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Kutak Rock Announces John Petr and Hilary Jackler as New Firm Chair, Vice Chair

News - Press Release | June 29, 2022

Kutak Rock is pleased to announce that John Petr, the current Vice Chair, and Hilary Jackler, the current Managing Partner of the Washington, D.C. and Richmond offices, have been selected to serve as Chair and Vice Chair, respectively, effective July 1, 2022. Petr succeeds Jay Selanders, who completes his five-year term as Chair on June 30th.

“I am excited and honored to serve the firm in this role,” remarked Petr. “For the past 35 years, I have been privileged to work alongside my Kutak Rock colleagues in the shared spirit of our founders—Bob Kutak and Harold Rock—who set out to create a distinctive institution focused on providing exceptional service and value for its clients and fostering a collaborative, entrepreneurial and inclusive culture for its people. In my new role, I am committed to honoring these traditions, executing the firm’s strategic plan and helping our people navigate a post-pandemic economic and business landscape with our clients’ best interests at the center of our service mission.”

“Since joining Kutak Rock as a summer associate 17 years ago, I have been proud to be part of a firm so deeply committed to our values and surrounded by talented professionals always striving to provide the best client service experience,” said Jackler. “I am honored to have the opportunity to serve our firm in this new capacity and look forward to collaborating with our members to continue expanding strategically upon our current success.” 

Petr added, “We are extremely appreciative of Jay’s leadership during his tenure as Chair. He leaves the firm stronger than he found it. His steady, consensus-based management style allowed us to weather the challenges of the pandemic in a manner that both demonstrated our deep commitment to the well-being of our people and positioned us to meet, unabated, the high expectations of our clients. We hope to serve the firm as effectively as he did.”    

John Petr practices in the Public Finance Department of the Omaha office. He has represented issuers, credit enhancers, lenders and underwriters in connection with taxable and tax-exempt financings in the housing, military housing, higher education, electric energy and project finance sectors. Petr earned his J.D. from the University of California at Berkeley School of Law and his B.A., summa cum laude, from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. He is admitted to practice law in Nebraska.

Hilary Jackler practices in the Corporate and Government Services Department in the Washington, D.C. office. Her practice focuses on representing governmental entities to implement public-private partnerships, develop real estate, and establish programs and policies. Jackler earned her J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Maryland School of Law and her B.A., cum laude, from the University of Maryland. She is admitted to practice law in Washington, D.C. and Maryland.

About Kutak Rock LLP
With a footprint spanning 19 offices in 14 states and the District of Columbia, Kutak Rock’s 550+ attorneys work seamlessly to provide clients excellent, responsive legal services. The firm’s multidisciplinary practice comprises more than 25 areas of focus and dozens of discrete specialties.