General Information
Overview
Fortune 500 and other market-leading businesses turn to the elite trial teams and C-Suite advisors of Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila LLP (RSHC) to handle their most pressing challenges.
Noted by the Chambers Diversity & Inclusion Awards as “a true diversity and inclusion pioneer for the profession,” the firm draws from its authentic diversity to assemble bespoke teams for each engagement, incorporating multiple perspectives to craft legal strategies and deliver business insights that create success in both the courtroom and boardroom. RSHC attorneys are united by a culture of excellence that is relentlessly client-focused, dynamically innovative, and passionately committed to winning.
Our lawyers are regularly retained to resolve some of the most challenging, complex, and high-stakes legal issues that our clients face. Our litigators handle the full range of investigation and advocacy, from whistleblower allegations to government investigations, from pre-litigation demands to full-blown multi-district litigation, and from discrete internal disputes to substantial and public corporate crises.
Our transactional attorneys are called on by clients to structure and negotiate sophisticated transactions. Whether it is a syndicated construction financing, an airport concessions joint venture, a private equity acquisition, or an asset disposition, our deal attorneys have closed significant transactions across the nation.
Our trial lawyers have tried hundreds of civil and criminal cases to verdicts in state and federal courts across more than two dozen states. Our class actions team has defended against complex claims in more than 30 states. Our appellate lawyers have appeared in most federal Courts of Appeal and the United States Supreme Court.
We have deep and broad experience dealing with government at many levels. Our lawyers have served as Assistant United States Attorneys and others have experience as state court prosecutors. One was an Illinois state judge. Another was First Deputy Chief of Staff and Public Safety for the City of Chicago. Another served as General Counsel to the Governor of Illinois, and Deputy Corporation Counsel in charge of all City of Chicago litigation. We have judiciously exercised the power of the government, and we have defended our clients against it.
All our attorneys see themselves as counselors to their clients. Several served in top roles in the legal departments of household name companies, handling the panoply of matters that confront 21st century business: governance, regulatory, risk, expansion, competition, employment, compliance, intellectual property, transaction, and securities issues. We are skilled at dealing with the press. We have balanced the competing constituencies that our clients serve: customers, employees, investors, and regulators. We know how to help our clients get to the other side of a crisis. We also know that the best lawsuit is the one that is never filed.
Our Principles
· We excel at what we do
· We deliver value to our clients, as they measure value
· We provide exceptional service
· We are diverse and inclusive
· We perform exemplary pro bono service
· We care about our clients and each other
By putting clients at the center of our mission, by aligning our interests with theirs, and by building processes that allow us to fulfill our promises, we hope to earn and maintain the trust of our clients, every day, on every matter.
Our Approach
We listen and we learn. We dedicate our time, energy, and resources to devise creative and effective solutions that will meet the immediate and long-term goals of our clients, wherever and whenever those needs arise.
We pride ourselves on our innovative fee arrangements, which are designed to align our interests with those of our clients and to put the emphasis on efficiency and results.
We believe that lawyers from different backgrounds provide a better perspective on the problems our clients face. Simply put, we believe that the more diverse our teams, the more value we produce for our clients.
We work in a climate that emphasizes collaboration and teamwork. Everyone at our firm makes a contribution to our clients. We genuinely enjoy working together and partnering with our clients.
Our Lawyers
Our attorneys serve as trusted advisors to clients whom we have served for decades, counseling them on a broad range of strategic decisions. We have experience handling complex and demanding litigation, from major class actions and trial consolidations to individual matters, where the outcome can determine the direction and long-term prospects of their businesses. We counsel clients on developing and coordinating nationwide litigation strategy. We have conducted complex and multi-pronged internal investigations and responded to dozens of regulators’ inquiries. We structure and negotiate complex business transactions. We manage clients’ transactional needs across a range of services, including real estate and leasing, and providing strategic business counsel.
Our attorneys serve as trusted advisors to our clients, some of whom we have served for decades, counseling them on a broad range of strategic decisions.
Our Services
RSHC lawyers have established national recognition and exceptional records in a diverse array of practice areas such as:
· Class Actions
· White Collar Defense, Investigations & Compliance
· Product Liability & Mass Torts
· Commercial Disputes & Litigation
· Energy & Utilities
· Environmental Litigation
· Appellate Practice
· Aerospace & Aviation
· Antitrust & Competition
· Intellectual Property
· Insurance Litigation
· Education
· Animal Law
· Blockchain & Cryptocurrency
· Labor & Employment
· Financial Services Litigation
· Connected and Autonomous Vehicles & Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
· Risk, Reputation & Crisis Management
· Pro Bono Engagements
· Business Transactions
· Compliance Program Counseling, Design & Assessment
Rankings
Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila LLP is nationally ranked in 4 practice areas and metro ranked in 10 practice areas. Best Law Firms rankings are based on a rigorous evaluation process.
Read how Best Law Firms ranks firmsNational Rankings
Metro Rankings
About Our Clients
Rankings
National Rankings
Regional Rankings
Practice Areas
- Animal Law
- Antitrust Law
- Appellate Practice
- Aviation Law
- Bet-the-Company Litigation
- Cannabis Law
- Commercial Finance Law
- Commercial Litigation
- Corporate Compliance Law
- Criminal Defense: White-Collar
- Education Law
- Electronic Discovery and Information Management Law
- Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
- Employment Law - Management
- Insurance Law
- Intellectual Property Law
- Litigation - Antitrust
- Litigation - Banking and Finance
- Litigation - Construction
- Litigation - Environmental
- Litigation - Health Care
- Litigation - Insurance
- Litigation - Intellectual Property
- Litigation - Labor and Employment
- Litigation - Patent
- Litigation - Real Estate
- Litigation - Securities
- Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants
- Patent Law
- Privacy and Data Security Law
- Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
- Project Finance Law
- Real Estate Law
- Sports Law
- Trade Secrets Law
Individuals Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America®
Client Comments
Awards
- Named Pro Bono Leader by Law360 (2022)
- Just the Beginning – A Pipeline Organization Diversity Partnership Award (2023)
- BTI Consulting Class Action Leader (2024); Leader in Litigation (2024); Client Service A-Team Top 100 List (2023-2024); Leader in Cost Control (2024); Midsize Client Service Masters (2022)
- RSHC is named a National Tier 1 firm in Appellate Practice and Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants and National Tier 3 Firm in Commercial Litigation and Criminal Defense: White-Collar by Best Lawyers® for the 2024 Edition
- RSHC is named a Metropolitan Tier 1 and Tier 2 Firm in Ann Arbor, Chicago, and San Francisco in nine practice areas by Best Lawyers® for the 2024 Edition of "Best Law Firms."
- Chambers USA Awards 2023, Diversity & Inclusion: Outstanding Contribution – Patricia Brown Holmes and Finalist Chambers USA Awards, Diversity & Inclusion: Outstanding Firm (2023, 2021)
- Commitment & Investment Award from The Chicago Committee on Minorities in Large Law Firms (2023, 2021) and Delivering Diversity Award from The Chicago Committee on Minorities in Large Law Firms (2022)
- RSHC Named to Exelon DEI Honor Roll (2021-2022)
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RSHC Selected as 2022 McDonald's EMPOWER Award Winner
- Law360 Ranked Top 10 for Most Diverse Attorney Workforce Nationwide (2018-2022); Top 10 for Most Diverse Equity Partnership (2020-2024); Top 100 Social Impact Leader (2023)
- RSHC Ranked a Vault Top 150 Under 150 (2021-2025)