S ince the onset of her career, Avanti Bakane has taken a pragmatic approach to problem solving, a lawyer’s primary role day in and day out. Joshua Vincent, attorney with Chicago’s Hinshaw & Culbertson, points to a case Bakane took on as a first-year associate. She argued a difficult criminal appeal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Bakane, Vincent said, did an amazing job on the briefs and at oral argument. “From that point on, Avanti distinguished herself as a highly capable and effective courtroom advocate in the consumer finance class-action space,” Vincent said. “Avanti has great ‘field vision.’ She sees the big pic- ture better than many lawyers and is able to think strategically, often staying a step ahead of her adversaries. She is highly articulate and a very effective oral advocate. She is also a person of the utmost integrity and professionalism.” Bakane didn’t stop there. Still a young lawyer, Bakane sharpened her appellate briefing skills and obtained favorable ruling in the Eighth Cir- cuit Court of Appeals, convincing the court not to disturb a sophisticat- ed financial industry client’s summary judgment win in the lower court. Bakane went on to serve as second chair in her first jury trial and there, earned a favorable result involving claims brought under consumer pro- tection statutes. Bakane has since continued to sharpen her trial skills and widen her areas of expertise, obtaining her CIPP-US data privacy certification and a complete victory in a week-long arbitration brought against a software developer client with multi-million dollar liability at stake. “Avanti has achieved so much in her career at a young age,” said William Yu, associ- ate judge with the Circuit Court of Cook County. A Fortune 50 client of Bakane’s is complimentary of her relationship building, an invaluable skill in cultivating clients and building legal teams. Melinda Fuller, corporate counsel State Farm expressed, “You will not find a person who nurtures relationships better than Avanti Bakane. She meets people, pulls them in, connects them with each other, and con- tinually builds a network that supports success for all. Through Avanti, our defense team was strengthened not only by her own creative and firm litigation strategies, but was able to grow and create consistency across jurisdictions through the expansion of her team and an integrat- ed leadership style.” At the core of Bakane’s legal drive is her commitment to serve her community and further DEI efforts. Avanti is a natural leader, serving as co-chair of the firm’s South Asian Affinity Group, advisory board mem- ber for the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, and a past board member of various Asian Pacific American and women’s organi- zations both within and outside of Chicago. In her free time, Bakane volunteers with several non-profit organiza- tions to provide opportunities for underprivileged youth, curb gender violence, and find homes for rescue dogs.
AVANTI BAKANE
AGE 3 8
FIRM Gordon, Rees, Scully, Mansukhani LLP
LAW SCHOOL DePaul University College of Law
AREA OF PRACTICE Class action, data privacy, commercial litigation
2023 ILLINOIS ATTORNEYS TO WATCH
She sees the big picture better than many lawyers.”
40 Under Forty 2023 CHICAGO LAWYER & CHICAGO DAILY LAW BULLETIN 40 Under Forty 2023 CHICAGO LAWYER & CHICAGO DAILY LAW BULLETIN
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