RSHC news

RSHC Managing Partner Patricia Brown Holmes was the special guest on the March 15 Rare & Scratchy Rock ‘N Roll retrospective podcast hosted by Radio Dave Milberg featuring 30 Feminist Hit Singles Before Their Time between the 1950’s and 1990’s. The history and snippets of thirty (30) hit songs about female empowerment by Aretha Franklin (Respect), Helen Reddy (I am Woman), Gloria Gaynor (I Will Survive), and more were remembered for their strong and positive impact.

At the March 1st 10th Annual Animal Law Conference at the ISBA Chicago Regional Office or via live webcast, RSHC’s Bruce Wagman will share insights on three current hot topics in animal law: creating sanctuary for endangered chimps and varied species, the area of dangerous dog litigation in Chicago and beyond, and the use of experts in animal-related litigation. Don’t miss hearing about the animal law updates and advances made in this rapidly-evolving practice area.

RSHC Managing Partner, Patricia Brown Holmes, closed out the November 1-2, 2018 HOW Forum sharing stories about her family and career, while tying in lessons learned throughout the Forum. She spoke about how the qualities of resilience, strength, and determination allow women to lead change in their personal lives and in their organizations. Her keynote concluded with a champagne toast, after audience members were noticeably moved by her speech.

Crisis management at the top of the Executive Branch. RSHC attorney Jack Theis moderated a panel with his former colleagues from the White House Counsel’s office who explained how they handled legal, policy, and political risk during the Obama Administration. RSHC co-sponsored the November 16 event with the American Constitution Society.

Eddie Arruza from Chicago Tonight interviewed Ron Safer, RSHC Partner and former U.S. Attorneys’ Office Chief of the Criminal Division, Cara Hendrickson, Illinois Attorney General’s Public Interest Division Chief, and Brendan Shiller, a plaintiff’s attorney, on how the proposed Chicago Police Consent Decree might proceed after this week’s hearings. Ron commented, “You cannot let the perfect be the enemy of the good. It is a major step forward. It does not hamper the police, it helps the police.”

RSHC Partner, Jacob Kahn, will be leading the afternoon micro session, “What’s Current in Cryptocurrency?,” on November 1 at the 10th Annual Conference on Futures and Derivatives at Chicago-Kent College of Law. The conference will provide regulatory updates and information on recent trends in enforcement targeted to attorneys, compliance professionals, accountants in the commodities industry, fraud examiners and regulatory professionals.

On July 1, RSHC Partner Steve Hankins (’85) begins a four-year term as President of the Alumnae/i Association of Vassar College. He is also serving a second term on the college’s Board of Trustees. Steve says, “We’ll be supporting a new president [Elizabeth Bradley] who has some bold new visions, things every Vassar alum can rally around. We need to ensure that all of our alums feel that they belong. With the right alums engaging our students as mentors, ‘Vassar for a lifetime’ should be clear from day one on campus.”

The changing business of law and new operational and organizational models … are you geared up to keep pace? RSHC Managing Partner, Patricia Brown Holmes, will be a co-panelist for the June 19-20 HSBC “The Future of Law Firm Leadership and Management” conference special session, “Uncovering Talent: A New Model of Inclusion,” to be held at the The Yale Club in New York.

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.

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.

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.

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.