Roger H. Bickel

Partner

[email protected]

Phone: (312) 360-6377

Fax: (312) 360-6520

About

About

Roger Bickel, a Partner, serves as Chairman of our Firm's Government and Regulatory Law Practice Group. 

Roger's practice concentrates in the specific areas of: Government Relations and Regulatory Law, Litigation and Dispute Resolution, Lobbying & Corporate Representation and Procurement Advocacy.

Roger has over two decades of experience in representing a wide array of global Fortune 100 clients and businesses in high profile and financially significant legislative initiatives as well as complex commercial litigation. Often retained for some of the most challenging regulatory issues facing major corporate clients, his professional experience includes: General Counsel to two separate constitutional offices of State Government, Co-Author of the landmark Illinois Lobbyist Registration Act, Executive Director of the Governor's Small Business Advisory Council, Director of the Caucus of National Lieutenant Governors, and Special Regulatory Counsel to numerous corporations and state agencies. He routinely serves as special counsel to a broad array of multinational companies for regulatory compliance guidance on select campaign finance and corporate board ethics issues.

Roger enjoys the highest possible Martindale-Hubbell legal ability/ethical standards rating ("A-V Preeminent attorney"). He was previously selected by the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin and Chicago Lawyer publications as one of the "40 Under Forty Illinois Attorneys to Watch," a designation accorded to less than 1% of the state's practicing attorneys.

Roger was selected and named by his peer attorneys in a recent edition of The Best Lawyers in America® as the “2021 Chicago Lawyer of the Year” for Government Relations Practice. He has been selected by Best Lawyers in America for designation continuously each year since 2007.  The Best Lawyers in America®, representing 80 specialties in all 50 states and Washington, DC, is compiled through an exhaustive peer-review survey in which thousands of the top lawyers in the U.S. confidentially evaluate their professional peers.

From 2004 through 2022, Roger was selected by his own peers in a statewide evaluation as one of "Illinois' Leading Lawyers" in Regulatory Law representation, a distinction accorded to less than 5% of the state's most respected and experienced practicing attorneys. He has been featured as one of the top designated lawyers in Illinois in numerous editions of Chicago Lawyer magazine and Illinois Super Lawyers magazine, including 2022.

For four years, Roger has also served by appointment with the Department of Justice as a Special Assistant United States Attorney in securities law cases. He has represented numerous professional and trade associations, governmental bodies and individuals before the General Assembly, and the many regulatory agencies of the State of Illinois, the City of Chicago and the Federal Government.

In business litigation, he has successfully represented Fortune 500 companies, partnerships, small businesses, universities, and directors and officers in breach of contract claims, regulatory matters, significant enforcement of judgment suits (i.e. overseas assets), negligence claims, civil rights and constitutional claims, environmental and securities enforcement matters, and a variety of other claims and trials.

Roger served on the Firm's Executive Committee for nine years.

Representative Matters

Representative Matters

  • (House Bill 1284; Public Act 91-935) - Served as counsel for legislation securing state bond authorization for $487 million to renovate Chicago’s professional football stadium (Soldier Field) and for related improvements to Chicago’s lakefront.

  • (House Bill 5803; Public Act 92-798) - Authored and secured passage of legislation establishing new state regulatory framework for the Internet auction industry.

  • (House Bill 873; Public Act 94-0020) - Authored and secured passage of legislation amending the Illinois Criminal Code to authorize the resale of event tickets on Internet sites.

  • (Senate Bill 603; Public Act 90-253) - Authored and arranged for passage of legislation making significant changes to the Illinois Pharmacy Practice Act of 1987.

  • Adoption of various infant vaccine requirements by the State of Illinois Immunization Advisory Council, Department of Public Health and the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules to achieve consistency with CDC and ACIP guidelines.

  • Special Procurement Counsel - Successfully defended a public agency in a significant contract award and served as special counsel to train state agencies’ in-house counsel in the interpretation and application of the new Illinois Procurement Code.

  • Routinely requested by state and local government bodies to serve as their special counsel in significant legal proceedings.

  • (House Bill 3440; Public Act 92-008) - Legislation providing $38 million in funding appropriation for not-for-profit related offender re-entry initiatives and treatment.

  • Obtained approval by General Assembly for the expenditure of several million dollars in economic development subsidies for distressed Illinois manufacturing businesses.

Honors & Awards

Honors & Awards

  • Chicago Daily Law Bulletin and Chicago Lawyer – 40 Under Forty Illinois Attorneys to Watch – 2000
  • The Best Lawyers in America - 2021 Chicago Lawyer of the Year, Government Relations Practice
  • The Best Lawyers in America - 2023, Government Relations Practice (cited in multiple years)
  • Illinois Leading Lawyers - 2020 (cited in multiple years)
  • Illinois Super Lawyers - 2022, Legislative & Governmental Affairs, Civil Litigation, Lobbying, Health Care (cited in multiple years)
  • Leading Lawyers Magazine - Top 10 Government, Municipal, Lobbying & Administrative Lawyers” in Illinois, 2018
  • Martindale-Hubbell legal ability/ethical standards rating (“A-V”) - Highest possible rating

Professional Activities

Professional Activities

  • Illinois State Bar Association
  • Indiana University Alumni Association

Perspectives