Jackson Lewis LLP, one of the country’s largest and fastest-growing workplace law firms, is pleased to announce that Patrick Rocks has joined the firm’s Chicago office as Partner. Mr. Rocks brings to Jackson Lewis over 20 years of experience in the area of public sector and education law, with a particular emphasis on both systemic class litigation and labor and employment issues facing municipalities as well as large urban school districts.
Prior to joining Jackson Lewis, Mr. Rocks served as General Counsel for the Chicago Board of Education since 2005. In that role, Mr. Rocks provided counseling, litigation and transactional services in several practice areas including labor and employment, federal and state school law, as well as a range of civil rights matters and other issues relevant to the Board of Education. Before his appointment as the General Counsel for the Chicago Board of Education, Mr. Rocks was the First Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Chicago, the second highest ranking position in the City’s Law Department. Mr. Rocks also formerly managed complex class action and single plaintiff employment litigation as the Deputy Corporation Counsel for Employment Litigation for the City of Chicago, where he worked with current Jackson Lewis Partners James Botana and Nadine Abrahams.
“I am delighted to welcome Pat to our expanding Chicago team,” said Jane McFetridge, Managing Partner of Jackson Lewis’ Chicago office. “His experience in public sector and education law and expertise in the EEOC Uniform Guidelines are invaluable to us in light of the recent growth in systemic EEO litigation. For very good reason, he is well-known and respected in the Chicago legal community and will undoubtedly be a great resource for both our clients and our attorneys.”
“Given Jackson Lewis’ extensive national footprint and the Chicago office’s work with class litigation in particular, this move was the perfect next step for me,” said Rocks. “I look forward to adding my experience to the firm’s impressive roster of attorneys.”
From 1999 through 2009, Mr. Rocks also served as a member of The John Marshall Law School’s adjunct faculty, teaching courses in advanced trial advocacy. He is a member of the Chicago Bar Association, the Illinois Council of School Attorneys, and the National School Boards Association Council of School Attorneys. Mr. Rocks is currently admitted to practice in the State of Illinois, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and the United States Supreme Court.
He graduated with honors from Loyola University of Chicago in 1980 with a B.A. in English and Political Science, and earned his J.D. with highest honors in 1985 from the John Marshall Law School.
