The Scales of Justice

2023 Honoree

James L. Chosy

Senior Executive Vice President and General Counsel, U.S. Bancorp 

James (Jim) Chosy is Senior Executive Vice President and General Counsel of U.S. Bancorp, the parent company of U.S. Bank and a leading financial services holding company with international operations. He is responsible for all aspects of the company’s legal affairs and serves on the Managing Committee, comprised of the senior-most executives within the organization. 

Jim rejoined U.S. Bancorp in 2013 from Piper Jaffray Companies, a middle-market investment bank and asset management firm. He had served as Managing Director, General Counsel and Secretary of Piper Jaffray since March 2001. Prior to joining Piper Jaffray in 2001, he was Associate General Counsel and Secretary of U.S. Bancorp. He first joined U.S. Bancorp (then First Bank System) in 1995, having begun his legal career with the law firm of Dorsey & Whitney in Minneapolis. 

In 2019, the U.S. Bank Law Division was recognized by Corporate Counsel as a “Best Legal Department” and by the International Legal Alliance Summit with a gold general counsel award for “Best North American Legal Department: Financial Services and Insurance.” In 2020, U.S. Bank was named as a finalist in the category of In-House Legal Teams: Inclusion, Diversity and Social Justice by the Financial Times’ Innovative Lawyers Awards for North America, and in 2021 the Law Division was included on the shortlist for “Most Innovative Legal Department” by Law.com. 

Jim is a member of the board of directors of the Guthrie Theater and the Fund for Legal Aid, the board of counselors of Equal Justice Works, the general counsel advisory committee of the Bank Policy Institute, and the corporate advisory panel of the Federal Bar Association’s special task force on diversity and inclusion. He also serves on the board of the National Legal Aid & Defender Association and chairs its Corporate Advisory Committee. He is a Life Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and a member of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity. He has previously served as a member and chair of the board of directors of the Clearing House Association, the University of Minnesota Law School and the Children’s Theater Company. His recognitions include the University of Minnesota’s Alumni Service Award (2012), the Lead by Example Award from the National Association of Women Lawyers (2019), the In-House Counsel Lifetime Achievement Award from Minnesota Lawyer (2020), the Exemplar Award from the National Legal Aid & Defender Association (2021), and the shortlist for outstanding contribution to diversity and inclusion (USA in-house) from Chambers D&I Awards (2021 and 2022). 

Jim received his J.D. degree magna cum laude from the University of Minnesota in 1989, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif and served as an editor of the Minnesota Law Review. He is also a 1986 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 

Learn more about Jim’s commitment to public service here.