JEAN MACLEAN SNYDER

Jean Maclean Snyder has much to be proud of. A well-respected lawyer with an expertise in litigation, intellectual property, and entertainment law, she has been a teaching team member of the Intensive Trial Practice Workshop at the University of Chicago since 2009. The workshop is led by clinical faculty with the support of seasoned, prominent litigators who volunteer their time to work with the students. During the two weeks of the workshop, students learn trial preparation, trial advocacy skills and strategy, direct and cross-examinations of witnesses, and delivering closing arguments through simulated trial exercises.
​
Additionally, Ms. Snyder has been a principal in the Law Office of Jean Maclean Snyder since 2004, and an independent adviser to the Midwest Coalition on Human Rights since 2000, as well as of counsel at the University of Chicago Law School and a partner at D’Ancona & Pflaum. From 1997 to 2004, Ms. Maclean Snyder was trial counsel for The MacArthur Justice Center at the University of Chicago Law School, a public interest law firm that litigates criminal justice issues.

Using her skills and expertise in her field, Ms. Snyder is the coauthor of “The Woman Advocate,” a continuing legal education program intended to provide litigation skills and professional development training specifically for the woman litigator. There, a panel of experienced lawyers demonstrate and discuss effective strategies and techniques for depositions, motion practice, jury trials, and rainmaking. Additionally, women advocates explain common mistakes female litigators make and discuss how to prepare for an oral argument.

To keep up with developments in her field, Ms. Snyder has affiliated herself with Lawyers for the Creative Arts, the ACLU of Illinois, and the American Bar Association. She was editor in chief of the magazine “Litigation,” cochairman of the First Amendment and Media Litigation Committee, and cochairman of the litigation task force on gender, racial, and ethnic bias. She was also on the board of directors of Citizens Alert from 2005 to 2007.

In recognition of the accomplishments in her field, Ms. Snyder received the excellence award from the U.S. District Court of the Northern District in Illinois in 2012. In addition, she is featured in numerous editions of Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in American Law, Who’s Who in the Midwest, Who’s Who in the World, and Who’s Who of American Women.

Ms. Snyder prepared for her career by earning a Bachelor of Arts and JD from the University of Chicago. She is certified to practice law by the State of Illinois, the U.S. District Court in Illinois, and the U.S. Court of Appeals.