Nick Kahlon and Sarah Finch provide an in-depth analysis of a new amendment to the Illinois Freedom to Work Act and how it significantly alters the restrictive covenant landscape in Illinois. As they explain, the amendment prohibits employers from entering into non-competition or non-solicitation agreements with many Illinois employees after January 1, 2022, and also contains provisions regarding employer notice, fee recovery for prevailing employees, and oversight by the Illinois Attorney General.

RSHC attorney Bruce Wagman was part of the legal team that successfully secured the defense of San Francisco’s 2018 ban on the sale of fur products in the city. RSHC, representing The Humane Society of the United States and Animal Legal Defense Fund, intervened in the case as defendants.

RSHC is delighted to announce the promotion of Nathan Howze (Business Transactions) to Partner, effective January 1, 2022. The Firm also added five partners through lateral hiring in 2021.

RSHC partner Ronald S. Safer was interviewed for the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin’s “How I Did It” feature, discussing the record-setting verdict in a recent civil suit related to his wrongful conviction work. A former federal prosecutor and experienced commercial litigator, Ron has successfully handled numerous wrongful conviction cases and has a long history of trying civil matters, but this case was the first he took on that would combine both areas of law.

RSHC Managing Partner and retired Cook County Associate Judge, Patricia Brown Holmes, has been appointed as a new member and Co-Chair to the Illinois Supreme Court Judicial Screening Committee. The screening committee assesses the qualifications of candidates applying for appointment to the Office of Judge of the Circuit Court for Cook County due to vacancies created by recent judicial retirements.

RSHC Managing Partner Patricia Brown Holmes and Labor & Employment Practice Chair Alan King are among the prominent business and community leaders honored by Crain’s Chicago Business this week as Notable Black Leaders and Executives. Crain’s editors selected 71 Chicagoans who have not only reached prominent places in their own professions but have, this year, “seized the moment” of reckoning over systemic racism following the murder of George Floyd and redoubled their efforts to contribute to the Black community through service and philanthropy.

Health care providers may face new challenges under the DOJ’s recently launched Civil Cyber-Fraud Initiative, which will use the False Claims Act to target cybersecurity-related fraud by ensuring the technology-related representations by government contractors and grant recipients are accurate. RSHC is prepared to counsel industry executives on best practices for compliance.

Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila LLP (RSHC) is proud to announce that partner Edward Casmere has been honored as one of Crain's Chicago Business’ 2021 Notable Gen X Leaders in Accounting, Consulting and Law. Crains selected Chicagoans, born between 1965 and 1980, who have shown the ability or power to effect change and have assumed leadership positions outside their own organizations.

Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila LLP (RSHC) welcomes new partner Kalia Coleman to our Government Enforcement, Investigations & White Collar Criminal Defense practice. Coleman joins the firm following nearly six years with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois, where she most recently served as Deputy Chief of the General Crimes Division.

Ransomware attacks continue to plague companies, universities, and government agencies. In their recent whitepaper for Best Lawyers, RSHC Partners Georgia Alexakis, Patricia Brown Holmes, Abigail Peluso, and Jack Theis provide a primer on the federal government’s response to the crisis, and the next steps organizations must take to protect consumers, ensure operational continuity, and avoid reputational damage.

Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila has been ranked in the 2022 U.S. News – Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” list nationally in three practice areas and regionally in nine practice areas for our professional excellence, quality of legal practice, and breadth of legal expertise.

Twenty-seven years to the day that he was convicted of and soon thereafter sentenced to life in prison for crimes he did not commit, RSHC won complete and total vindication for Eddie Bolden. On Friday, October 29, 2021, a Chicago jury resoundingly rejected the defendants attempts to, yet again, deprive Eddie of justice. Twenty-eight times, once for every count against every defendant, the jury proclaimed Eddie’s innocence and the complicity of those who framed him. The jury awarded $25 million in compensatory damages, as well as $100,000 in punitive damages against each of the living defendants.

RSHC was a named a 2022 Litigation Leader in three different practice areas: Class Actions, Complex Commercial Litigation, and Product Liability by the legal industry consultant BTI Consulting Group. The annual recognition evaluates law firms from across the country for their prowess in handling these key areas litigation and their excellence in client service.

Shalem Massey and Jennifer Steeve are speaking at the October 28-29 ABA Cleared for Takeoff: Aviation Litigation in a Post-Pandemic World conference in Washington, DC. Shalem is moderating the “Elimination of Bias/Diversity & Inclusion in the Legal Profession” panel.

We are pleased to announce that our partner, Kate Stimeling, was recently elected into the membership of the 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.

RSHC attorney Nacenté Seabury is a featured panelist on “Unregulated Chemicals and Emerging Contaminants of Concerns” at the October 27 Perrin Environmental Risk & Litigation Conference. Program will cover emerging contaminants and how litigation arises from them, what is on the radar, and agricultural issues.

At the November 11 Chicago Committee on Minorities in Large Law Firm’s Annual Meeting, Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila will receive the 2021 Commitment & Investment Award recognizing the firm’s accomplishments in diverse attorney recruitment and retention.

Litigation associate Sarah Finch has been selected Just The Beginning – A Pipeline Organization’s 5 Under 40 honoree for her dedication to the advancement of diversity in the legal field. Sarah will be recognized at the October 14 JTB “Light the Spark” Celebration and Annual Fundraiser.

Recognizing leaders who are excellent "business strategists, complex problem-solvers and, of course, great lawyers," the WIPL awards also spotlight women who are dedicated to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the legal industry.

In "Neutral Shift," published in the second annual Best Lawyers in the Midwest edition, Patricia Brown Holmes and Rachel Sifuentes explain why diversifying the pool of neutrals is the first step toward improving inclusion in the alternative dispute resolution process.