After several years of posting record financials, Jackson Walker likely faces a less rosy outlook as 2023 winds down, as the news of the romantic relationship between a former partner and former U.S. Bankruptcy Judge David Jones could not only potentially cost the firm millions in fees it was already paid, but could also affect the future of the firm's bankruptcy practice, which has been boosted by a close working relationship with Kirkland & Ellis.

Just weeks after Jones' resignation, which closely followed the news of his romantic relationship with Elizabeth Freeman becoming public, the U.S. Trustee for the Southern District of Texas began filing motions seeking to vacate orders awarding the firm millions of dollars in fees and expenses in dozens of bankruptcy cases the firm worked on in Jones' court.