RSHC in the news

RSHC is pleased to announce that RSHC Partner Greg Curtner has once again been selected a 2020 Michigan Super Lawyer. For 15 consecutive years, Greg has been recognized as a Top Rated Antitrust Litigator who embodies excellence in his practice of law. No more than five percent of the lawyers in Michigan are selected by Super Lawyers for this high degree of peer recognition and professional accomplishments. Annual selections are made using a patented, rigorous selection process.

Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila LLP congratulates Dennis Santoni, who has been named one of three global finalists for the Attorney Tech Evangelist Innovation Award at Relativity Fest 2020. Relativity, the builder of the market leading e-Discovery software platform, honors individuals who build innovative solutions, break down barriers for technology in the practice of law, and move e-discovery forward. Voting is now open to select an ultimate winner from among the three finalists and runs through Wednesday, August 19, 2020. We encourage you to support and vote for Dennis in recognition of his career filled with innovative client solutions.

RSHC’s Azar Alexander and Joy Anderson were featured in the July 2020 edition of the ISBA’s Bench & Bar newsletter. Alexander and Anderson authored a synopsis of Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, the historic case which marked a significant victory in the battle for equal rights for the LGBTQ+ community. In Bostock, the United State Supreme Court directly addressed whether an employer could terminate an employee because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity, holding that “an employer who intentionally treats a person worse because of sex—such as by firing the person for actions or attributes it would tolerate in an individual of another sex—discriminates against that person in violation of Title VII.”

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) provides broad privacy restrictions applicable to the data of EU citizens wherever they may reside. This regulation complicates discovery in cross-border disputes, particularly involving the personal data of EU citizens. In her recently penned Bench & Bar article, RSHC’s Brittney L. Denley examines how U.S. courts have handled the invocation of the GDPR and affirmed that it will not provide a safe harbor in which parties may seek refuge from U.S. litigation discovery obligations.

RSHC’s Bruce Wagman has secured another victory on behalf of the Humane Society of the United States. This time, the win comes in the form of successfully defending the constitutionality of San Francisco’s ban on the sale of fur. Last week a federal judge dismissed the fur industry’s challenge to the ban finding that the fur industry had failed to present a valid legal theory for why San Francisco’s law was unconstitutional.

RSHC Partner Deborah Bone published the first installment in her monthly column on legal issues in tech for industry publication BuiltIn, "How to Avoid the Legal Risks of Biometric Data Collection." In the article, Deborah counsels industry leaders on best practices for collection, disclosure and other key challenges related to biometric data.

Crain’s Chicago Business has recognized RSHC among Chicago’s Notable Businesses Championing Diversity & Inclusion 2020 in the legal profession. Diversity and inclusion is a core principle of RSHC and a mission-critical assignment. RSHC strives to be an inclusive workplace for all of its people. #ProudtobeRSHC and to Support Our LGBTQIA+ Family.

At the July 6-10 International Association of Defense Counsel Annual Meeting, on July 8 RSHC Partner Joshua Lee will present on the topic, “The Use of Genetic Testing in the Courtroom.”

RSHC Partner Craig Jeffrey will lead the morning breakout session on Real Estate, Construction + Insurance at the July 8 Chicago State University Rebuilding Chicago Small Businesses Symposium.

RSHC is proud to announce that San Francisco Partners Steve Hankins and Jeff Williams and Of Counsel Bruce Wagman have been selected as 2020 Northern California Super Lawyers. Super Lawyers recognizes outstanding attorneys nominated by their peers who demonstrate excellence in the legal profession and represent no more than five percent of the state.

RSHC Managing Partner Patricia Brown Holmes has been chosen to serve on the Illinois Judicial Conference’s COVID-19 task force to guide the court system through its court-reopening processes. The 14-member team comprised of judges and lawyers from different practice areas and different communities will evaluate and make recommendations about technology options for jury selection and trials and remote proceedings while maintaining due process and safety during the pandemic.

Like many companies showing solidarity, we are closing our offices on Friday, June 19th in recognition of Juneteenth—a commemoration of the day when the last enslaved Americans in Texas learned of their freedom. We will use the time to study and celebrate African Americans’ contributions to the economic, social, and cultural richness of this nation.

Writing in the Illinois State Bar Association Bench & Bar Newsletter, Valerie Brummel offers a brief history of the doctrine that shields government officials, including police officers, from liability for civil damages. In the wake of the death of George Floyd in the custody of the Minneapolis Police Department, many advocates are calling for changes to the laws that hinder the ability of victims of police misconduct to recover damages in civil lawsuits.

The federal government has been mandated by federal law to protect birds in commerce since 2002. However, it was not until this year that the American Anti-Vivisection Society and Avian Welfare Coalition finally won its fight to force the government to enact regulations that will cover birds sold commercially and used in exhibitions, public shows, and zoos.

RSHC Managing Partner Patricia Brown Holmes took part in a virtual roundtable discussion with six other women in law firm leadership positions to explore the opportunities and challenges facing women in legal careers today. They discussed why authenticity and creativity are important to creating a sustainable environment for future leaders and how they've used their positions to drive change.