RSHC news

RSHC is proud to sponsor and have RSHC Partners, Meghan McMeel and Kate Stimeling, presenting at The Women, Diversity & Change Summit programs in Chicago (June 6) and San Francisco (June 11). Meghan will be speaking at the June 6 program on strategies for strategically fostering effective sponsors for women in law to progress their careers. Kate will be presenting on the June 11 San Francisco panel, “Sponsors, Influencers & Career Engineering.” The conference will explore and inspire lasting change for women and minorities in the legal profession.

A Dream Became Reality—Project Chimps celebrates a 5-year milestone! Bruce Wagman, Co-Founder, President and RSHC animal protection lawyer, recalls the journey. Currently 59 chimpanzees with almost 150 more to join them are thriving at the 236-acre Project Chimps sanctuary in the Blue Ridge Mountains of north Georgia.

RSHC Managing Partner Patricia Brown Holmes was the special guest on the March 15 Rare & Scratchy Rock ‘N Roll retrospective podcast hosted by Radio Dave Milberg featuring 30 Feminist Hit Singles Before Their Time between the 1950’s and 1990’s. The history and snippets of thirty (30) hit songs about female empowerment by Aretha Franklin (Respect), Helen Reddy (I am Woman), Gloria Gaynor (I Will Survive), and more were remembered for their strong and positive impact.

Patricia Brown Holmes made history when she was elected RSHC’s first Managing Partner in April 2018. She is the first and currently the only African-American woman to head a national law firm that is not women- or minority-owned. RSHC is a top ranked firm for gender and racial diversity.

Since its founding, Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila LLP has developed the firm to put clients first. Our compensation structure reflects this goal by recognizing the contributions of all team members in making compensation decisions. RSHC Managing Partner Patricia Brown Holmes shared that in addition to benefiting our clients, we believe all attorneys and staff benefit from the structure. Because we share the compensation pie more equitably, it becomes a larger pie to share.

RSHC Managing Partner and U of I Urbana double alumna Patricia Brown Holmes was reappointed by Governor J.B. Pritzker to the University of Illinois Systems Board of Trustees. She received both her undergraduate and law degree from the University of Illinois in Urbana and is extremely proud and excited to rejoin the board at a time when innovation, diversity and new millennial educational challenges will be a focus of the University.

RSHC’s Patricia Brown Holmes leads a group of new Am Law 200 Leaders heading into 2019 per LAW.COM—Patricia Brown Holmes was elected RSHC’s first Managing Partner in April 2018. She is the first and currently the only African-American women to head a national law firm that is not minority- or women-owned.

According to a soon-to-be released survey of 3,000 lawyers by Joan Williams, University of California at Hastings law professor, there is a double standard for women lawyers expressing anger at work or in the courtroom when it’s justified. About to begin a six-to-eight-week federal trial, RSHC Managing Partner, former judge, and prosecutor, Patricia Brown Holmes shared, “… earn the trust of the judge and jury and show them that their stereotypes are wrong. One way that I do that is authenticity.”

RSHC Managing Partner Patricia Brown Holmes shares her opinions and experience with volunteering in nonprofits in Best Lawyers “Women in the Law” Summer Edition 2018 editorial article, “The Profit in Nonprofits.” Volunteer organizations are the lifeblood of the legal profession. Lawyers must participate in nonprofits to help shape the future.

The NCAA’s ‘Year in Residence” Rule permits Division I football student athletes to apply to transfer to different schools and to play at their new school after a year in academic residence. The rule operates to prevent trading from year to year like professional athletes. On June 25 the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected antitrust claims stating the NCAA’s eligibility rules define the status of student athletes and preserve the amateur character of college athletics. Congratulations to the NCAA and Greg Curtner on this victory.

RSHC Managing Partner Patricia Brown Holmes was featured in the June 21 American Lawyer story, “Data Shows Female Lawyers Are Moving Up Faster in #MeToo Era.” "Sexism and racism in the law industry is real,” said Holmes. “The world overall is changing and the law business eventually will catch up.” She expressed, “We are moving in the right direction.”

Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila LLP ranked a top ten firm in Law360’s annual 400 survey as a firm outpacing its peers on attracting and retaining women of color. With women of color making up 19.1% of its workforce, RSHC ranked ninth in the survey. Visibility, community, a voice at the table, and a balanced ladder are hurdles women of color face, and RSHC proactively tries to create an environment at the firm that “engages everyone and creates a camaraderie,” said Managing Partner Patricia Brown Holmes.

Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila LLP ranked sixth in Law360’s Glass Ceiling Report for best law firms for minority attorneys with 20-149 attorneys. At RSHC we believe the power of diversity is the power of collective wisdom. We are proud of our start, but it is just the beginning.

RSHC ranked 13 in Law360’s Glass Ceiling Report for best law firms for female attorneys with 20-149 attorneys. The firm pledged and continues to prove its commitment to making gender diversity a workplace reality. In addition to electing the first African-American woman managing partner to lead and have her name on the door of a major law firm that is not women, or minority-owned, RSHC has above-average women representation at every level of the firm.

The Partners of Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila LLP are proud to announce that name partner Patricia Brown Holmes has been unanimously elected as the firm’s first managing partner. A former judge, top tier litigator, and nationally prominent advocate for law firm diversity, it is believed that Patricia is the first black woman to lead and have her name on the door of a major law firm that is not women- or minority-owned.