. Among the most rewarding memories are of the moments when a jury returned a verdict for my client by critically and thoughtfully looking at all the evidence at trial. Other rewarding experiences have involved honestly evaluating a matter early in the life of the case and doing the necessary to bring it to early resolution when that was the best result for my client. My favorite clients and their national and regional co-counsels whom I have served are those who work together creatively, collaboratively and move together as one team. 

At Tressler, we have consciously worked to create a collaborative work environment, not a competitive one. With that experience, I am thrilled to now pass the baton to my wonderful partners and associates at Tressler who are the next generation behind me and beyond. They include my partners Shannon Harvey, Patrick Stufflebeam and Bill McVisk and our associates Jenny Smith, Kate Lecher, Jerome Murphy, Matt O’Malley and our newest Tressler Family member, Priya Sunkara. We work closely together, and I have the highest confidence in their legal skills and commitment to client service. I look forward to remaining in touch with our Tressler Family and clients by continuing to serve in the role Of Counsel at the firm. 

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Jennifer joined Tressler LLP as an associate when the firm was founded in 1986 and became a partner in 1992. She represents individual and corporate clients in litigation matters involving product liability, toxic torts, asbestos, trucking lawsuits, construction litigation and other torts. Jennifer has more than 35 years of experience in the courtroom, and she served on the National Trial Counsel Team for one of her clients. Jennifer managed numerous large case dockets in toxic tort and other product liability litigation and has served as National and Regional Coordinating Counsel for several clients, all while making client service and mentorship a priority throughout her career. 

Jennifer is well-known in the legal community and actively gives back to the profession. As a member of the Defense Research Institute (DRI), Jennifer served as the Chair of the Trial Tactics and Techniques Committee in 1998, joined numerous Steering Committees and served as a DRI Board Member from 2000 to 2001. Jennifer is also actively involved with the Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel (IDC).  She has served as the Chair of the Trial Academy, Diversity Chair and Editor-in-Chief of the IDC Quarterly. After serving on the IDC’s Board for many years, Jennifer became the organization’s first female president, serving in 2003 to 2004. Jennifer later joined the Board of Directors for the Gateway Foundation, a $110 Million not-for-profit dedicated to providing addiction and mental health services in Illinois and other states, and was President of the Board in 2005 to 2007. In 2009, she was honored as a "Corporate Woman of Achievement" by the National Association of Women Business Owners. Even with a busy and flourishing practice, Jennifer finds the time to prioritize mentoring young attorneys.    

Jennifer’s excellence in the field has been recognized throughout her career. She has achieved and maintained an AV® Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell. Jennifer has been selected by Leading Lawyers® Network as a "Leading Lawyer" in the areas of Personal Injury Defense Law: General, Products Liability Defense Law and Toxic Torts Defense Law. She was named a "Top Woman Lawyer in Illinois" by Leading Lawyers® magazine in 2009. Jennifer was selected as a 2019 and 2020 Illinois Super Lawyer® in the category of Personal Injury General: Defense. Best Lawyers® and U.S. News and World Report honored Jennifer as a “Best Lawyer in America” for Insurance Litigation in 2019, 2020 and 2021. 

“We are proud to celebrate Jennifer’s outstanding career here at Tressler,” said Mark Banovetz, partner and member of Tressler’s Executive Committee. “We are thankful for Jennifer’s long-range planning, and Tressler’s team-based approach to providing legal services, both of which have contributed to making this a seamless transition for Jennifer’s clients and colleagues. She is an accomplished attorney and friend, and we will all miss working with her. We look forward to having her continued support in her role as 'Of Counsel' to Tressler in 2021.”  

Jennifer Jerit Johnson can be reached at jjohnson@tresslerllp.com or by phone at (312) 627-4107 for more information.