Juan R. Thomas

Juan R. Thomas, Of Counsel to Clifford Law Offices, has been hailed as a national leader in the legal and civic community. Previously, he served as Founder and Principal Partner of The Thomas Law Group for nearly 25 years, representing clients throughout the state of Illinois in numerous civil litigation and estate matters. 

Prior to entering private practice, Juan Thomas served as Labor Counsel to Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, providing legal advice on labor, employment and collective bargaining issues for the Office’s 4,000 employees. Juan has practiced in small and large law firms where he gained broad knowledge and experience in labor and employment law affecting the private sector, state and local governments, as well as school districts. Over the years, he also has handled several personal injury matters. 

He has been recognized by many organizations for his excellence in the law. Juan Thomas is among the Top 100 Trial Lawyers named by the National Black Lawyers, an honor given to those who have demonstrated excellence and have achieved outstanding results in their careers. The Illinois Supreme Court appointed Juan in 2024 to the Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission Review Board, the state agency that regulates and disciplines lawyers in the state. 

He also is very active in the legal community. Juan is the 1st Vice President of the Illinois Bar Foundation (IBF), placing him in line to become only the second African American lawyer to ever serve as President of the IBF since its creation in 1951. Juan represented the Illinois State Bar Association in the American Bar Association (ABA) House of Delegates from 2021-2023, becoming only the second African American lawyer to represent the Illinois State Bar in the ABA’s 148-year history. Juan was elected and currently serves as a member of the ABA Board of Governors. He served as Chair of the ABA Civil Rights & Social Justice Section in 2022-23 where he convened the first-ever Economic Justice Summit, bringing together policymakers, experts and community leaders to develop policy solutions to address issues of economic inequality. As Chair, Juan launched and hosted a weekly podcast called “The Chair Chat,” where he interviewed leaders in numerous fields to address civil rights and social justice issues. 

Juan served as the 75th President of the National Bar Association (NBA) from 2017-18. During his term as President, the NBA co-founded the National Commission for Voter Justice to address voter suppression across the country while advancing electoral reform and civic engagement. Under his Law & Technology Initiative, Juan was the first NBA President to lead the Association to Silicon Valley to promote more diversity and inclusion in the technology industry. Also, under his leadership, the NBA established its first LGBTQ+ Lawyers Division to further advance an inclusive environment for all members of its Association regardless of sexual orientation or identity. 

Juan’s dedication to developing lawyers for bar leadership and community service led to his election in 2023 as Secretary of the National Conference of Bar Presidents (NCBP), a national association of lawyers-leaders whose mission is to provide high-quality programming and leadership development training for members of the legal community. With his election, Juan will serve as President of NCBP during the 2026-27 bar year. 

Juan Thomas’ involvement in civic and community activities is equally impressive. Currently, Juan is on the Board of Directors of the National Center for Access to Justice, Leadership Greater Chicago Fellows Association, the Cook County Bar Association, Board Treasurer for Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities (TASC), and the General Counsel to the Morehouse College National Alumni Association. He is a member of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association. It is clear that Juan Thomas has embraced a life-long commitment to community and public service. 

Juan Thomas’ educational background is impressive as well. A graduate of Morehouse College, Juan also holds a MEd in Educational Policy Studies from the University of Illinois College of Education in Champaign-Urbana, a MA in Religious Studies from the University of Chicago Divinity School, a program that aims to prepare students for careers in urban educational research and policy analysis, as well as for leadership roles in urban schools. Juan Thomas also holds a Doctor of Ministry (DMin) in Preaching from the Chicago Theological Seminary. Juan also serves as an adjunct professor at U of I College of Law where he teaches “The History of the African American Lawyer in the United States” 

Juan has demonstrated his leadership and his commitment to doing what is right when he successfully defended a Naperville high school student for an alleged theft of a pair of iPhone air pods. Not only did he successfully defend the student in 2023, but this case brought attention to how Illinois school districts wrongfully placed high school students in the criminal justice system instead of resolving minor disciplinary issues internally in the school district. As a result, in 2025, the State of Illinois passed legislation prohibiting local school districts from ticketing high school students for minor infractions. While in law school, Juan successfully ran for his hometown school board, commuting 120 miles each way every weekend during his campaign. At the age of 25, Juan became the youngest person ever elected to the West Aurora School Board where he served as the Chairman of the school board’s Personnel Committee. In 2005, he was elected Aurora Township Clerk becoming the first African American to win a township-wide office in Aurora, the second largest city in the state of Illinois. 

He has previously served on the Board of Directors of Mutual Ground Inc., an organization committed to providing support to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault and their families in west suburban Chicago, the A+ Foundation for the West Aurora School District #129, the Community Renewal Society, the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, the University of Illinois College of Education Board of Visitors, and the University of Illinois College of Law Alumni Association. Juan Thomas also previously served as the General Counsel and Board member for 100 Black Men of Chicago, Inc., 1st Vice President of the DuPage County Branch of the NAACP, Co-Chair of the Board of Directors of the American Constitution Society (Chicago Chapter), and Chairman of the Quad County African American Chamber of Commerce. 

Juan Thomas has been recognized by several organizations for his extraordinary efforts and achievements both in the legal community and throughout the Chicago area. He was awarded the 2024 Honorary Law Alumni Award from Northern Illinois University College of Law, an award bestowed to individuals who are not graduates of the NIU College of Law but who have demonstrated extraordinary commitment to the college and the communities it serves. He also received the American Bar Association’s 2024 Spirit of Excellence Award for his commitment to promote a more racially and ethnically diverse legal profession. In 2023, he was selected by the Chicago Defender as a Men of Excellence Honoree. 

In addition to his professional, legal and civic involvement, Juan Thomas and his wife, Angela, are proud members of Cathedral of Grace, St. John African Methodist Episcopal Church in Aurora where he serves as the Minister for Social Justice.