Jill Wine-Banks

Jill Wine-Banks, a distinguished attorney and MSNBC Legal Analyst, is a prominent figure in political and legal discourse. Her association with MSNBC began in July 2017 when she made her debut appearance to comment on an opinion piece she wrote in the Chicago Tribune titled “Former Watergate Prosecutor: Comey’s Firing Is As Bad as the Saturday Night Massacre.” This initial commentary led to her being hired as an MSNBC Contributor, marking the beginning of her impactful tenure with the network.

Jill's influence extends beyond traditional news analysis. She co-hosts two top-rated podcasts: #SistersinLaw and iGenPolitics, where she offers insights into governance, corruption, and cultural dynamics. Notably, #SistersInLaw, a 2024 Webby Award Winner, is produced by Politicon and features Jill alongside political and legal luminaries Joyce Vance, Barb McQuade, and Kimberly Atkins Stohr. Meanwhile, in iGenPolitics, Jill collaborates with Victor Shi to engage audiences of all ages in pressing national issues. (Currently, iGenPolitics is on hiatus as Victor works on the Biden campaign.)

Beyond her two podcasts, Jill is a celebrated author, with her memoir, The Watergate Girl, optioned for a film adaptation by Katie Holmes/Noelle Productions. She continues to contribute op-eds to various esteemed publications, including NBC, the Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, Politico, MSNBC, and the Huffington Post.

Jill's influence extends to national and international television, radio, and podcasts, where she provides expert analysis and commentary. As a sought-after speaker, she shares her wealth of knowledge with audiences around the world. Additionally, Jill has made notable appearances in documentaries and films, including Charles Ferguson's Watergate, Robert Redford's All the President's Men Revisited, and Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 11/9.

Law Career

Jill Wine-Banks began her law career as the first woman to serve as an organized crime prosecutor at the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. After just over four years in that position, she was hand-picked to be one of the three Assistant Watergate Special Prosecutors in the obstruction of justice trial against President Nixon's top aides, including his Attorney General, Chief of Staff, and Chief Domestic Adviser. President Nixon was named an unindicted co-conspirator in that case, and evidence from that case lead to Nixon’s resignation. Before that, Jill’s team delivered a briefcase of evidence to the House Judiciary Committee as a road map to impeachment. She was also a major player in the Watergate tapes hearing, famously cross examining Rose Mary Woods, President Nixon’s secretary, about the 18 ½ minute gap in a key White House recording. Once again, she was the only woman on the team.

At the conclusion of the Watergate case, Jill entered private practice at the Washington, D.C. offices of Fried Frank Harris Shriver and Kampelman before being named General Counsel of the U.S. Army by President Carter. At the Pentagon, she supervised what was, in essence, the world's largest law firm. She is particularly proud of her work with Congress to level the playing field for women in the army by eliminating the Woman’s Army Corps and integrating women into the regular army as well as into West Point and basic training. In that capacity, she was General Counsel of the Panama Canal Corporation and a member of the Army Policy and Procurement Council.  

After the Pentagon, Jill returned to her hometown, Chicago, as a partner at Jenner and Block, specializing in litigation and immigration, before being appointed as Illinois’s first Solicitor General, where she supervised all appellate cases and argued cases in the US and Illinois Supreme Courts.  Later she was promoted to Deputy Attorney General. She was the first woman in that position as well.

Professional Association, Corporate and Nonprofit Work

Jill Wine-Banks next became Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the American Bar Association, the first woman in that role. After her tenure there, Jill turned to the business world. At Motorola, Jill was responsible for international business development and the creation of cellular operating companies around the globe, often interacting with government officials abroad and in D.C. Her first project was in Pakistan; subsequent assignments took her to Ukraine, China, Singapore, Europe and South America. After seven years at Motorola, including time as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Motorola's joint venture company in St. Petersburg, Russia, Maytag recruited Jill to step in as its Vice President of Alliance Management, where she worked extensively in Japan and Europe.

After Maytag, Jill served as CEO of Winning Workplaces, a nonprofit dedicated to helping small and mid-size businesses be more profitable by being better workplaces. Subsequently she spent five years as the Chief Officer of career and technical education for the Chicago Public Schools, where she supervised and supported the career education staff and worked with Chicago's corporate community, post-secondary educational institutions and government agencies. One of her proudest accomplishments was creating DeVry Advantage Academy High School, where students graduate after four years with a high school diploma and an associate degree.

Later Career

In 2014, the Secretary of Defense appointed Jill Wine-Banks to the Judicial Proceedings Panel’s Subcommittee on Sexual Assault in the military, where she served until 2017. Her subcommittee held hearings in D.C. and on military installations in the U.S. and abroad. It generated seven reports recommending improvements to the military’s handling of sexual assault cases, many of which have been adopted or enacted into legislation.

Jill’s corporate board experience includes Cenvill Development Corporation, a retirement home and real estate development company in West Palm Beach, Florida; and Ashworth, a for-profit education company in the Sterling Partners portfolio. 

Her civic and charitable activities include the Better Government Association Board of Directors, the Executive Service Corps Board of Directors, the President’s Advisory Council of Governors State University, and the Advisory Board of the National Veterans Museum. She is active in The Chicago Network where she was formerly on the board. She has also served on the boards of the International Women’s Forum and the Chicago ACLU, Operation Green Jobs, Project Lead the Way, the Board of Advisors of Roosevelt, the Board of Overseers of IIT's Kent Law School and as Fundraising Co-Chair of the Journalism School at UIUC.

Awards

Jill Wine-Banks awards include the American Bar Association’s Margaret Brent Award, several from the United States Department of Justice, the highest civilian award given by the United States Department of the Army, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from Who's Who in America. 

Jill Wine-Banks has a B.S. in Communications from the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, a J.D. from Columbia University School of Law in New York City, and an Honorary Doctor of Law from Hood College. She lives in the Chicago area with her husband Michael and Brisbie, their Dalmatian.