Jack S. Levin, P.C. 
Professional Profile
Mr. Levin has concentrated his practice on complex business transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, buyouts, private equity and venture capital investing, formation of private equity funds, debt and equity restructurings and workouts, and executive compensation, with emphasis on tax, corporate, SEC, and structuring aspects, handling transactions which range in size from several million dollars to more than $7 billion.
Earlier in his legal career, Mr. Levin (then a litigator) served as lead trial and appellate counsel in:
- 8 U.S. Supreme Court arguments
- 12 U.S. Court of Appeals arguments
- 3 U.S. District Court trials (including 1 week jury trial)
Representative Matters
Handled many private equity, venture capital, LBO, and fund formation matters for Madison Dearborn Partners, GTCR, Willis Stein Partners, First Chicago, Bank of America, Summit Partners, and others. Handled many mergers, acquisitions, and other transactions involving Concord EFS, Gaylord Container, BWAY, Crate & Barrel, Rand McNally, Dayton P&L, Exide, and others.
Education
Harvard Law School, LL.B., 1961, summa cum laude, ranking 1st in class of 500, Harvard Law Review, Recent Case Editor
Northwestern University, B.S., 1958, summa cum laude
Certified Public Accountant and Winner of Illinois Gold Medal on CPA Exam, 1958
Government Positions
Assistant to the Solicitor General of the United States for tax matters under Archibald Cox and Thurgood Marshall (1965-1967)
Law clerk to Chief Judge J. Edward Lumbard of the United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit (1961-1962)
Advisor (on business and entity taxation) to President Bush's Tax Reform Panel (2005)
Member Illinois State Treasurer's Advisory Board on Technology/Venture Capital Investments (2004-present)
Teaching and University Service
Harvard Law School, teaching course on "Structuring Venture Capital and Entrepreneurial Transactions" (Winter term, approximately biennially beginning 1997)
University of Chicago Law School, teaching course on "Structuring Venture Capital and Entrepreneurial Transactions" (Spring quarter each year beginning 1988)
Harvard Board of Overseers Committee for Visiting the Harvard Law School (1987-1993)
Northwestern University Masters in Taxation Program, periodic guest lecturer
Northwestern University Graduate School of Management, guest lecturer on Venture Capital and Entrepreneurship (1984-1989)
DePaul University Masters in Taxation Program, teaching course on Corporate Organizations and Reorganizations (1976)
Chair or Co-Chair of Harvard Law School fund raising drives (1986, 1991, 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011)
Mid-West Co-Chair of Harvard Law School's Capital Campaign (2004-2008)
Planning Committee for Northwestern University Law School's Annual Ray Garrett, Jr. Corporate & Securities Law Institute (1986-2001)
Other Professional Distinctions
Testified before congress on tax legislation, most recently 9/07 to House Ways & Means Committee on taxation of private equity funds
American College of Tax Counsel
American Bar Association, Section of Corporate, Business and Banking Law and Section of Taxation (former Chairman of the Corporate Distributions Subcommittee 1968-1979)
Chicago Bar Association (former member of Taxation Committee's Executive Board)
Little, Brown & Co.'s and CCH's Tax Advisory Boards
American Law Institute and its Subchapter C (corporate tax) Advisory Group
Chicago Federal Tax Forum (Chairman 1986-1987)
Lifetime Achievement Awards
May 2005 - Chambers & Partners' global attorney lifetime achievement award for pioneering legal work in private equity/venture capital presented in London by U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair's spouse
December 2002 - Illinois Venture Capital Association's lifetime achievement award for service to the private equity/venture capital community, presented by then Illinois Sen. Barack Obama
May 2000 - American Jewish Committee's Learned Hand Award for contributions to the legal profession and the community, presented by United States Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
