At her core, Valerie Ojeda is a storyteller with a Chicago soul. Known for her boundless energy and a voice that can command any room, Valerie has built a career around the magic of human connection. During the week, she is the professional face of Fortune 500 leaders like Dell, 3M, and Microsoft, traveling the country as a corporate presenter and event emcee. But when the weekend arrives, Valerie finds her true home on stage.

As the lead singer and manager of "Anthem Road," she has shared the spotlight with icons like Berlin and Warrant, but her most cherished memories are the moments that move the spirit. From singing the National Anthem for a stadium of fans to her life-changing experience performing for U.S. Troops in Kuwait this past summer, Valerie’s heart is always with her audience. For her, being on stage is more than just entertainment; it is an act of service. Joining Law Rocks is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream: the opportunity to turn her "highest form of consciousness" into a tangible way to give back to the communities she loves.

aTradeShowPresenter.com

AnthemRoadBand.com

MARLON AND THE SHAKES is a Chicago band that offers up a perfectly mixed musical cocktail of funk, blues and rock music. The group has delivered infectious grooves and to countless private events, clubs, and festivals across the country. Most recently THE SHAKES dropped their self-released 2018 debut EP, “Here Come the Shakes”. High user reviews of songs from the album have earned THE SHAKES a featured artist on Reverbnation.com in the summer of 2019 as well as a spot on their “Rising Chicago Artists” playlist. “Here Come the Shakes” is available on all major streaming outlets.

THE SHAKES band leader MARLON LONGID cut his musical teeth playing with some of the finest musicians of this time, sharing the stage with roots rock legend Rick Danko (The Band), Dennis DeYoung (Styx), Blues Traveler and Chicago R&B great Pete Special (Big Twist and the Mellow Fellows). He formed the rock outfit SoulFix in 1999 and eventually earned the right to play with national acts Staind, Maroon 5 and King’s X. Marlon proudly uses Paul Reed Smith guitars, Fender amps and Franklin Straps.

Amy Manning has been rocking with her band, Flood Waters, as co-lead vocalist and sometimes drummer for 12 years.  Flood waters has played all over Chicago and won many battles of the bands.  She also practices as a partner in antitrust at McGuireWoods.  She has served as Managing Partner of the Chicago office, and currently is a practice group leader and a member of the firm’s Executive Committee.  She has participated as a band member in Law Rocks on a number of occasions and is really excited to now be here as a judge. 

Jessica Moran and Molly Kirk are senior producers and lead vocalists for Bluewater Kings Band, a top-tier Chicago event band known for unforgettable performances and packed dance floors. Having shared the stage with Grammy Award–winning musicians, they bring experience, energy, and a modern edge to events in Chicago and beyond.

As producers, Jess and Molly’s sharp eye for talent has helped them recruit and train some of Chicago’s finest musicians. Friends since college, they thrive on being snarky, brutally honest, and unfiltered—all fueled by their shared love of great live music.

Featuring legal talent from Foley & Lardner; Burke, Warren, MacKay & Serritella
Rocking for James R. Jordan Boys & Girls Club

What do four, busy lawyers do with their limited free time? Rock out, of course! Fauxly is an all-lawyer, no-compromise rock band, tearing up the Law Rocks stage since 2023 with high-energy sets. Three-time Law Rocks Hustle and Heart Award winners, Fauxly are back home in Chicago, after “touring” the coasts, bringing a set of modern classics from the 1990’s and 2000’s, with a few surprises that are sure to keep you buzzing long after they leave the stage. Individually, Fauxly’s members have honed their talents on a variety of stages across the world; from Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center, to the House of Blues in Chicago, the Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles, to the German variety show “Wetten Das,” Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan, and countless bars, basements, and backyards in between.

