For over 35 years Jonah Orlofsky has been involved in complex civil litigation in courthouses across the country. He has litigated, arbitrated and mediated cases in a broad spectrum of areas, including insurance coverage disputes, class actions, breach of contract, ERISA, securities fraud, RICO, breach of fiduciary duty, real estate disputes, employment matters, attorney-client disputes, and consumer disputes. He has also lectured and written extensively on topics relating to both mediation and litigation.
Education
1977: B.A., State University of New York at Binghamton
1980: J.D., Northwestern University Law School
Adlai Stevenson Award for Best Brief in Moot Court Competition
Articles Editor Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology
Published article: The Immunity of the Attorney General, 71
Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology 23 (1980
Professional Experience
| 1980 – 1982: | Law Clerk for the Honorable Milton I. Shadur, United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois |
| 1983 – 2000: | Associate and then partner, Plotkin, Jacobs & Orlofsky, Ltd. |
| 2000 – present: | Law Offices of Jonah Orlofsky |
| 2011 – present: | Orlofsky ADR Services |
Mediation Training
American Institute of Mediation, Impasse Is A Fallacy: A 2-Day Advanced Mediator’s Forum
Illinois State Bar Association, 40-hour Mediator Training
Center for Conflict Resolution, Foreclosure Mediation Training
Center for Conflict Resolution, Mediation Mentorship Program
Circuit Court of Cook County, Securities Arbitration and Mediation Seminar
DePaul Center for Dispute Resolution, Mediation Training
Association of Attorney Mediators, Advanced Mediation Training
Arbitration Training
American Arbitration Association two-day training
FINRA arbitration training
Circuit Court of Cook County commercial arbitration training
Mediation Publications
Unsettled Settlements: Understanding Mediation Agreements, Illinois State Bar Journal, August 2013
Making Sure a Mediated Settlement Is Binding, Chicago Bar Association, CBA Record, July/August 2014
What law governs the mediation privilege in federal cases?, Illinois State Bar Association, In the Alternative, May 2014
Volunteer Organizations
Lawyers for the Creative Arts, volunteer mediator
Center for Conflict Resolution, volunteer mediator
Speaking and Teaching
Circuit Court of Cook County Alternative Dispute Resolution Seminar, “Pre-Mediation Agreements,” November 8, 2012
Chicago Bar Association, Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee, “Should Your Firm’s Engagement Letter Contain an ADR Clause? – Use of Arbitration and Mediation for Legal Services Disputes,” May 3, 2012
Association of Attorney Mediators, “Mediation Contracts,” September 11, 2011
Frequent guest lecturer, John Marshall Law School
Hobbies
Avid jazz pianist