James L. Chosy
Senior Executive Vice President and General Counsel 
U.S. Bancorp

Jim Chosy is Senior Executive Vice President and General Counsel of U.S. Bancorp, the parent company of U.S. Bank, where he is responsible for the company’s legal affairs.

Jim rejoined U.S. Bancorp in 2013 from Piper Jaffray Companies where he had served as Managing Director, General Counsel, and Secretary since 2001. Previously, 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.

Jim is a member of the board of directors of the Guthrie Theater, Equal Justice Works, the Fund for Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid, and the National Legal Aid & Defender Association (and chairs its Corporate Advisory Committee). He is also a Life Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and a member of the board of visitors of the College of Letters & Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Jim is an ardent supporter of pro bono work, including U.S. Bank’s in-house pro bono program, which was the 2005 recipient of the Corporate Pro Bono Partner Award from Pro Bono Institute (PBI).

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), the Scales of Justice Award from Equal Justice Works (2023), and Honoree of the Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid Law Day Dinner (2024).

Jim received his J.D. degree magna cum laude from the University of Minnesota in 1989. He is also a 1986 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

U.S. Bank Pro Bono Highlights

Since its founding in 1998, the U.S. Bank Law Division Pro Bono Program has encouraged and supported participation in pro bono activities by attorneys and legal professionals across the company. The program — administered by an in-house pro bono committee —aims to help address unmet legal needs in the communities U.S. Bank serves and where its employees and customers live and work. 

In addition to promoting access to justice within these communities, the pro bono program provides opportunities for professional growth and development for participating staff, as well as creates a sense of pride and purpose.

Over the years, the Law Division has contributed thousands of pro bono hours to dozens of organizations nationwide. In 2024 alone, the program served 31 organizations and offered more than 1,100 hours of service. The pro bono program also helped launch a new, company-wide initiative for bilingual employees to serve as volunteer translators and interpreters on pro bono cases. 

The Law Division consistently leads and collaborates with other organizations on broader pro bono efforts.  Each year, it proactively participates in National Pro Bono Week and in the Financial Institution Pro Bono Day^® (FIPBD^®) event, a financial and insurance industry day of collective pro bono action, launched by PBI. The Law Division has participated in the FIPBD event over several years in collaboration with other financial and insurance legal departments, law firms, and legal services organizations, serving communities in need, supporting veterans applying for discharge upgrades, assisting with will and health document preparation, advising low-income clients regarding driver’s license restoration, and more.

PBI is immensely grateful to Jim Chosy and U.S. Bank for their dedication to increasing access to justice and pro bono legal services.