An experienced litigator, Candace Jackson-Akiwumi focuses her practice on complex civil litigation, white collar criminal defense, and investigations.

Before joining the firm, Candace spent ten years as a staff attorney at the Federal Defender Program, Inc. in Chicago. As a federal public defender, she represented hundreds of clients accused of federal crimes ranging from fraud to firearms. Candace represented clients at every stage of the process, from investigation to trial, sentencing, and appeal, including petitions for writ of certiorari to the U.S. Supreme Court. She successfully advised grand jury appearances, negotiated pleas, achieved reduced sentences, and attained diversions from prosecution and other favorable results for clients and communities. She tried a number of federal jury trials and argued a half dozen appeals in the U.S. Court of Appeals.

During her decade as a defender, Candace was a featured speaker at two dozen presentations on federal practice and was a contributing author to a treatise on federal criminal practice. She also served as an Adjunct Professor at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law in Chicago.

Candace began private practice at the Chicago office of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, where she litigated complex civil cases related to contracts, tax, privacy, securities, and patent infringement.

After law school, Candace was a law clerk to the Hon. Roger Gregory of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and the Hon. David Coar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Candace received her J.D. from Yale Law School, where she was a Senior Editor of the Yale Law Journal and NAACP LDF Earl Warren Legal Scholar. She received her bachelor’s degree, with honors, from Princeton University.