Patricia Brown Holmes to Co-Chair revamped Theis Judicial Screening Committee

Retired Cook County Associate Judge Patricia Brown Holmes has been named Co-Chair of a revamped Judicial Screening Committee created by Illinois Supreme Court Justice Mary Jane Theis to screen applicants for possible temporary Cook County judicial appointments. Holmes is currently Managing Partner at Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila LLP (RSHP), where, as her firm bio notes, she is "the first African-American woman to lead and have her name on the door of a major law firm that is not women-or minority-owned."

The Supreme Court also announced today that retired U.S. District Judge Wayne R. Anderson will continue to serve as the other Co-Chair of this committee, as he has since 2013, when Justice Theis first announced the formation of her screening committee.

In addition to Anderson, other returning members of the committee are Hon. David Coar (Ret.), Mary Dempsey, Denise Kane, Beth Kaveny, Mike Monico, Michael Rothstein, Sister Cathy Ryan, Richard Waris, and Mark Wojcik.

Holmes is a new addtion to Justice Theis's screening committee. Also joining the committee, according to today's announcement from the Illinois Supreme Court, are Leynee Cruz Flores, James Botana, and John Gallo.

Leynee Cruz Flores is a partner with the firm of Golan Christie Taglia. Her firm bio notes that Flores is the Immediate Past President of the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois and serves on the Young Professionals Board for the Center for Disability & Elder Law. Flores is also Treasurer of the Hispanic Lawyers Scholarship Fund of Illinois.

Before joining Golan Christie Taglia, Flores was a principal in the firm of Chuhak & Tecson P.C., where she was leader of that firm's Estate & Trust Administration & Litigation practice group. She is licensed to practice law in both Illinois and Florida.

James Botana is a principal in the Chicago office of Jackson Lewis P.C. His firm bio notes that, before joining Jackson Lewis in 2000, Botana "was a prosecutor and a senior attorney in the Employment Litigation Department of the Office of the Corporation Counsel for the City of Chicago." He was a founding member of the firm's Diversity Committee. The Supreme Court's announcement today notes that Botana was named Latino Lawyer of the Year by the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois in 2020.

The Court's announcement also notes that Botana still serves as a Special Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Chicago. He has also served on the Illinois State Advisory Committee of the U.S. Comission on Civil Rights.

John Gallo is the CEO and Executive Director of Legal Aid Chicago.

Before joining Legal Aid Chicago, in 2017, Gallo was a long-time partner at Sidley Austin LLP. He was Firmwide Co-Chair of Sidley's White Collar Practice from 2010 to 2017 and Head of Litigation in Sidley's Chicago office from 2014 to 2017.

Gallo also served as trial counsel to the Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board from 2000 to 2017.

The Supreme Court's announcement today notes that Gallo created Sidley’s Capital Litigation Project in 2005 to provide legal representation to inmates on Alabama’s death row. Before joining Sidley Austin, Gallo spent seven years as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Northern District of Illinois.

In today's statement concerning the reconsituted Screening Committee Justice Theis said, "I welcome the new members and thank them for their service," Justice Theis said. "It is important to have a diverse committee to reflect the community we serve."

Justice Theis's Judicial Screening Committee is currently reviewing candidates for vacancies created by the retirements of Judges Joan O'Brien and Sharon Sullivan.