12 / 60
I
ncoming CBA President Patricia Brown
Holmes is a self-described “no BS” kind
of person. At the Annual Meeting of the
Chicago Bar Association, June 25, 2015,
Holmes outlined her direct, no BS plan
for greater inclusion and involvement of
CBA members.
Holmes has a varied background in
the law, which should make attorneys
from both the private and public sectors
feel at home in the CBA. She is currently
a partner at Schiff, Hardin LLP. Prior to
that, she served nine years as a judge in
the Circuit Court of Cook County. She
was also a federal and state prosecutor.
Holmes takes the helm of the CBA at a
difficult time for the legal profession. Law
school applications are down, and those
who do graduate have a harder time finding
a job. With fewer attorneys, maintaining
CBA membership numbers is a concern,
according to CBATreasurer, Steven Elrod.
Despite these challenges, Pat Holmes sees
this year as an opportunity to add new
members and increase current members’
involvement.
She plans to implement five themes to
reach her goal:
• ReclaimMembership.
First and foremost,
“Pay your dues,” Holmes urged. She
has asked each of the approximately
95 committee chairs or co-chairs to
“reclaim” five lapsed CBA members
by convincing them to re-join the Bar
Association.
• Get Involved.
Holmes has also asked
each committee chair to get five new people
involved in his or her committee. Holmes
supports more active members and innova-
tive programming.
• Contribute.
Every lawyer should con-
tribute to the community and the bar.
Holmes’ definition of “contribute” is
PATRICIA BROWN HOLMES BECOMES 139TH PRESIDENT OF THE CHICAGO BAR
ASSOCIATION
Inclusion and Involvement
By Kathleen Dillon Narko
Editorial Board Member
At the Annual Meeting, Patricia Brown Holmes spoke about the joy of bar association
membership and of collaboriating with outgoing President Daniel A. Cotter, to whom
she presented gifts. Photos by Bill Richert.
12
JULY/AUGUST 2015