In The News

• December 8, 2011
  "Lengthy Blagojevich Sentence Meant to Send Others a Message"
  USA Today
  Ronald S. Safer
  Schiff Hardin managing partner and former assistant U.S. Attorney Ron Safer was quoted in this article reacting to the 14-year prison sentence handed down to former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich. Mr. Safer has been widely consulted and quoted in local and national media throughout the former governor's two trials and their aftermath.
• November 24, 2011
  "New team aims for rebirth of defiled cemetery"
  Chicago Tribune
  Patricia Brown Holmes
  This article profiles the efforts of a team led by Patricia Brown Holmes, trustee of Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois, to restore the tarnished image of the cemetery in the wake of a grave-reselling scandal in 2009. Ms. Holmes leads Schiff Hardin's White Collar Crime and Corporate Compliance Group.
• July 1, 2011
  'New trustee has personal stake in restoring Burr Oak cemetery'
  Southtown Star
  Patricia Brown Holmes
  This item highlights the appointment of Schiff Hardin partner Patricia Brown Holmes as trustee of the Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois. The cemetery is emerging from bankruptcy and a scandal involving the resale of burial plots by the former operators. Ms. Holmes, who focuses her practice on white collar criminal matters and internal investigations, also headed a task force in the immediate aftermath of the Burr Oak scandal aimed at amending cemetery law.
• June 28, 2011
  'Blagojevich found guilty of corruption'
  USA Today
  Ronald S. Safer
  Schiff Hardin managing partner Ron Safer is quoted in this article about the conviction of former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich on 17 felony counts in his retrial on corruption charges.
• June 25, 2011
  'Black's 'final chapter' closes'
  National Post (Canada)
  Ronald S. Safer
  This article about convicted newspaper baron Conrad Black's latest appeal quotes Schiff Hardin managing partner Ron Safer. Mr. Safer, who defended Black's co-defendant Mark Kipnis (ultimately exonerated) comments on the slim chances of any successful appeals in the case before Black completes his sentence.
• June 1, 2011
  'CEO Failed to Prove Attorney-Client Privilege, Court Finds'
  Inside Counsel
  Patricia A. Pileggi
  This article describes the potential for confusion over attorney-client privilege when, during an internal investigation, a lawyer representing the company interviews that company's employees or officers. Schiff Hardin partner Pat Pileggi comments upon the need for clarity, as to the nature of the representation, when interviewing employees. Ms. Pileggi, who focuses her practice in white collar criminal defense, is also a columnist for Insidecounsel.com.
• March 31, 2011
  'Rajaratnam's Defense Has a Tough Job Ahead'
  Bloomberg Businessweek
  Patricia A. Pileggi
  This article about the insider-trading trial of the former leader of the Galleon Group hedge fund quotes Schiff Hardin partner Pat Pileggi. Ms. Pileggi focuses her practice in white collar criminal matters.
• March 24, 2011
  'To End Inquiry, Suffolk Leader Exits Race'
  The New York Times
  Patricia A. Pileggi
  Schiff Hardin partner Pat Pileggi is quoted in this Times article about a county executive under investigation for corruption. Ms. Pileggi, a former chief of the public integrity section at the Brooklyn U.S. attorney's office, comments that the executive's acceptance of responsibility for wrongdoing might have prompted the district attorney to close the investigation.
• March 9, 2011
  Coverage related to former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich
  Chicago NBC and ABC affiliates
  Ronald S. Safer
  Following Rod Blagojevich's motion to be sentenced on his sole corruption conviction and forego a new trial on remaining counts, Schiff Hardin managing partner Ron Safer gave comments to local television network affiliates. Mr. Safer, a former federal prosecutor, describes the motion as more a publicity stunt than a serious legal maneuver.
• July 14, 2010
  'Outside Court, a Divide Over Blagojevich Case'
  The Wall Street Journal
  Ronald S. Safer
  This Wall Street Journal article quotes Schiff Hardin managing partner Ron Safer regarding the challenges faced by the prosecution in securing a conviction of former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich in his corruption trial. The prosecution recently rested its case in the trial.
