With more than 300 members, the Emerging Leaders community is a dynamic cross-sector network of Chicago’s visionary, globally minded, locally committed leaders.
Now with Kirkland & Ellis, Mark Schneider was previously an assistant US attorney for the Northern District of Illinois and served as chief of appeals. A federal prosecutor based in Chicago, he also handled a multi-year national security investigation that resulted in the first successful prosecution for a violation of the Intelligence Identities Protection Act in 27 years.
Michael Scudder Jr. is a Circuit Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. He earned his BBA as co-valedictorian from Saint Joseph's College and his JD magna cum laude from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law. Before law school, Scudder worked as an auditor for Ernst and Young and is a certified public accountant.
Tejas Shah serves as primary outside counsel to Fortune 500 companies, small businesses, school districts, and universities, advising them on strategies for hiring top international talent, complying with workplace mandates in a high-risk environment, and ensuring educational opportunities for vulnerable populations.
Juliet Sorensen is a clinical professor of law and the director of Loyola's Rule of Law Institute and Program in Rule of Law for Development. She was previously on the faculty of Northwestern and served as the executive director of Injustice Watch, a nonprofit investigative journalism organization focused on systemic inequities in the courts.
Kendra Stead has extensive experience in every phase of litigation and typically represents companies and professional services firms in commercial disputes, securities litigation, and professional liability actions. She counsels corporate clients regarding their contractual rights and obligations and regularly pursues and defends large-scale contract disputes.
While at Northern Illinois University's College of Law, Morse Tan directed the international law certificate program. A US Supreme Court Fellowship finalist and a member of the US Supreme Court Bar, he previously worked at the University of Texas Law School as a visiting scholar and Senior Research Fellow.
Kruti Trivedi is previously an assistant US attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, where she served in the securities and commodities fraud section. A federal prosecutor based in Chicago, Trivedi has investigated and prosecuted a wide array of crimes, ranging from complex frauds to corruption to violent crimes.
Rebecca van Uitert created a unique professional pathway that combined a successful business immigration practice with a sustained commitment to pro bono representation of vulnerable immigrants. At Fragomen, the world’s largest immigration law firm, she served as primary outside immigration counsel to multiple Fortune 500 international corporations.
Ed Weaver is an international tax partner at Grant Thornton, based in their Chicago office. He has over 13 years of experience advising multinational clients on international and domestic tax issues. He also serves as an associate board member at Ladder Up, a nonprofit organization that provides free tax return preparation for low-income individuals.
Mark Williams is the CEO of Magna Legal Services, a nationally operating provider of legal support services and technology backed by private equity. He previously served as president and COO of PPL Group and Big Shoulders Capital, and before that, as president and CEO of Kroll Ontrack, a global legal technology company with over 1,200 employees in 35 offices across 20 countries.
