Jenner & Block Associate Killed in a Snowmobile Accident

We have tragic news from Jenner & Block this weekend. Grant Folland, 29, a litigation associate in the firm’s Chicago office, was killed in a snowmobile accident on Saturday. According to the Associated Press, which first reported on the accident, he “lost control of his snowmobile and struck a tree next to the trail.”

Jenner & Block managing partner Susan Levy sent out a statement about his death last night:

It is with profound sadness that I tell you that our colleague, Grant Folland, passed away today from a snow mobile accident in Wisconsin. He was with several of our colleagues at the time. We do not yet know any of the details of the arrangements the family will be making, but will of course pass those on when we learn more. Words cannot begin to describe this tragedy, but our hearts go out to his family, and our many fond memories of Grant will live on.

The accident happened in Lake Tomahawk, Wisconsin. Folland was traveling with four other snowmobiles when he crashed. He died at the scene of the accident at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. According to the AP report, the accident was due to inexperience; alcohol was not “a factor in the crash.”

The devastating news has circulated today among firm attorneys and among Folland’s University of Chicago law classmates.

Folland was a University of Chicago Law ’08 grad. From his firm bio:

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Prior to attending law school, Mr. Folland interned for the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) and the Political Section for the United States Mission to the Organization of American States (OAS) at the United States Department of State.

Mr. Folland graduated from James Madison College at Michigan State University with highest honors in 2004, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations, with a concentration in Asian Studies. He earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago Law School in 2008. While attending law school, Mr. Folland served as co-chair of the school’s Outlaw LBGT organization. Mr. Folland also worked as an extern at the National Immigrant Justice Center.

Mr. Folland is a member of the Illinois Bar and is admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. He is a member of the Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago.

A number of Jenner partners and associates were with Folland this weekend in Wisconsin, but it was not an official firm event.

A number of friends have written memorials on Folland’s Facebook wall, including one classmate who says he will miss Folland and that his last memory of him “is our conversation about the BCS and antitrust legislation.”

Our sympathies go out to Folland’s family and friends.

Here is the full statement from firm chairman Susan Levy:

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EMAIL FROM JENNER & BLOCK MANAGING PARTNER

From: Levy, Susan C
Sent: Saturday, February 20, 2010 5:01 PM
To: #All Personnel – All Offices
Subject: Grant Folland

It is with profound sadness that I tell you that our colleague, Grant Folland, passed away today from a snow mobile accident in Wisconsin. He was with several of our colleagues at the time. We do not yet know any of the details of the arrangements the family will be making, but will of course pass those on when we learn more. Words cannot begin to describe this tragedy, but our hearts go out to his family, and our many fond memories of Grant will live on. Please know that we have grief counselors who are available to talk to you. We will have someone in the Chicago and New York offices all day Monday. If you would like to talk to someone before then please call our 24 hour Employee Assistance Program at the following number: EAP 1 800 — —-

Susan C. Levy
Managing Partner
Jenner & Block LLP


Man Dies In Snowmobile Accident In Northern Wis. [Wisconsin AP News]