Fauxly features:
Chris Ward – Lead Vocals and Guitar
Zack Sikora – Guitar 
Mike Noonan – Bass
Chris Rasmussen – Drums

Featuring legal talent from Advocus National Title; The Illinois Court of Claims; Law Offices of Steven Schneck; La Casa De Amistad
Rocking for The Jesse White Foundation

The Mighty Thornes ( previously The Thornes) began as a "dad band" at Hawthorne Chicago Public School where many of our kids went to school ( at one time we had a combined 13 kids there at the same time). The band evolved from there playing well over 50 shows, all of them benefitting local charities benefitting at risk youth. We have played two previous Law Rocks shows winning both best band and highest amount raised for charities. We have also won several Illinois Bar Foundation Lawyers Rock competitions. We have played many great venues including at Cubs games, The House of Blues (three times) Adler Planetarium and Cafe Brauer. We have both opened for Big Head Todd and The Monsters and well as with Big Head Todd Joining our band. It's al just for fun and we enjoy the friendship and camaraderie we have built over the years.

Featuring legal talent from DLA Piper; Croke Fairchild; Walgreens; McDonald Hopkins; Polsinelli; Belvis Law; Incubate IP; Law Offices of Mark W. Conrad; and Rock Trade Law

Rocking for Greater Chicago Food Depository

Featuring legal talent from DLA Piper; Croke Fairchild, Walgreens, McDonald Hopkins; Polsinelli; Belvis Law; Incubate IP; Law Offices of Mark W. Conrad; Polsinelli; and Rock Trade Law

Rocking for Greater Chicago Food Depository

Res Musicata is the returning winner of last year’s Chicago Law Rocks competition and showcases two lawyers, a senior paralegal, and a digital marketing assistant from DLA Piper (John Lyons –guitar and vocals, Rich Klawiter -- vocals, Lisa Gillespie – vocals, and Alaina Gillespie – vocals and guitar), a lawyer from Croke Fairchild (Mariah DiGrino --  vocals and piano) and a lawyer from Walgreens (Rich Steiner --  bass and vocals).  New members include lawyers from Polsinelli (Ed “Scooter” Laborde –- vocals and percussion), McDonald Hopkins (Adam Grais -- drums), Belvis Law (Glen Belvis – sax), Incubate IP –Randy Micheletti (trumpet), Mark Conrad – sax, Rock Trade Law (Ben Shanbaum – trombone).  The members of Res Musicata have performed in a number of venues including House of Blues, Park West, the Arcada Theater, Durty Nellies, Bowery Electric, Mrs. Fish, Summerfest,  Abbey Road Studios, Des Plaines Theater, and other venues.  Res Musicata performs an eclectic mix of material ranging from Motown, classic and alternative rock, country, and pop.

Featuring legal talent from Goldberg Kohn; Venable; Sidley Austin
Rocking for Intonation Music

Formed in the wake of the pandemic to fill an acute entertainment need at a Chicago block party, the five 40-something men of Risky Tingles soon realized they had something—or just enjoyed getting together in a basement steps away from the revered Lincoln Hall to make music. The core Tingles repertoire is defined by the non-obvious upbeat songs sung by the classic groups you love—the Beatles, Stones, Band, Petty, Dylan, Van the Man, and more—usually with something of an Americana flair and a harmony or two.

Instagram

Featuring legal talent from Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney
Rocking for Music Will

The Swells strive to craft bespoke tunes about admired people, places and situations with dashes of harmony and doses of memento mori. 

The Swells converged in Northern Illinois circa 2016 at the Wilmette Harbor Club. They have not ventured far from there to play in public. But they continue to consider options.

Almost all of the band members maintain their day jobs.

Website

Featuring legal talent from Kirkland & Ellis
Rocking for CHAT (Communication Health, Advocacy & Therapy)

Treble Damages is a boundary-pushing band that fuses haunting melodies with cerebral lyricism, carving out a soundscape where art and anxiety collide. Their music wrestles with unsettling questions about the future of creativity in an age increasingly shaped by algorithms—probing whether originality can survive, what it means to create in a world saturated with machine-generated sound, and where the human spirit fits into it all. Blending analog grit with digital distortion, Treble Damages delivers songs that feel both intimate and dystopian, inviting listeners to reflect, resist, and redefine what music can be before the line between artist and artificial blurs beyond recognition.

JK we’re dorky lawyers who play covers.