Jacob Meister
Encyclopedia
Jacob Meister is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 lawyer from Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

 and former Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

. Meister practices law in Chicago for nearly 20 years, litigating cases involving interstate commerce, telecommunications, discrimination and civil rights. Prior to his legal career he worked in both Federal and State Government. This was the first time Meister ran for political office.

Biography

Meister was born in 1965, the youngest of five children, in the suburbs of Milwaukee. In 7th grade Meister was given an award for “outstanding leadership in the school and community” after organizing a protest that resulted in his teachers´ union signing their first employee contract.

In 1986, Meister earned his Bachelor's Degree, cum laude, in International Relations and Political Science from American University
American University
American University is a private, Methodist, liberal arts, and research university in Washington, D.C. The university was chartered by an Act of Congress on December 5, 1892 as "The American University", which was approved by President Benjamin Harrison on February 24, 1893...

 in Washington, D.C. Meister worked as a special-projects assistant on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. for Congressman Jim Moody of the 5th Congressional District of Wisconsin. Additionally, Jacob worked for the Milwaukee International Health Training Consortium (now the Center for International Health), handling compliance with the WHO international diagnostic coding system. Meister also researched foreign trade, competition and technology transfer with a special emphasis on U.S.-Japan economic relations and also worked for the International Institute for Studies and Training in Komiide, Japan.

Meister went on to attend and graduate with honors from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School in 1990. In 1993, Meister joined the law firm of Schwartz & Freeman and became partner in 1998. During these years, Meister focused on real estate, business, commercial law and banking. In 2002, Meister opened his own practice, The Law Offices of Jacob J. Meister, focusing on representation of small business including real estate developers, manufacturers, self-managed condominium associations, construction contractors, and tradesmen.

Throughout his legal career, Meister has been active in legal pro-bono work.

Campaign for U.S. Senate

Jacob Meister ran to be the first openly gay candidate for the U.S. Senate, seeking the seat vacated in 2008 by President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...

. In a debate at the Union League Club of Chicago
Union League Club of Chicago
The Union League Club of Chicago is a prominent social club located in downtown Chicago.-History:The Club can trace its roots to 1862, when radical southern sympathizers in the north were plotting an insurrection in Lincoln’s home state...

 in September 2009, Meister criticized opponent David Hoffman for Hoffman's peddling of his marital status and status as a parent. Meister cannot legally marry another man in the state of Illinois.
In a November 2009 debate, Meister said that his focus was on jobs and economic development.

Meister withdrew from campaigning and declared his support for Alexi Giannoulias
Alexi Giannoulias
Alexander "Alexi" Giannoulias is an American politician who served as Illinois Treasurer from 2007 to 2011. A Democrat, Giannoulias defeated Republican candidate State Senator Christine Radogno in November 2006 with 54 percent of the vote, becoming the first Democrat to hold the office in 12...

on January 31, 2010, several days before the February 2 election. Meister announced that Alexi Giannoulias agreed to adopt portions of Meister's platform, including his 20/20 vision plan. Meister's name remained on the February 2, 2010 primary ballot.

Jacob Meister is a founder of the Civil Rights Agenda, a not-for-profit organization.

External links

  • http://www.meisterforsenate.com/
  • http://www.meisterlaw.com/
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