About Bruce R.
Bruce R. Braun built a career that mixes courtroom experience with civic engagement. He arrived at law after studying at Haverford College, where he earned a B.A. in 1985, and then completed his J.D. at the University of Virginia School of Law in 1989.
Braun began his legal career in the federal appellate and Supreme Court arenas. He clerked for Judge Joel M. Flaum on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in 1989. The following year he served as a law clerk to William H. Rehnquist at the United States Supreme Court. Those early years shaped a practice that spans multiple federal jurisdictions.
Over time Braun moved into private practice and now serves as a partner at Sidley. His bar admissions and federal qualifications include the State of Illinois, the U.S. Supreme Court, and a broad array of federal appellate courts—2nd, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 11th Circuits—as well as the trial and general bars of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Beyond his firm work, he has maintained an active role in nonprofit and civic organizations in Chicago. He serves on the board of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and on the board of the Digestive Health Foundation. He holds roles at CARPLS, Cook County’s legal aid hotline, including service on its executive committee and board, and he has served as its president. He chairs the Lawyers Division of the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago and has been its dinner chair in the past. He also chairs the North Service Area of the Chicago Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America.
Braun’s civic portfolio extends to cultural and human rights organizations. He is a member of the Honorary Committee for the Human Rights Awards of the National Immigrant Justice Center and is an emeritus member of the Auxiliary Board of the Art Institute of Chicago. Those roles reflect a steady presence in civic institutions alongside his legal work.
Colleagues and clients point to his appellate background and broad federal admissions when discussing the kinds of matters he takes on. He handles appellate and complex federal litigation matters in his current practice.
