Biography
Mr. Orlofsky has been an attorney specializing in complex civil litigation for over thirty years. After graduating from Northwestern University Law School in 1980, he clerked for the Honorable Milton I. Shadur of the United State District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Following his clerkship, he joined the firm then called Plotkin & Jacobs, Ltd. and later Plotkin, Jacobs & Orlofsky, Ltd, where he handled a wide variety of civil cases, with an emphasis on class actions. The firm’s most notable result was an ERISA class action against Continental Can Company that resulted in a $415 million settlement.
In November of 2000, Mr. Orlofsky formed his own firm, the Law Offices of Jonah Orlofsky. He has continued his litigation practice through that firm, handling complex civil cases in Illinois and throughout the country. Mr. Orlofsky has tried numerous cases to verdict, both in Illinois and other states, and has handled numerous appeals in the state and federal courts. His practice has included class actions, ERISA, insurance coverage disputes, antitrust, wrongful death, securities fraud, and many other substantive areas.
Mr. Orlofsky is married (to a lawyer), has three children, lives in Glencoe, Illinois, and is an avid jazz musician.
Education
B.A., State University of New York at Binghamton, 1977
J.D., Northwestern University Law School, 1980
Awards
Adlai Stevenson Award for Best Brief in Moot Court Competition
Publications
Illinois State Bar Association, In the Alternative
What law governs the mediation privilege in federal cases?, May 2014
Illinois State Bar Journal
Unsettled Settlements: Understanding Mediation Agreements, August 2013
American Bar Association, Section of Litigation,
Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee
Mediation and the Federal Arbitration Act, May 3, 2013
Arbitrator Should Decide If Mediation Requirement Has Been Met, March 11, 2013
Are There Consequences to Turning Down an Offer in Mediation? March 5, 2013
Chicago Bar Association, The Record
Can Your Retainer Agreement Include A Fee Provision? November 2011
Articles Editor Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology
The Immunity of the Attorney General, 71 Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology 23 (1980)
Speaking Engagements
Circuit Court of Cook County Alternative Dispute Resolution
Pre-Mediation Agreements seminar, November 8, 2012
Utah Association for Justice, Giants of the Trial Bar
Don’t Wait For Oral Argument To Win Your Appeal, October 4, 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
Employment History
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
Court Admissions
Illinois Bar
United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois Trial Bar
United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
Sample Clients
Fortune five hundred tool manufacturer
Large insurance company
Retail bank
Trust company
Privately held food manufacturer
2000 laid-off steelworkers