Michael Scodro, a former Illinois solicitor general who most recently worked for Jenner & Block, has joined rival firm Mayer Brown, where he had worked earlier in his career.

Scodro, a onetime law clerk for retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, had worked at Jenner since 2014 and before that spent more than six years as Illinois solicitor general.

Among his most recent cases — and victories — at Jenner was representing Hertz Corp. before the Illinois Supreme Court in a lawsuit against the city of Chicago. Last month, Chicago's requirement that car rental companies in nearby suburbs collect a tax for the city's coffers was ruled unconstitutional by the state's high court, reversing an appellate court decision.

The new job marks Scodro's return to Mayer, where he spent five years earlier in his career. He also had been a summer associate at the firm, where he will join the Supreme Court and appellate practice.

Some of Scodro's mentors are still at Mayer. "It was something I couldn't pass up," he said.

After his first stint at Mayer, Scodro became an assistant professor at Chicago-Kent College of Law and eventually served as Illinois solicitor general. That job entailed overseeing the civil and criminal appeals divisions of the Illinois attorney general's office, supervising more than 40 lawyers when the state was a party in federal or state actions.

Scodro has argued dozens of cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, state supreme courts, federal appeals courts and all five districts of the Illinois Appellate Court, Mayer said.

Scodro, 45, has "extraordinary oral advocacy and writing skills," Andrew Marovitz, a co-leader of Mayer's litigation and dispute resolution practice, said in a news release. He also cited Scodro's "vast experience representing clients in jurisdictions around the country and before the U.S. Supreme Court, together with his time as Illinois' chief appellate lawyer."

Matthew Hellman, co-chairman of Jenner & Block's appellate and Supreme Court practice, said of Scodro's departure: "Mike is a great friend, and we wish him nothing but the best. I enjoyed working with him at Jenner."

Scodro, who earned his law degree at Yale University, is a longtime lecturer at the University of Chicago's law school, where he teaches a seminar about the U.S. Supreme Court.

byerak@chicagotribune.com

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