The American Bar Association’s House of Delegates passed a resolution calling on Congress to end federal prohibition on marijuana by removing it as a Schedule 1 controlled substance and allowing States to opt out of the Controlled Substances Act. As more states legalize marijuana for medical and/or adult-use purposes, tensions between federal marijuana laws and state reforms have come to a head. Marijuana businesses face unique challenges related to banking services, tax deductions, and IP protections.

RSHC is pleased to announce that RSHC Partner Matt Fischer has been awarded the highest overall rating by his peers and named Best Lawyers’ 2020 “Lawyer of the Year” for Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions-Defendants in the Chicago area. This is the third time that Matt has been honored as Lawyer of the Year, having been recognized in 2018 and 2013 for this same honor.

Nine RSHC partners continue to be recognized by their peers for inclusion in the 2020 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America in nine areas of selection and in three geographic regions. The Best Lawyers list has been published for over three decades and is regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence.

RSHC Associate, Nathan Howze will be a panelist at the American Bar Association/Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section conference entitled “From Regs to Riches: Navigating the Rapidly Emerging Fields of Cannabis & Hemp Law.” On September 19-20 come join Nathan and a wide array of industry leaders including CEOs, general counsels, legislators, academics, and practicing lawyers in Chicago at what promises to be the premier CLE program on cannabis and hemp law this year.

We are pleased to announce that our partner, Edward Casmere, was recently accepted into the membership of the prestigious Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel (FDCC). The FDCC is comprised of U.S. and international civil defense litigators, senior corporate counsel, and insurance claims executives. Dedicated to promoting knowledge, fellowship and professionalism for lawyers and other professionals, the FDCC strives to achieve a balanced justice system in the defense of civil lawsuits.

RSHC’s Yakov Wiegmann, Amory Minot, and Matthew Lee have secured the final dismissal of conversion, breach of contract, and fraud claims against cryptocurrency pioneer Jered Kenna. Mr. Kenna was the founder of Tradehill, one of the earliest bitcoin exchanges. Judge Haywood S. Gilliam, Jr. of the Northern District of California ruled that the four plaintiffs’ complaints were doomed for failure to pierce Tradehill’s corporate veil.

Vault’s “2020 Best Midsize Law Firms to Work For” names RSHC tops several different categories. RSHC was named #1 in Best Midsize Law Firms for Diversity, and #1 in Best Midsize Law Firms for Pro Bono. RSHC was also named #14 in Best Midsize Law Firms for Technology and Innovation, #18 for Firm Culture, and #23 Overall.

Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila LLP (RSHC) announced the hiring of two new partners, Jeffrey W. Morof and Shalem A. Massey. Jeffrey W. Morof has spent his entire career defending aerospace clients and the aviation insurance market in product liability and commercial litigation matters, including serving as national counsel for two large aerospace manufacturers. Shalem A. Massey is a litigator with experience handling high-stakes and “bet the company” matters for businesses and insurers in the aerospace and technology industries.

Congratulations to RSHC Partner Sarah Youngblood-Bates on her selection to the 2019 Northern California Super Lawyers Rising Stars list. It is the seventh year in a row that Sarah has been selected. No more than 2.5 percent of the region’s attorneys are recognized by their peers for their professional accomplishments in their practice areas.

RSHC is working to change the face of the legal profession, literally, and figuratively. We are pleased to announce that RSHC has been named a Top Five firm for minority lawyers AND a Top Ten firm for minority equity partners.

Ron Safer and Eli Litoff are proud to be part of the team that secured Bernard Williams’ release from Cook County Jail on Friday. In February, the Court of Appeals vacated Mr. Williams’ murder conviction and granted a new trial, but a Cook County Judge ordered that Mr. Williams be held without bail until his new trial was completed.

RSHC is delighted to announce that the Cook County Bar Association’s Board of Directors selected RSHC Associate Raymond Rushing to receive the 2019 CCBA Junior Counselor Award, which recognizes a member of the Cook County Bar Association who has been admitted to practice law in Illinois for five (5) years or less, for outstanding service rendered to the legal profession and to the Bar Association. Raymond will be presented with this award at the CCBA’s 105th Annual Awards and Installation Banquet to be held on Thursday, June 20, at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.

RSHC proudly announces that Partner Merili Seale has been recognized by the National Bar Association as one of the nation’s top 40 lawyers under the age of 40. The award commends those most deserving for their high achievement in the legal field based solely on merit, and their commitment to the practice of law, community service, and social change. Merili and fellow award recipients will be honored at the 10th Anniversary of the Awards ceremony on July 24 during the NBA’s 93rd Annual Convention in New York City.

Congratulations to Drahcir Smith and the entire 2019-2020 Black Women Lawyers’ Association of Greater Chicago, Inc. (BWLA) Board of Directors and Scholarship Fund Board, who were installed on June 3. The group pledged their renewed commitment to making an “impact” on the legal profession, as well as the general community-at-large, and changing so many lives.

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.

Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila is extremely proud of our three partners recognized as top Gen X practitioners in Chicago by Crain’s Chicago Business. Joseph McCoy, Kelly Warner, and Josh Lee serve in senior leadership roles at the firm as well as actively serve on boards of professional associations and organizations giving back to their profession and community.

RSHC is proud to announce that RSHC Employment Counsel Drahcir Marie Smith has been elected the 2019-2020 Corresponding Secretary for the Black Women Lawyers' Association of Greater Chicago, Inc. (BWLA). Drahcir served as a BWLA Board Member at Large for the 2018-2019 term. Congratulations to all of the new BWLA Officers and Board members!

Raymond D. Rushing, a product liability litigator and former diversity co-chair of a global law firm, joins Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila’s product liability group adding a wealth of experience in the medical device, consumer and industrial product defect, and mass tort claims area.

Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), the ranking member and chairman, respectively, of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, have released a proposed framework for an overhaul of the statutory definition of patent-eligible subject matter. A parallel version has also been released in the House of Representatives by Reps. Doug Collins (R-Ga.), Hank Johnson (D-Ga.), and Steve Strivers (R-Ohio).