John E. Freechack
John is Chairman of the firm's Financial Institutions Group.
In addition to heading the firm’s banking practice, John has advised hundreds of financial institutions on strategic, corporate governance and other matters for over 30 years. His extensive experience includes the representation of numerous public companies, as well as regional and community banks. John spends considerable time counseling institutions with respect to mergers and acquisitions, regulatory enforcement, and securities and corporate law matters.
John has been teaching banking law at Northwestern University School of Law since 2001. He previously taught bank holding company law at Chicago Kent College of Law's graduate program in financial services law and has been a visiting lecturer at other law schools. He is a well-known speaker at national conferences involving the financial institutions area, addressing bank trade associations, regulators and industry groups across the country. He is one of only three recipients of the Illinois Bankers Association’s Distinguished Bank Counsel Award.
He is the Co-Editor of the two-volume handbook, Advising Illinois Financial Institutions. A long time member of the American Bar Association Business Law Section’s Banking Law Committee, he is the founder and also served as Chairman of its Community Bank Matters Subcommittee.
The Financial Institutions Group was again named as one of the top financial institution groups in the nation in the U.S. News & Best Lawyers 2015 report.Chicago, Illinois 60606