March 2011 - Association for Corporate Growth Chicago lifetime achievement award for role in helping to develop the legal and tax framework for the private equity/venture capital industry
November 2005 - Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center humanitarian of the year award
Listed In
- Practical Law Company's Which Lawyer? Global 50 (under both Corporate/M&A and Tax)
- The Best Lawyers in America (under both Corporate and Tax)
- Guide to Leading American Attorneys
- Guide to the World's Leading Mergers & Acquisitions Lawyers
- Guide to the World's Leading Tax Lawyers
- Euromoney's Guide to the World's Leading Tax Advisers
- Crain's Who's Who in Chicago Business
- International Who's Who of Corporate Tax Lawyers
- International Who's Who of Private Funds Lawyers
- Who's Who in America
- Chambers Global Guide to the World's Leading Lawyers
- Chambers USA, America's Leading Lawyers for Business
- Survey of Leading Taxation Lawyers - Mondaq Business Briefing
Other Distinctions
American Jewish Committee, President of Chicago/Midwest Chapter (2011-present), National Board of Governors (2005-present), National Vice President (2009-present)
Parliamentarian, Winnetka (IL) Town Meeting (1974-1983, 1989, 1995-1996)
President, Birchwood Club, Highland Park, IL (1980-1982)
Board of Directors, Mid-America Club, Chicago (1985-1988)
Chairman, Chicago JUF Lawyers Division (1993-1995) and Vice Chairman (1991-1993)
Member, American Israel Public Affairs Committee's Illinois State Council Executive Board
Publications
Mr. Levin has been featured in several articles, including:
Chicago Attorney Helped Define, Refine Private Equity Sector
Chicago Daily Law Bulletin - 7/28/05M&A Pioneers Adapt to the Ever-Changing Game
Chicago Lawyer - 1/1/05Trading Places, Changing Paces
Crain's Chicago Business - 11/15/04Jack Levin, Senior Partner, Kirkland & Ellis LLP
LawCrossing.com - 4/19/04
Workshop Focuses on Salvaging Investments Gone Sour
The Wall Street Journal - 4/1/0260 Seconds With Jack S. Levin of Kirkland & Ellis
ePrairie.com - 5/31/01Law Business Research named Jack as a global leader in private funds and tax law in The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers 2003 - Corporate Tax and The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers - Private Funds in 2002 and 2003.
Described by Chambers & Partners as “the father of private equity” and “extraordinarily talented” with a “wealth of experience in LBOs,” consistently selected as one of America's Leading Lawyers for Business in Corporate/M&A and Tax. Read the ranking summaries by clicking the links below:
2009: Corporate/M&A & Private Equity
Tax2008: Corporate/M&A & Private Equity
Tax2007: Corporate/M&A & Private Equity
Tax2006: Corporate/M&A & Private Equity
Tax2005: Corporate/M&A
Tax2004: Corporate/M&A
Tax2003: Corporate/M&A
Tax2002: Corporate/M&A
TaxSelected as 2009 "Tax Lawyer of the Year" for Chicago, Best Lawyers
Leading Lawyers Network named Mr. Levin one of the "Top Ten Leading Lawyers in Illinois in All Areas of Law" based upon the opinions of his peers.
Illinois Super Lawyers Magazine: 2005 to present
Who's Who in Chicago Business: 2000 to present, Crain's Chicago Business
The Best Lawyers in America 2007 to present: Listed in the areas of Corporate Law, Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law, Tax Law and Venture Capital Law
Institutionalizing a Legendary Venture Capital Practice
Of Counsel - 11/3/97
Mr. Levin has authored or co-authored several books:
Structuring Venture Capital, Private Equity, and Entrepreneurial Transactions
(1 volume, 1,450 page treatise authored by Jack S. Levin, updated and republished annually) Aspen Publishers - most recent edition June 2011
Mergers, Acquisitions, and Buyouts
(5 volume, 5,100 page treatise co-authored by Jack S. Levin along with the late Prof. Martin D. Ginsburg, updated and republished semi-annually) Aspen Publishers - most recent edition September 2011To order either of these publications in online, hard copy or CD-ROM version, contact Aspen Publishers at (800) 638-8437 or visit their website at www.aspenpublishers.com.
