RSHC news

Law360’s annual Diversity Snapshot Report has recognized RSHC as a Top law firm for the most diverse attorney workforce nationwide for firms with 100 or fewer attorneys. RSHC was a named one of Law360’s top firms for diversity in 2021 and is honored to be recognized again for 2022.

RSHC Partner Keyonn Pope discusses his wide-ranging practice focus on intellectual property, commercial disputes, entertainment, and media. Keyonn also reflects on how he stays on the cutting edge of entertainment and tech while still having time to serve the community in a new Lawyer Limelight profile for Lawdragon.

RSHC congratulates Managing Partner Patricia Brown Holmes on her selection for the highly competitive Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA) Rainmakers Award for 2022. Joining this elite group of just 15 exceptional attorneys, Holmes was chosen for her standout book of business exceeding $5 million annually and her significant contributions to the Chicago and legal-industry community.

Managing Partner Patricia Brown Holmes was recently honored with the “Beyond in Big Law” Award, given by the Black Women Lawyers’ Association of Greater Chicago, Inc. (BWLA). This award recognizes an attorney who has made an impact on the legal profession by blazing a new trail. Patricia is the first African American woman to manage and have her name on the door of a major law firm that is not women- or minority-owned. She has dedicated her career to mentoring and creating opportunities for up-and-coming lawyers.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Patricia Brown Holmes will be speaking at the September 22-24 Northwestern Pritzker School of Law’s Corporate Social Conscience virtual event. Prominent speakers who help shape the current legal markets will discuss corporate and securities law including M&A, corporate governance, and SEC updates.

RSHC is honored to be named to Exelon’s 2021 DEI Honor Roll and recognized as a legal business partner advancing shared values and a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

RSHC Managing Partner Patricia Brown Holmes is being honored as a “Managing Partner of the Year” by the Corporate Counsel’s annual Women, Influence and Power in Law Awards program. These awards honor general counsel, in-house leaders and law firm partners who have demonstrated a commitment to advancing the empowerment of women in law. In recognizing Judge Holmes, the WIPL selection committee noted her role in shaping RSHC’s culture and designing explicit policies that ensure accountability on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Under her leadership, the firm has been recognized by Chambers as “a true diversity and inclusion pioneer for the profession” and was recently noted in Law360’s Diversity Snapshot Report for having one of industry’s the most diverse equity partnerships.

Law360’s annual Diversity Snapshot Report recognizes RSHC as a Top 5 law firm for the most diverse attorney workforce nationwide for firms with 100 or fewer attorneys. RSHC outpaces peers for creating pathways to advancement from all groups and walks of life. Diversity, equity, are core founding principles on which RSHC was built. While we are grateful for the recognition and congratulate the other firms on Law360’s list, we recognize our efforts at improving DEI in the legal profession are only just getting started.

Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila LLP (RSHC) welcomes new partner Keyonn Pope to the firm’s intellectual property and litigation practices. Pope, who was recently recognized by Bloomberg Law as one of 40 outstanding young attorneys nationwide, is a tech-savvy litigator relied upon by clients to represent their brands in bet-the-company patent and trademark litigation and other complex and high-stakes commercial disputes. He has tried patent cases in many hotbed jurisdictions including E.D. Va., E.D. Texas, Delaware, and N.D. Cal.

RSHC Managing Partner Patricia Brown Holmes will be a panelist on the July 29, 2021 ABA Profile of the Legal Profession: Returning to the Law Office … Or Not webinar. After 16 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, a distinguished panel will discuss what comes next, post-pandemic – how to decide, new rules, changes in expectations, and the effect on recruiting.