Avanti D. Bakane has joined Gordon & Rees as a partner in the firm's Chicago office. She is a member of the firm's Commercial Litigation Practice Group. Bakane comes to the firm from Hinshaw & Culbertson.
Bakane has represented publicly traded and smaller companies in areas including complex class action, antitrust, and other commercial litigation with a focus in consumer class action defense. She has experience in federal and state courts across the country. She is experienced with ethical and compliance matters and pre-suit negotiations, litigation, and other legal counseling.
In addition to professional work, Bakane is active in several legal organizations, including serving a two-year term (2016-2018) as the Central Regional Governor for the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association. In 2015, she was the President of the South Asian Bar Association of Chicago (formerly the Indian-American Bar Association of Chicago) and in 2016 she is serving as an honorary board member of the Asian American Bar Association of Chicago.
Bakane has received regional and national recognition for her skill and success as a commercial litigator. For two consecutive years (2014-2016), she has been recognized as a Rising Star by Illinois Super Lawyers magazine. In 2013, she was named to the inaugural list of Lawyers of Color Hot List.
In addition to building her legal career, she volunteers as an Associate Board member for Leading India’s Future Today (LIFT). She is actively involved in helping LIFT achieve its mission of raising money to provide education and a home environment for high-potential orphans and underprivileged youth that otherwise would be denied schooling due to limited access to resources.
Bakane earned her J.D. (2009) from DePaul University College of Law and her B.A. (2005) from the University of California at Santa Barbara and is licensed in both Illinois and California.