Women in Law 2024

2024

KALIA COLEMAN PARTNER Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila LLP

K alia Coleman is a partner at Riley Safer Holmes and Cancila LLP (RSHC), where she focuses her practice on commercial litigation, white collar defense, and corporate investigations. Clients depend on her analytical prowess, deep insight into complex state and federal statutes, and sophisticated approach to navigating high-stakes and highly sensitive investigations. Prior to her current position, Kalia spent six years as Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois, most recently as Deputy Chief of the General Crimes Division. She led trial teams through multiple federal jury trials, briefed and argued — and won — multiple appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, and supervised other AUSAs in investigations and prosecutions involving extortion, fraud, identity theft, money laundering, and RICO Act violations. Kalia is a natural leader with a passion for mentorship. She was promoted to the Deputy Chief position within a short five years of beginning her job in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, a position that came with significant management responsibilities. Kalia prioritized the training of all new AUSAs, creating opportunities for them to attend hearings and sit in on other key aspects of investigations and prosecutions so that they could build their skills in the practice of criminal law. As a Black female attorney, Kalia is dedicated to progress toward greater equity and inclusion in the legal profession. At RSHC, she

serves on the Recruiting and Associate Development Committee. In her position as AUSA, Kalia served on the diversity committee and guided the process of recommending candidates to the office. Kalia’s commitment to these values extends to the broader community. She is a member of the board of directors, and delivered the 2023 commencement speech, for Legal Prep Charter Academy, a public high school in West Garfield Park that uses a unique legal- themed curriculum to prepare underserved students for college success. Kalia is also on the board and organizes the career day for Youth Guidance (YG), a nonprofit that implements evidence-based programs in schools, including BAM (Becoming A Man) and WOW (Working on Womanhood), which have been praised nationally by Barack and Michelle Obama. Kalia also is on the executive committee of the Business Leadership Council, Chicago’s premier Black entrepreneurial group, and is past president of the Black Women Lawyers Association of Greater Chicago, Inc. Kalia has been named a Chicago Urban League IMPACT Fellow, one of Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Litigators, one of Law Bulletin Media’s 40 Illinois Attorneys Under Forty, and one of the Top 100 African American Attorneys in Illinois. In recognition of her federal government service, she recently received the Chicago Chapter of the Federal Bar Association’s Milton Gordon Award. Kalia lives in Chicago’s Beverly neighborhood. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends.

WOMEN IN LAW 2024