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.

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.

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.

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.

RSHC Attorneys Edward Casmere, Jennifer Steeve, Jeff Morof, Shalem Massey, Meghan McMeel, and Jeff Williams will be hosting an online webinar on June 8, 2020 for the Lloyd's Market Association on “Social Inflation, Punitive Damages, and U.S. Litigation Trends: Where are claims and verdicts headed?”

Legal industry consultants BTI Consulting Group have honored RSHC as one of just 37 midsize firms nationwide that business clients say give them “the same level of confidence and reliability as the big firms.” In the Midsize Heavyweight list released this week, BTI notes that these firms “are uber-responsive, dig deep, hard, and fast to find the answers” and that clients look to them “for a wide variety of risky, delicate, and thorny matters – including highly customized advice about reopening and related issues.”

On May 20 RSHC’s Bruce Wagman will present to judges nationwide through the National Judicial College, a webcast summarizing the exemplary state laws addressing the use and treatment of animals raised for food. This is the tenth in a series of animal law judicial educational sessions supported by RSHC’s work, providing legal education covering a variety of topics in the growing field of animal law.

RSHC Partner Kelly Warner will be a speaker at the May 5, 2020 MER Conference Virtual session, “Preparing for Your Rule 30(b)(6) Records Custodian Deposition.” The panel will discuss how records custodians should prepare to testify to avoid potential traps and pitfalls, in particular in the context of a challenge to the sufficiency of a party’s document production.

Independent and faith-based schools applying for and receiving Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) funds should be mindful that as recipients of federal funds, they need to comply with certain federal nondiscrimination laws, including Title IX and Title VI. COVID-19 has created new and complex legal issues for the education community with obtaining and utilizing government funding opportunities under the CARES Act.

Congratulations to RSHC Partner Greg Curtner on 50 years of dedication to the practice of law. Greg has focused on being a champion for the legal profession and mentoring future generations of lawyers. Enjoy reading his Michigan Leading Lawyers editorial profile about his successful legal career filled with an array of high-profile lawsuits and interesting antitrust and sports law cases. Read more

Reflecting on lessons learned from the 2007-09 Great Recession, RSHC Partners Dave Resnicoff and Kelly Warner share eight recommendations in their Law360 commentary to help compliance officers who need to do more with less.

On April 6, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Babb v. Wilkie that a federal worker aged 40 and older only needs to show age discrimination was a consideration in a unfavorable employment-related decision to seek relief against the federal government. The Court’s decision does not apply to private, state, and local government employees, but there are key takeaways for all employers.

RSHC congratulates Joe Cancila, Patricia Brown Holmes, Joseph McCoy, Bob Riley, and Ron Safer for being recognized among the Top 500 Lawyers in America. This extraordinary benchmark of professional excellence comes from Lawdragon, a leading publisher of legal industry insights and news.

Born determined and with a deep competitive drive, RSHC Managing Partner Patricia Brown Holmes is a natural leader. She's also an innovator. This recent feature in Lawdragon 500 magazine highlights her journey to becoming the first African-American female founder and managing partner of a major national law firm and her relentless focus on THE NOW.

RSHC’s Jeff Urdangen spoke with the ABA Journal about the urgency of Cook County Circuit Judge LeRoy K. Martin’s order to make COVID-19 based jail motions for at-risk, non-violent inmates.

Since day one, Brian Watson has enjoyed walking the tightrope as a thoughtful litigator and negotiator and tenacious trial lawyer for clients. Enjoy reading about Brian’s secrets to a successful outcome, advice on rules of engagement, lessons learned, and inherited family “fix-it gene” in the Emerging Lawyer profile.

Recently RSHC represented four amici curiae (“friends of the court”) clients supporting the request of Cook County Public Defender Amy Campanelli to immediately address COVID-19 risks associated with persons incarcerated in the Cook County Jail.