Joseph J. O’Hara, Jr., former Vice President, Associate General Counsel and Secretary for a Fortune Global 500 company that is a leading manufacturer of packaging products, has joined the national law firm of Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila (RSHC) as Of Counsel in the Chicago office. He will focus on wide-ranging trial work and emphasize the representation of clients who have been wrongfully convicted and seek justice in the criminal and civil courts.

RSHC Partner Jacob Kahn will moderate a panel on “Crypto Derivatives” on June 8 at the annual CLE seminar for The Chicago Bar Association’s Futures & Derivatives Law Committee. The panel includes representatives from CME Group, Cboe Global Markets, and Bcause LLC, and will discuss the cryptocurrency futures contracts currently being traded at CME and Cboe, the CFTC’s recent advisory on crypto derivatives, and what the future may hold in this evolving space.

RSHC Partner Drahcir Marie Smith was selected as one of this year’s most talented young attorneys practicing in Illinois by Law Bulletin Media’s 40 Under Forty Committee. This year’s 19th annual competition was more challenging because 1,500 nominations were received for attorneys throughout Illinois.

Handling crisis can mean everything for your company and career. RSHC Managing Partner, Patricia Brown Holmes, will moderate an esteemed panel of general counsel at the complimentary June 21 “Crisis Management for Today’s General Counsel” program,” co-hosted by RSHC, Major, Lindsey & Africa, and PwC.

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.

We are proud to announce that RSHC Partner Drahcir Marie Smith has been elected a 2018-2019 Board Member at Large for the Black Women Lawyers’ Association of Greater Chicago, Inc. (BWLA). The installation ceremony for the incoming Officers and Board of Directors will take place on June 4.

RSHC Partner and Faculty Member, Kelly Warner, will moderate the afternoon session, “Perfect Timing: The Right Time to Release Legal Holds,” at the May 18 ABA Twelfth Annual National Institute on E-Discovery. This panel of experienced in-house counsel will provide practical advice for managing legal holds and finding the right opportunity and strategy for releasing them.

RSHC Partner and member of The Sedona Conference’s Working Group 1, Kelly Warner, will co-present the May 8 MER Conference session, “Possession, Custody or Control of Data in the Cloud, on Third Party Apps, and on Employee Mobile Devices.” Technological advances continue to stress and strain the abilities of companies to manage and control the data and electronic records pertaining to their business. Learn how the courts are applying the traditional standards of “possession, custody and control” to today’s world of distributed ESI.

The Legal Marketing Association (LMA) has selected Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila LLP as the Second Place winner in the Communications: Holiday Mailings/Announcements category of the 2018 Your Honor Awards. The LMA Your Honor Awards recognizes excellence in legal marketing by promoting projects and programs that provide innovation and return on marketing dollar investment. Visit the full winners’ list to learn more about the latest honorees.

The Riley Safer team, in partnership with WilmerHale, helped the City of Chicago achieve another victory against the Trump administration on Thursday. The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Judge Leinenweber's grant to Chicago of a nationwide injunction stopping Attorney General Jeff Sessions from applying new conditions to grant money to force cities across the country to cooperate with immigration authorities.

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.

RSHC Partner, Patricia Brown Holmes, will be a panelist for the “Managing Partners” session at the April 12 “May it Please the Court: Symposium on Women Lawyers in the Courtroom.” The United States District Court and Chicago Bar Association in conjunction with the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois and the Black Women Lawyers’ Association are sponsoring this complimentary half-day program to discuss and promote strategies and best practices to empower women lawyers as lead counsel and trial counsel in litigation. Patricia will also be presenting the Closing along with the Honorable Amy J. St. Eve.

RSHC Partner, Drahcir Marie Smith, will be a panelist at the April 17th Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in Law panel event, “Navigating the Gray Area in the World of #MeToo,” to be held at Katten Muchin Rosenman, in Chicago. The event is designed to foster an open discussion about sexual harassment in the workplace. The in-person event is free and also available to be watched via livestream. RSHC Associate and moderator, Stephanie Jones, will guide the panel to focus on the “what now?” in the wake of the #MeToo movement. Panelists from diverse employment backgrounds will share their insights from the perspective of counsel, advisor, employee, employer, journalist, investigator, and even victim.

RSHC Partner and 1998 alumni, Joseph Q. McCoy, will be the keynote speaker for the April 12 Northwestern Pritzker School of Law Black Law Students Association’s (BLSA) Annual Graduating Students Recognition and Alumni Banquet, “Lifting As We Climb.” This celebration recognizes the achievements of predecessors, current students, and the next generation.

RSHC Partner Rod Perry will be a panelist at the April 5 Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) Fellows Alumni Speaker Series program, “Advancement, Transitions, and Career Planning,” to be held at Winston & Strawn in Chicago. LCLD Alumni, who have advanced or transitioned to new roles and responsibilities, will share their experiences to help others identify opportunities and navigate potential road blocks, pitfalls and ethical issues.

Rich Lenkov and Craig Collins from WGN Radio 720’s “Legal Face-Off” interviewed RSHC Partner Jack Theis on their February 28 talk show. Jack shared his thoughts on crisis management in the White House vs. private practice, the importance of being concise as a lawyer, and the scope of the president’s pardon power.

As RSHC begins its third year, we are pleased to share our 2017 Annual Report, which highlights our 24-month road to building A Law Firm Built for Clients.®

Cybersecurity risks pose substantial challenges to any company functioning in today’s data-driven marketplace. In addition to threats from internal and outside forces, risks associated with protecting personal and financial information, and the possibility of protracted civil litigation, corporations face increasing pressure from regulators to ensure the security of their systems. This week, two federal agencies doubled down in this arena: the Department of Justice established a task force to combat cybersecurity threats, and the Securities and Exchange Commission issued guidance on the appropriate disclosures of cyber risks and incidents.

RSHC Partner Joseph Q. McCoy will be a panelist on the February 27 “Black History Month – Authentic Leadership Panel” to be held at Cushman & Wakefield in Chicago. The inspirational six-person panel will share personal insights on leadership and their experience.

RSHC Partner Jack Theis, former Special Assistant and Associate Counsel to President Obama, put out fires and advised White House officials on the legal side of crisis management. As an attorney at RSHC, he will advise clients on litigation, white collar matters, and how to respond to multidimensional problems with complex risks. Learn about some of the highlights of Jack’s job as a White House lawyer, how that experience relates to his new role, and what attracted him to RSHC.