About Patricia

RSHC Managing Partner Patricia Brown Holmes practiced law on both sides of the bench in courtrooms at every level, serving as Associate Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County, assistant U.S. attorney NDIL, assistant state's attorney for Cook County, and Chief Assistant Corporation Counsel for the city of Chicago. 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. Patricia is one of a handful of Illinois lawyers who have handled cases in state, city, and federal court as well as state appellate, federal appellate, and Illinois Supreme Court. She has represented a wide range of public and private corporate clients in complex commercial, regulatory, and class action litigation as well as internal investigations and crisis management. She serves on the University of Illinois System Board of Trustees and The Chicago Network. She chairs the board of Just the Beginning – A Pipeline Organization. She is a former President of the Chicago Bar Association, Black Women Lawyers’ Association, and Harriet’s Daughters. She is a former board member of La Rabida Children’s Hospital. She served in a variety of high profile appointed positions such as the Special Prosecutor in the matter of Laquan McDonald, Sole Trustee of Burr Oak Cemetery, and co-chair of the Judicial Selection Commission for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, among others. Throughout her career, Patricia has received countless accolades for her impressive professional achievements as well as her dedication to diversity, inclusion, and equity in the legal profession. She most recently received the 2022 MCCA Rainmaker Award for the Midwest Region, selected a 2022 Women of Influence honoree by Chicago Business Journal, received the 2022 Top 10 Illinois Super Lawyers distinction, selected a Managing Partner of the Year honoree by Corporate Counsel Women, Influence & Power in Law Awards 2021, and appointed to the National Football League Diversity Advisory Committee.

Practice Areas

Education

• University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, J.D., graduated 1986
• University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, B.S., graduated 1983

Bar Admissions

• Illinois, Illinois State Bar

Languages