Marlow Svatek

Marlow is a creative and versatile attorney who leverages her prior experience clerking for federal judges at both the trial and appellate court levels to craft winning arguments and develop litigation strategies that advance her clients’ interests at every stage of litigation.

As an associate in BFKN’s Litigation group, Marlow’s practice spans a variety of substantive areas, including consumer class actions, business disputes, and securities and shareholder derivative matters. Marlow has extensive experience drafting dispositive motions and appellate briefs, managing discovery, taking depositions, preparing fact and expert witnesses for deposition and trial, and trying cases in court and before arbitration tribunals.

Marlow also maintains an active pro bono practice. She has successfully obtained asylum for several individuals in deportation proceedings. Marlow was also the lead associate on the impact litigation team challenging the Department of Homeland Security’s “public charge” rule, in which she successfully argued several motions in the district court and led multiple rounds of briefing in the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals and United States Supreme Court, ultimately obtaining a nationwide vacatur of the challenged rule. In recognition of her outstanding pro bono service in protection of immigrant rights, Marlow was named a “Rising Star” by the National Immigrant Justice Center in 2020 and received the Award for Excellence in Public Interest Service from the Judges of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and the Chicago Chapter of the Federal Bar Association.

Outside of her practice, Marlow is dedicated to promoting pro bono work and the advancement of women lawyers in the profession. She previously served as Chair of the Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) Alumni Network Leadership Council and as a writer-in-residence for Ms. JD. She is also on the Annual Meeting Host Committee for the National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL). In addition, Marlow is a member of BFKN’s Pro Bono Committee and DEI Committee.

Prior to joining BFKN, Marlow was a litigation associate at Sidley Austin LLP in Chicago. She clerked for the Honorable Judge Joel M. Flaum on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and the Honorable Judge Jon S. Tigar on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District in California. Before becoming an attorney, Marlow was a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in Burkina Faso.

Admissions

• State of Illinois
• U.S. Court of Appeals - 7th Circuit
• U.S. District Court - Northern District of Illinois

Clerkships

• Hon. Joel M. Flaum, U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit (2017-2018)
• Hon. Jon S. Tigar, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California (2016-2017)

Education

• University of Chicago Law School, J.D., with honors, 2016
• University of Miami, B.A, with honors, magna cum laude, 2011

Languages

• Rising Star, Illinois Super Lawyers (2024)
• Award for Excellence in Public Interest Service, The Judges of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and the Chicago Chapter of the Federal Bar Association (2023)
• Rising Star, National Immigrant Justice Center (2020)
• Sidley Austin Thomas H. Morsch Award for Pro Bono Achievement (2018 & 2019)
• Ann Watson Barber Outstanding Service Award, University of Chicago Law School (2016)
• Sarah Weddington Writing Prize for New Student Scholarship, Center for Reproductive Rights (2016)
• United Nations Association’s Leo Nevas Human Rights Youth Advocate Award (2012)

• Annual Meeting Host Committee, National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL) (2024)
• Chair, Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) Alumni Network Leadership Council (2022-2023)
• Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) Fellow at the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois (2017)
• Writer-in-Residence, Ms. JD (2016-2017)
• Staffer, University of Chicago Law Review (2013-2016)
• Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) Intern at the National Immigrant Justice Center (2014)
• Returned U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer, Burkina Faso (2011-2013)