Keith F. Bode, a long-time partner and former Managing Partner of the law firm of Jenner & Block, passed away on January 9, 2023, after a brief illness. He was 91 years old.

Keith was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, on November 29, 1931. He attended North Park College and Northwestern University, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree from Northwestern with highest distinction in 1952, and a Juris Doctor degree, also with highest distinction, in 1955. He was a member of Phi Alpha Delta; Phi Beta Kappa; and the Order of the Coif. He finished first in his class in law school and was Editor-in-Chief of the Northwestern Law Review for 1954-55. He was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1955.

After serving in the U.S. Army for two years, Keith joined the Chicago law firm of Thompson, Raymond, Mayer, Jenner & Bloomstein (later Jenner & Block) in 1957. His 40-year legal career with Jenner & Block was remarkable. Keith became a senior litigation partner who led countless complex lawsuits for important Jenner clients, including many of the most complex and important cases the firm handled in courts across the country, up to and including the United States Supreme Court. He ranged widely across fields as diverse as antitrust and religious liberty, civil procedure and lawyers' obligations to their clients. Along with a few contemporary "big-case" litigation partners, he helped to cement Jenner & Block's reputation as one of the nation's leading litigation firms.

Keith was particularly known among his colleagues as a premier legal mind. And he always welcomed new legal challenges. Three decades after joining Jenner & Block, he was a distinguished partner at the peak of his career when he studied for and took the Florida bar exam in 1989 - and, just as in his youth, he achieved a top score.

Keith was a leader of his firm, serving as Managing Partner, and he was admired as a mentor of younger lawyers; many great attorneys had the privilege of working under Keith's guidance before going on to later success. Jenner lawyers of multiple generations respected Keith for his judgment, his calm and respectful presence, and most importantly, his kindness and decency. A long-time colleague recalled seeing him dictate entire motions and briefs, and observed that no one had better insights for the cases he handled. After leaving Jenner & Block, Keith practiced with Altheimer & Gray for a few years before he retired in 1999.

During his career, Keith was elected as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, and he was a long-time member of the American Bar Association. As a member of the Chicago Bar Association, he served as Chairman of the Civil Practice Committee, Chairman of the Federal Civil Procedure Committee, and a member of the Board of Managers. He also served as Chairman of the Illinois State Bar Association's Committee on Association Publications and was a member of the Board of Governors of the Seventh Circuit Bar Association.

Keith is survived by his wife of 65 years, Jeannette; their children Dawn, Brian, and Grant; and grandsons Adam Bode and Matt Chorvat.

After living for many years in Park Ridge, Illinois, Keith and Jeannette relocated, first part-time and then full-time, to Vero Beach, Florida. Keith and Jeannette were known for their dancing prowess, and they danced frequently, as well as playing tennis and bridge, well into their 80's. Along with Jeannette, Keith was active in many social organizations, including the Park Ridge Country Club, the Mid-America Club in Chicago, and later the Moorings Club and the Vero Beach Yacht Club in Florida. They supported numerous charities. Keith had a lifelong interest in history, read voraciously, and traveled extensively throughout the world with Jeannette, both with their family and as a couple, especially after they retired.

A memorial service will be held at a later date.