Newswise — CHICAGO --- Zach Fardon, visiting distinguished scholar at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and former U.S. Attorney, will lead a panel discussion, “Gun Violence in Chicago: Perspectives from Local Government” at noonThursday, March 15.

The discussion, which is free and open to the public, will take place at Northwestern Law in the Rubloff building, Aspen Hall, room 150, 750 N. Lake Shore Drive in Chicago. Lunch will be provided and an RSVP is encouraged.

Panelists include:

  • Tom Dart -- Cook County sheriff
  • Ed Siskel -- corporation counsel for the city of Chicago
  • Jadine Chou -- chief safety and security officer, Chicago Public Schools

This will be the fifth in a series of talks led by Fardon during the 2017-2018 academic year about gun violence in the city. Fardon’s first lecture, “Gun Violence in Chicago: Past, Present and the Long Path Forward,” held in October, is available for viewing here.

Throughout the academic year, he will speak directly on the issue of gun violence and also moderate conversations with stakeholders from the legal, nonprofit and law enforcement communities.

Fardon served as the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois from 2013 until early 2017. Under his leadership, the U.S. Attorney’s office was recognized for numerous significant investigations and prosecutions involving international terrorism and terrorism financing, public corruption, corporate fraud, violent crime, narcotics and gangs. As U.S. Attorney, Fardon directed the implementation of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a federal anti-gun violence initiative with the Chicago Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. Now he is managing partner and head of litigation of the Chicago office of King & Spalding.