Akerman LLP, a top 100 U.S. law firm serving clients across the Americas, today announced that the Honorable Ruben Castillo, former Chief Judge for the United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois, will join the firm’s Chicago office as an equity partner in the Litigation Practice Group upon his retirement from the bench on September 30. Castillo will chair Akerman Bench, bolstering the firm’s litigation service offering by bringing decades of experience having served on the bench, private practice, and as nonprofit counsel.
“Judge Castillo is a pioneer jurist, and he has been pivotal in bringing diversity to the federal court system and the Chicago legal community,” said Lawrence Rochefort, chair of Akerman’s Litigation Practice Group. “He has presided over high-profile and precedent-setting cases that continue to shape our legal system. His legacy on the bench and his experience as a first chair trial lawyer will be an asset to our clients, and we are honored to have him on our team.”
As a first chair litigator, Castillo will focus his practice on corporate investigations, white collar criminal defense, private arbitration and mediation work for litigants. As chair of Akerman Bench, he will lead one of the nation’s largest moot court panels of former appellate and trial court judges, experienced advocates, and former state and federal law clerks in advocating convincingly by providing insight and guidance.
Castillo was nominated to the bench by President Bill Clinton and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 1994, becoming the first Latino federal judge in Illinois. Judge Castillo served as vice chair of the U.S. Sentencing Commission from 1999 to 2010. In July 2013, he began his service as chief judge, becoming the first Latino to hold this position in the district. In 2008, he was considered a possible candidate by President Barack Obama for the U.S. Supreme Court.
Prior to serving on the bench, Castillo was regional counsel to the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund. He also practiced in private law for two law firms, including serving as first-chair litigator, in Chicago and served as Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Special Criminal Prosecutions Division for the U.S. Attorney’s Office – Northern District of Illinois.
For more than 20 years, Castillo has taught trial advocacy at Northwestern University School of Law, with law students recognizing him with five teaching awards. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Loyola University Chicago in 1976 and his law degree from Northwestern University School of Law in 1979.
