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Thursday, May 14, 2026
Lincoln Hall
A sold-out show with over $167,300 fundraised - a new record for Law Rocks Chicago!
Overall Winner: Treble Damages for CHAT (Communication Health, Advocacy & Therapy), featuring legal talent from Kirkland & Ellis
Judges’ Choice Award: The Mighty Thornes for The Jesse White Foundation, featuring legal talent from Advocus National Title, The Illinois Court of Claims; Law Offices of Steven Schneck; La Casa De Amistad
Hustle & Heart Award: Risky Tingles for Intonation Music, featuring legal talent from Goldberg Kohn; Venable; Sidley Austin
Music Matters Grant Recipient: Merit School of Music
Risky Tingles open The Fifth Annual Law Rocks Chicago (2026) | Photo by Lee Golden
Now we know why they call Chicago the Windy City; the six bands on the lineup of The 5th Annual Law Rocks Chicago blew us away! We packed Lincoln Hall for a sold-out show putting lawyers in the spotlight on Thursday, May 14, 2026. Each band featured rock star legal professionals, with 20 firms represented overall. The six competing bands all brought something special to the stage along with seriously dedicated fundraising efforts that crushed the previous record for Law Rocks Chicago with over $167,300 raised!
The energy buzzed from the start of the pre-show VIP party through the final performance of the night. Kicking things off, Risky Tingles opened with a robust set of rock classics including the early ‘70s hits “Ooh La La” by Faces and “Vicious” by Lou Reed. Standout moments included a fiddle solo on Tom Petty’s “Last Dance with Mary Jane” and a rendition of Elton John’s “Rocket Man” that had the crowd feeling over the moon.
We were pleased to present our 2026 Music Matters Grant to Merit School of Music, an organization transforming the lives of Chicago-area youth through removing barriers to high-quality music education.
Following the Music Matters Grant presentation, we welcomed local legend, Jesse White of the Jesse White Foundation to the stage. You could hear a pin drop as White spoke, unsurprising given his status as longest running state senator and a pillar in the community. The Jesse White Foundation's mission is to support programs benefiting at risk youth and to provide educational opportunities for low income students.
Local legend, Jesse White on stage at The Fifth Annual Law Rocks Chicago | Photo by Lee Golden
Next up, Treble Damages made an impressive Law Rocks debut with a tight set full of early 2000’s nostalgia. The crowd loved their beautiful, original rendition of “No One” by Alicia Keys and enthusiastically screamed along to “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers. From impressive drum and guitar solos to a guest appearance by a band member’s daughter on keys, the band made an impactful first impression that earned the title of Overall Winner in the end.
Res Musicata returned with style and soul, bringing powerhouse vocals that wowed the crowd on “Alone” by Heart and “Respect” by the legendary Aretha Franklin. With a full horn section, a multitalented keyboardist, and more than a handful of vocalists singing together in harmony, they impressed with rich, layered harmonies on hits spanning genres.
Fauxly had heads banging through a solid set of gritty ‘90s and early 2000’s heavy hitters by bands like Weezer, Nirvana, Eve 6, and Finger Eleven. Their perfectly angsty set hit the crowd right in the nostalgic feels and had everyone singing their whole heart out. A surprise appearance by a band member’s tap-dancing daughter decked out in a bee costume on Blind Melon’s “No Rain” was a perfect nod to the iconic album cover and a true delight to any fan.
The Mighty Thornes may have joked about staying up past their bedtime, but they could have fooled us because we only saw rock stars up there giving us a rollicking good time! They busted out a harmonica on “Roadhouse Blues” by The Doors and gave “Hard to Handle” by The Black Crows a trumpet treatment that had everyone jamming along. The Cream classic, “Sunshine of Your Love" showcased the singer’s pipes and a smoking guitar solo. When the singer joked, “is this what we call cardio?” the answer was yes by the way the crowd was dancing!
Rounding out the night, The Swells made their Law Rocks debut with a set full of mostly original songs with a couple of classics in the mix. A fun duet on “Can’t Let Go” by Lucinda Williams and a powerful rendition of “Somebody to Love” by Jefferson Airplane showcased their vocal strengths, while originals like Rincon and Evergreen gave us cool West Coast vibes and a shoutout to the Pacific North West. With an original song “By Day At Night” about work-life balance and letting loose at night to rock and roll, they were right on the money with our crowd. Ending with a shredding guitar solo, they wrapped the night on a high note.
The Swells closing out the night at The Fifth Annual Law Rocks Chicago (2026) | Photo by Lee Golden
We’re extremely proud of our Chicago bands and had such an amazing night rocking with all of you!
Thank you to everyone who showed up to rock in support our mission to promote youth music education and raise funds for local nonprofits (and who supported by donating from afar).
Law Rocks is able to support local communities because of the generosity within the legal community, and we are thankful for each participating band and firm! Thank you to the Lincoln Hall team; the Rock Panel of Judges: Molly Kirk; Marlon Longid; Amy Manning; and Jessica Moran; our host Valerie Ojeda; and our nonprofit guests.
The evening was made possible thanks to Hall of Fame sponsors DLA Piper; and Kirkland & Ellis; tour sponsor Secretariat; and additional sponsors Advocus National Title; Rate Mortgage; Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney; Foley & Lardner; Goldberg Kohn; Morae; Polsinelli; Anabasis Partners; Aronberg Goldgehn; Croke Fairchild Duarte & Beres; Dykema Gosset; IMS Legal Strategies; and Sidley Austin.
Please consider making a contribution to support Law Rocks World Tour and ensure we keep rocking the globe for years to come!
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Are you ready for your turn in the spotlight? Join the Interest List for Law Rocks Chicago 2027 now, and be first to be notified when applications open!
For the fourth year, Law Rocks is awarding a Music Matters grant in each city to benefit a local organization that supports music education, particularly for underserved youth. We are thrilled to be awarding our 2026 Chicago Music Matters grant to Merit School of Music. Learn more in our Nonprofit Spotlight interview with Meredith Barber, Vice President of Development and Marketing for Merit School of Music.
We are proud the Fifth Annual Law Rocks Chicago 2026 bands raised funds for the following organizations.
Coming soon…