Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila managing partner Patricia Brown Holmes made history as the first African-American woman to lead and have her name on the door of a major law firm that wasn’t women- or minority-owned. She built a distinguished career as an extraordinary lawyer, community advocate and leading voice for diversity, equity and inclusion in the legal profession. She led her Chicago-based firm through a consequential period of national racial reckoning.
- Historic leadership moment: Patricia Brown Holmes became the first African-American woman to lead a major law firm and to be named on its door.
- Why it matters to firm leaders: She steered a Chicago firm through racial reckoning and COVID-19 while handling high-stakes investigations and complex litigation.
- Credibility earned over decades: Prosecutor, federal trial lawyer, judge and managing partner with 25 trials in five years and service across every court level.
- Read on for lessons in resilient leadership, inclusive culture and navigating crisis without losing client focus.
A Practice Defined by High-Stakes Work and Public Service
In addition to her ongoing work representing a range of public and private corporate clients in high-profile internal investigations and complex commercial, regulatory and class-action litigation, Holmes demonstrated unparalleled leadership throughout a time of heightened professional and civic responsibility.
Guiding the Legal System Through COVID-19 Challenges
Appointed by the state Supreme Court to the Illinois Judicial Conference’s COVID-19 task force, Holmes worked with that committee to help guide the court system through the process of reopening.
Commitment to Inclusion and Firmwide Dialogue
Following the death of George Floyd and amid the continued influence of the Black Lives Matter movement, Holmes acknowledged the gravity of the moment and the opportunity for engagement it presented, allowing firm members of all backgrounds to share their feelings and experiences to foster greater inclusion.
At the same time, she took on some of the most high-profile cases of her career, including the defense of two large corporations involved in lawsuits alleging large-scale race discrimination.
Early Life and Education
Anyone who knew Holmes was not surprised that she capably balanced zealous representation of her clients and steering her law firm through cultural upheaval and a public-health crisis.
Raised on the South Side of Chicago, the oldest of five children, she was a tenacious student with big dreams (and a perfect attendance record) who turned down offers from Ivy League schools to study at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
A Shift Toward Law
An interest in science initially drew her to industrial engineering, but the lack of diversity in that discipline made for a lonely experience with few opportunities. Holmes changed her major and studied liberal arts, philosophy, sociology, psychology and social work. Ultimately, instead of taking medical-school entrance exams, on a dare, she took the Law School Admission Test, earning a full scholarship to the University of Illinois College of Law.
A Career Across Prosecution, Trial Work and the Bench
After law school, she became a prosecutor in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, handling misdemeanors, felonies and appeals.
After five years, she moved to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, leading 25 trials in a half-decade there and then became Chicago’s chief assistant corporation counsel for municipal prosecutions.
She was one of only a handful of attorneys in Illinois who tried cases in city, state and state appellate, federal and federal appellate and state supreme courts.
She long had her eye on a judicial career and in 1997, she became an associate judge of the First Municipal District of the Circuit Court of Cook County.
Resilience Through Personal Challenge
Not long after, her life took a potentially devastating turn when she was diagnosed with late-stage Hodgkin’s lymphoma and given a dire prognosis of just six months to live.
Resilient as ever, in defiance of poor odds, Holmes returned to her position after eight months and continued to work through the next several years of recovery.
Private Practice and Founding a Groundbreaking Firm
Holmes moved on to the juvenile court, where she spent eight years as a judge and then turned to private practice.
She became the first female African-American equity partner at Schiff Hardin LLP, chaired its diversity committee, co-chaired its white-collar practice and was voted onto its executive committee.
In 2016, along with colleagues Safer, Bob Riley and Joe Cancila, Holmes became a founding partner of Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila, a groundbreaking firm built around client service with a central focus on diversity and inclusion.
Leading High-Profile Investigations and Public Initiatives
In addition to her work as managing partner, Holmes was long tapped by city and state officials to lead sensitive, high-profile investigations.
She was the inaugural chairperson of the Illinois Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission and served as a special prosecutor in major cases involving police misconduct.
University of Illinois Leadership
Holmes was appointed as a trustee to the University of Illinois and served as a member of the executive committee there, overseeing multiple key strategic initiatives, including expansion of research into public health initiatives pioneered by UI scientists.
Recognition, Mentorship and Community Impact
Throughout her career, Holmes was committed to community service, serving as president of groups including the Chicago Bar Association, the Black Women Lawyers Association, Harriet’s Daughters and Just the Beginning—A Pipeline Organization.
She was recognized by Crain’s Chicago Business, Savoy magazine, Chicago Lawyer magazine and the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
A Lasting Influence on the Legal Profession
An admired colleague and lauded mentor whose door was always open to coworkers, young attorneys and law students, Holmes packed a staggering number of achievements into one career.
As the legal profession continued to evolve, she proved once again that she was the kind of leader a law firm needed to meet the moment and continue to grow and innovate.
Patricia Brown Holmes is a highly respected and accomplished lawyer who focuses her practice on high-stakes, "bet-the-company" litigation, internal investigations and crisis management. As managing partner of Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila LLP, she is the first African-American woman to lead and have her name on the door of a national law firm that is not women- or minority-owned.
