Preparing for Evolving Litigation: Trends You Need to Know

David is responsible for overseeing the legal services provided to JLL’s businesses in the Americas, acting as the primary legal contact for the Americas.

David has supported our business at JLL for more than ten years. He previously held roles as U.S. Litigation Director and Managing Chief Counsel, before stepping up to become the General Counsel, JLL Americas in 2019.

After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, David earned his law degree at William & Mary, where he was a member of the William & Mary Law Review. After law school, David began his legal career as an associate at Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhodes LLP in Philadelphia and later at Morgan Lewis in Philadelphia and Washington, DC.

David’s in-house work began at Sodexo in Gaithersburg, Maryland, then as Vice President, Human Resources Counsel at LandAmerica Financial Group in Richmond, Virginia, where he served as the sole employment and employee benefits attorney for a large international real estate transaction services company with 12,000 employees across forty-plus states and several foreign countries. David joined JLL in 2008 and has risen in the ranks, having previously served as Chief Counsel, Managing Chief Counsel, and U.S. Litigation Director. David, who is based in Chicago, is a member of the bar in Illinois, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia.

In his spare time, David enjoys spending time with his wife and their seven kids. He lives in Hinsdale, Illinois.

Kenya A. Jenkins-Wright is the General Counsel of the Illinois Guardianship & Advocacy Commission (GAC). Prior to joining GAC, Ms. Jenkins-Wright spent 12 years as a litigator, with the law firms of Hinshaw & Culbertson and Greene and Letts (n/k/a Zuber, Lawler & Del Duca), handling product liability, medical malpractice, and Section 1983 civil rights actions.

Ms. Jenkins-Wright’s bar association and community involvement has been recognized over the years, including: Chicago Daily Law Bulletin and Chicago Lawyer Top 50 Women in Law; Illinois Bar Foundation’s inaugural 2020 Changemaker Award; National Bar Association 40 Under 40; Chicago Daily Law Bulletin 40 Under Forty Illinois Attorneys to Watch; American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division’s Star of the Year Award; Illinois Super Lawyer; Northern Illinois University College of Law’s Excellence in Service and Leadership Award; Cook County Bar Association’s Junior Counselor Award; and Cook County Bar Association President’s Award.

Ms. Jenkins-Wright is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA). Ms. Jenkins-Wright is Co-Chair of the ISBA Steering Committee on Racial Inequality. Ms. Jenkins-Wright is a past chair of the Standing Committee on Racial & Ethnic Minorities and the Law; member of the Standing Committee on Disability Law; member of the Women and the Law Committee; and member of the Bench & Bar Section Council.

She serves as an ARDC Hearing Board Member reviewing disciplinary matters involving Illinois licensed attorneys. Ms. Jenkins-Wright is also a past president of the Black Women Lawyers’ Association of Greater Chicago, Inc. (BWLA). Under Ms. Jenkins-Wright’s leadership, BWLA hosted a three-day National Summit of Black Women Lawyers, which addressed various issues relevant to black women attorneys and the minority community. She is also a past board member of the Cook County Bar Association, the oldest African-American Bar Association in the country.

In addition, Ms. Jenkins-Wright is the Second Vice President of the Chicago Bar Foundation (CBF) and past president of the CBF Young Professionals Board. Early in her career, she served as Diversity Director of the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division.

Ms. Jenkins-Wright received her Juris Doctor from Northern Illinois University College of Law graduating magna cum laude in May of 2003. She graduated magna cum laude from Valparaiso University in May of 2000. She was admitted to the practice of law in Illinois in 2003 and admitted to the Northern District of Illinois in 2004.

Ron is the current Litigation and Commercial Counsel at Brunswick Corporation, which is located in Mettawa, Illinois. Prior to his position at Brunswick, Ron spent over a decade in private practice representing insurance companies in coverage matters arising from property and casualty, environmental, toxic torts, and construction defect matters.

Ryan Harding is a corporate litigator based in Chicago. He currently is Associate General Counsel at Invenergy, a renewable energy company, where he manages litigation and provides counsel to internal clients.

Prior to Invenergy, Ryan worked at Exelon, another company in the energy space. At Exelon, Ryan began as Assistant General Counsel in Litigation, then served as Chief of Staff to the General Counsel and Legal Operations Lead, and later rejoined Litigation as Associate General Counsel. Before going in-house, Ryan was a litigator with outside law firms for more than 11 years, most recently with Jenner & Block.

Ryan is active in the legal community. He is President of Greater Chicago Legal Clinic’s Board of Directors, is a Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) Fellows Alumnus, and has been a panelist at various events discussing diversity, equity and inclusion and other topics.

Ryan is a graduate of Howard University School of Law where he was a member of the Howard Law Journal and Trial Advocacy Moot Court Team.

Bobby is a full-service litigator and trial lawyer who focuses his practice on private equity and mergers & acquisitions-related disputes. He has managed all aspects of the civil litigation process, including mediation, motion practice, managing complex discovery projects, taking and defending depositions, working alongside experts, preparing cases for trial and trying cases to verdict.