CFDB Adds Holly Harrison Along with Former Sidley Austin, Kirkland & Ellis and Jones Day Litigators to Growing Litigation Team

December 19, 2024

Holly Harrison and Six Additional Litigators Bolster Litigation Group’s Bench Strength as Firm Celebrates Fifth Anniversary

CHICAGO, December 19, 2024 — Croke Fairchild Duarte & Beres LLC (“CFDB”), the entrepreneurial law firm founded by alumni of some of the nation’s most prestigious firms, is celebrating its fifth anniversary this December as one of the largest and fastest-growing certified women-owned law firms in the nation. In a pivotal moment of growth, the firm has added seven additional litigators, including renowned Chicago-based litigator Holly Harrison, to further strengthen its powerhouse litigation group.

With over thirty years’ experience with complex commercial litigation, Holly previously served as the global co-chair of Sidley Austin’s Complex Commercial Litigation group prior to founding her own firm, Harrison Law. At both Sidley Austin and Harrison Law, Holly served Fortune 100 clients as well as privately held businesses and individuals in a wide range of complex disputes both international and domestic. Holly’s reputation as a go-to strategist for her clients’ most sophisticated and important legal challenges makes her a tremendous addition to the client-partnership oriented Croke Fairchild team.

In addition to Holly, CFDB has also welcomed the following litigators:

David Jorgensen, Partner. David provides clients with substantial experience in complex civil litigation in state and federal courts throughout the nation, with substantial focus on companies large and small, as well as individuals, in business tort and business contract litigation, civil RICO matters, securities litigation and corporate investigations. David began his career at Sidley Austin.
Rachel Niewoehner, Partner. Rachel represents parties in a diverse range of litigation matters at the trial and appellate levels in state and federal court. Rachel has extensive experience in class actions, including M&A, federal securities, consumer fraud, ERISA and TCPA matters. Rachel was previously at Harrison Law and was a partner at Sidley Austin.
Jon Spanbauer, Partner. Jon brings 15 years’ experience litigating intellectual property disputes in district courts throughout the United States. He has represented many of the country’s largest pharmaceutical companies in complex patent cases covering a wide range of technologies, with a particular emphasis on pharmaceuticals (Hatch-Waxman litigation), medical devices and biologics. Jon’s courtroom experience includes Markman hearings, summary judgment proceedings, months of jury and bench trial work and appeals before the Federal Circuit. Jon previously practiced at both Sidley Austin and Ropes & Gray.
Michael Rice, Of Counsel. Michael has formulated strategies to reach clients’ business objectives in a cost-effective manner. He has been a key member of the defense team on matters involving utilities, oil and gas producers, coal and chemical companies, and agricultural companies. Michael spent 27 years at Jones Day.
Jason Fitterer, Counsel. Jason provides clients with extensive experience in patent infringement and complex commercial litigation. In his five years as an associate at Kirkland & Ellis, followed by nearly seven years with Harrison Law, Jason represented clients in patent infringement cases involving a variety of technology areas and industries including medical equipment, wireless communications technology, semiconductors and more.
Katherine Sobiech, Counsel. Katy brings experience in complex and multi-district litigation and advising on regulatory issues. Katy has represented clients in products liability actions involving medical devices, pharmaceutical drugs and consumer products, and she has also worked on matters involving shareholder derivative suits, contract disputes and governmental investigations. Katy was previously a Managing Associate at Harrison Law and, prior to that, was an associate at Tucker Ellis.

The additions significantly deepen CFDB’s capacity in complex commercial litigation both local and national, investigations, business counseling, intellectual property disputes and labor and employment disputes.

“As we celebrate five incredible years of growth, innovation, and client service, it’s an honor to welcome Holly and these other talented litigators to our firm,” said CFDB Founding Partner Patrick Croke. “Holly was a mentor to me at Sidley and I know firsthand how deeply her exceptional skill and strategic insight will benefit our clients. These additions truly set the stage for our next chapter as we continue to expand our litigation capabilities.”

Holly Harrison, who joins CFDB as Of Counsel, shared: “Joining CFDB at this stage of its growth felt like a natural fit. In my experience, clients are increasingly drawn to firms that have a strong entrepreneurial spirit and take a creative and client centric approach to complex legal challenges. CFDB’s trajectory over the last five years has been remarkable. Joining a firm with such a growing diversified client base — that both has a deep commitment to impeccable client service, and also understands and responds to the changing landscape for legal services — is a unique opportunity. I’m truly excited to be a part of CFDB’s next phase.”

The addition of these seasoned litigators positions CFDB to better address the evolving needs of its clients. “As the economic landscape grows ever more complex, this robust team of accomplished litigators and savvy business advisors offers our clients the confidence of knowing they have the best resources on their side, no matter what legal challenges they face,” said CFDB Management Committee member and chair of the Litigation & Investigations practice group, Michael Layden.

CFDB began on December 1, 2019 with a total of ten attorneys and a primary focus on transactional work. With these most recent additions, CFDB now has over ninety attorneys across a variety of key practice areas, making it one of the fastest growing law firms in the nation.

In a year of profound strategic growth, CFDB has bolstered a number of its key practice areas, including:

Real Estate: David Reifman from Clayco, Penelope Campbell from Honigman and Ari Krigel from Smith, Gambrell & Russel;
Litigation: Retired Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas Kilbride and Adam Vaught, both formerly of Kilbride & Vaught, Eugene Schoon formerly of Sidley Austin;
Employment: Erin McAdams Franzblau from Smith, Gambrell & Russel;
Debt Finance: Alex Righi from Mayer Brown;
Corporate and M&A: John Sabl, formerly of Anzu Partners LLC and Sidley Austin;
Healthcare: Charles (Chuck) Reiter III, former SVP, General Counsel and Secretary of Loyola University Health System and former SVP, General Counsel and Secretary of Palos Health; and
Public Finance: Jim Durkin, former Minority Leader of the Illinois House of Representatives.

About Holly Harrison brings over 30 years’ experience with complex commercial litigation, including extensive first-chair trial and appellate experience. A former co-global team leader of Sidley Austin’s Complex Commercial Litigation group, Harrison founded Harrison Law to continue serving big law clients with the flexibility, efficiency, and value that only a smaller firm can provide. Holly’s experience spans business tort and business contract litigation, civil RICO matters, trade secret and unfair competition litigation, shareholder litigation, class actions, False Claims Act / qui tam litigation, insurance disputes, fiduciary litigation, trust disputes and contests, will contests, employment discrimination and bankruptcy and insolvency litigation. She also has deep experience in data privacy and security law and is a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US, CIPP/E) and a member of the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP).