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Tom Gottschalk

Of Counsel
Kirkland & Ellis

Tom Gottschalk is Of Counsel to Kirkland & Ellis, practicing in the Washington, D.C., office of the firm. He is active in a number of organizations related to legal reform and support for independent judiciaries. He currently serves as non-executive Chair of the board of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform, and on the boards of Justice at Stake, Transparency International‐USA, and the National Conference of Citizenship. In 2007, he completed six years as a member of the board of the National Center for State Courts.

Tom practiced at Kirkland from 1967 to 1994, specializing in commercial litigation. He was in the firm’s Chicago office until 1979, when he transferred his practice to Washington. He was a managing partner of that office and was a member of the Firm’s management committee.

He joined General Motors Corporation as its General Counsel in 1994 and retired from the company in 2007 as Executive Vice‐President for Law & Public Policy. He then rejoined Kirkland, where he resumed his litigation practice and now chairs its Pro Bono Management Committee.

Among other honors, he has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from The American Lawyer and the Chesterfield Smith Award for pro bono service from the Pro Bono Institute.