Mr. Levin has authored or co-authored numerous articles and chapters of books:
Author of approximately 50 other articles and chapters of books on mergers, acquisitions, private equity, tax, corporate, SEC, and accounting issues including Tax Law Review; The Tax Lawyer; Journal of Taxation; Tax Notes; American Bar Association Journal; Taxes Magazine; Venture Capital Review; New York University Institute on Taxation book; University of Southern California Major Tax Planning book; Tulane Tax Institute book; Chicago Bar Record; New York Law Journal; PLI books; Illinois Institute on Continuing Legal Education books; Chicago Sunday Tribune; Journal of Buyouts & Acquisitions; Chicago Kent Law Review.Carried Interest Legislative Proposals and Enterprise Value Tax (along with Donald E. Rocap and William R. Welke) Tax Notes - 11/1/2010
The Jobs Act's Harsh New Deferred Compensation Rules (along with Donald E. Rocap and Keith E. Villmow) Tax Notes - 9/12/2005
Divide and Conquer: Why and How to Bifurcate Your LBO's Equity Structure (along with Sandy E. Perl and Shelly M. Hirschtritt)
The Venture Capital Review - Spring 2004Revisiting Golden Parachutes (along with Donald E. Rocap and the late Prof. Martin D. Ginsburg)
Tax Notes - 1/12/2004Navigating Down Round Financings: A Guide for VCs (along with Margaret A. Gibson and Mariano E. Martinez)
The Venture Capital Review - Summer 2003Two-part article: Triple Whammy (Part I), Down Not Out (Part II)
The Daily Deal - 1/30/2003 & 1/31/2003What Every Private Equity Professional Must Know About Sarbanes-Oxley Reforms (along with James S. Rowe and Robert M. Hayward)
The Venture Capital Review - Fall/Winter 2002How CEOs, CFOs Can Avoid Criminal Exposure Under Sarbanes-Oxley Certification Provisions (along with Craig Primis and Laurence Urgenson)
Business Crimes Bulletin - October 2002Investment Adviser Regulation of Private Equity Fund General Partner (along with Scott A. Moehrke)
The Venture Capital Review - Summer 2002Integrated Corporate Acquisitions: Comments on Rev. Rul. 2001-46 (along with the late Prof. Martin D. Ginsburg)
Tax Notes - 10/22/01Integrated Acquisitive Reorganizations (along with the late Prof. Martin D. Ginsburg)
Tax Notes - 6/11/01
Surprising Tax Issues for Shareholder-Execs Receiving Unvested Stock for Vested Stock in Reorg (along with Donald E. Rocap and the late Prof. Martin D. Ginsburg)
Tax Notes - 12/4/00How VC/PE Funds Can Deliver Special LTCG Tax Benefits to Individual LPs and GPs (along with Jeffrey T. Sheffield, Donald E. Rocap and William R. Welke)
The Venture Capital Review - Fall 2000Structuring a Buyout -- What Every VC Professional Must Know
The Venture Capital Review - Fall 1999Five New Tax Developments Private Equity Investors Must Know in Structuring a Buyout or Venture Investment (along with William R. Welke)
The Venture Capital Review - Spring 1999Structuring Buyouts for "Recap" Accounting -- Maximizing Target's Post-Acquisition Book Earnings and IPO Value (along with William R. Welke)
The Venture Capital Review - Spring 1998Evaluating Proposals to Tax Intragroup Spin-Offs (along with the late Prof. Martin D. Ginsburg)
Tax Notes - 7/14/97
Important Fund Formation Developments -- Or Five Things Every Private Equity Fund Sponsor Must Know (along with Bruce I. Ettelson and Donald E. Rocap)
The Venture Capital Review - 1997The Subchapter S One-Class-of-Stock Regulation (along with the late Prof. Martin D. Ginsburg)
Tax Notes - 10/9/95Code Section 162(m) - $1 Million Deduction Limit on Executive Compensation (along with George B. Javaras and William R. Welke)
Tax Notes - 5/9/94A Transactional Guide to New Code Section 197 (along with Donald E. Rocap)
Tax Notes - 10/25/93Code Section 162(m) - New $1 Million Deduction Limitation on Executive Compensation (along with George B. Javaras and William R. Welke)
Tax Notes - 10/4/93Final Section 1504(a)(5) Regulation - Effect of Subsidiary's Options, Warrants, and Convertible Debentures on Subsidiary's Affiliated Group Membership (along with Patrick C. Gallagher and William R. Welke)
Tax Notes - 4/5/93
Seminars
Frequent speaker at major tax institutes and private equity/venture capital conferences including:Practising Law Institute (seminars on tax, SEC, and accounting aspects of corporate acquisitions, buyouts, financings, and reorganizations); American Bar Association and ALI/ABA National Institutes; Chicago and Illinois Bar Association Seminars; Illinois Institute on Continuing Legal Education; Federal, California and Colorado Bar Association Seminars; Tax Institutes sponsored by University of Chicago, New York University, Hawaii Tax Institute; Tulane University, Miami University, Georgetown University, University of Virginia, University of Southern California, Southwestern Legal Foundation, and Chicago Kent; Northwestern University Tax and Corporate Institutes; Southern Federal Tax Institute; University of California Securities Regulation Institute; Chicago Estate Planning Council; National Association of Estate Planning Councils; Chicago Federal Tax Forum; Chicago Tax Club; national and regional meetings of the American Society of Corporate Secretaries; Association of General Counsel; American Bankers Association; national and regional meetings of the National Association of Small Business Investment Companies; Association for Corporate Growth; International Fiscal Association; McGraw-Hill and Harcourt Brace Seminars; Wharton Enterprise Institute; Garage.com - Bootcamp for Lawyers
Courts
U.S. Supreme Court
