Joan A. Akalaonu

Past Experience

Before joining Faegre Drinker, Joan was an associate at Skadden, Arps Slate, Meagher & Flom, where she represented and advised clients in various commercial litigation matters, investigations and enforcement actions brought by government agencies, and internal investigations involving complaints and allegations of employee misconduct.

During law school, Joan externed with Judge Sanjay Tailor, associate judge in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Chancery Division. She also externed at the Loyola Civitas Child Law Clinic, where she served as a child representative for family law cases in domestic relations court and represented a child victim in a federal criminal restitution case in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana.

Prior to law school, Joan, who has a Master’s in Social Work, worked for several years as a children’s social worker in Chicago and London, safeguarding young children and their families within their homes, through legal care proceedings and through foster care/adoption. Her time as a social worker in London also provided her with ample legal experience, including assisting attorneys throughout cases in legal proceedings, drafting position papers and providing testimony.

Personal Interests