John G. Levi

Who is John G. Levi?

John G. Levi was nominated to serve on the Board of Directors of the Legal Services Corporation by President Barack Obama on August 6, 2009, and his nomination was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 19, 2010. He was elected Chairman of the LSC Board by his fellow Board members on April 7, 2010.

Levi, a partner at Sidley Austin, played a pivotal role in Obama’s younger days. The president and wife Michelle Obama met each other for the first time after Levi hired them in 1989 to work at the Chicago law firm. Newton N. Minow describes his and Levi's role in bringing the two together: “My daughter Martha called to say that one of her best students, Barack Obama, wanted to spend the summer as a law firm associate in Chicago,” said Minow, referring to his daughter, law professor Martha Minow. “I called our partner John Levi, who heads our recruiting for the firm, and suggested this; John laughed and told me that he had already heard about Barack and had already hired him.”

Levi was born in Chicago, Illinois. His father was Edward H. Levi, a former president of the University of Chicago and United States Attorney General under President Gerald R. Ford.