• June 24, 2010
  'Supreme Court Ruling Won't Affect Blago Case'
  ABC 7 News (WLS-TV Channel 7)
  Ronald S. Safer
  In another of a series of local television news appearances, Schiff Hardin managing partner Ron Safer discusses recent developments in the corruption trial of former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich. Here, Mr. Safer discusses the impact (or lack thereof) on the trial of a recent Supreme Court decision narrowing the scope of 'honest services' fraud. Mr. Safer also discussed this issue recently on Chicago's WMAQ-TV and WGN-TV, as well as a the ABA Journal Podcast.
• June 3, 2010
  'Passion and Success in U.S. Attorney's Office'
  The New York Times
  Ronald S. Safer
  This article in The New York Times offers a look inside the federal prosecutor's office in the Northern District of Illinois, which is currently trying a corruption case against former governor Rod Blagojevich. Ron Safer, managing partner at Schiff Hardin and a former Assistant U.S. Attorney in Chicago (where he headed the Criminal Division), offers his insights on the operation of the office. Mr. Safer was also quoted in the Times in a separate article on June 4 ('Defendants Face a Treacherous Walk at Dirksen') about defendants' interactions with the press outside the Dirksen Federal Building in Chicago, where Mr. Blagojevich is being tried.
• June 3, 2010
  'Will Rod Blagojevich trial be a circus? The ex-governor hopes so'
  The Christian Science Monitor
  Ronald S. Safer
  Schiff Hardin managing partner Ron Safer is quoted in this item on the corruption trial of former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich. Mr. Safer, himself a former federal prosecutor, discusses trial strategy and notes the potential for the jury to become swamped with evidentiary details if the big picture is not emphasized.
• June 2, 2010
  'Corruption Trial To Start For Ex-Illinois Governor Blagojevich'
  NPR Morning Edition
  Ronald S. Safer
  National Public Radio produced a story concerning the start of former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich's corruption trial, featuring comments by Schiff Hardin managing partner Ron Safer. A frequent media commentator on important issues involving white collar criminal matters, Mr. Safer also appeared on local Chicago newscasts on WMAQ-TV and WGN-TV to discuss the case.
• June 1, 2010
  'It's showtime for U.S. vs. Blagojevich'
  Chicago Tribune
  Ronald S. Safer
  Schiff Hardin managing partner Ron Safer is quoted in this lengthy review of the government's corruption case against former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich. Mr. Safer, himself a former federal prosecutor, notes that the governor's tone in secretly recorded conversations to be replayed at trial may make his defense team's job more difficult.
• May 28, 2010
  'Taking the stage on the stand'
  USA Today
  Ronald S. Safer
  Schiff Hardin managing partner Ron Safer is quoted in this USA Today article on the corruption trial of former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, which is due to start next week. Mr. Safer is a former assistant United States attorney.
• April 28, 2010
  'Corporate compliance efforts are critical in stepped-up enforcement environment'
  Insight
  Ronald S. Safer
  Schiff Hardin managing partner Ron Safer is interviewed for this extensive article about the government's increased use of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). Mr. Safer, former Chief of the Criminal Division in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois, points out the various facets of the FCPA, how companies can avoid running afoul of them, and the consequences of violations.
• April 25, 2010
  'Fox Chicago Sunday'
  Fox Chicago News (WFLD-TV Channel 32)
  Ronald S. Safer
  Schiff Hardin managing partner Ron Safer was a guest on Chicago Fox affiliate WFLD-TV's 'Fox Chicago Sunday' news program, which centered on comments made by ousted Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich in advance of his trial on corruption charges. Mr. Safer is a former Assistant United States Attorney, and was Chief of the Criminal Division in the Northern District of Illinois.
• April 22, 2010
  'Rod, Take Your Trash Talkin' and Walk'
  Chicago Tribune
  Ronald S. Safer
  This op-ed piece, contributed by Schiff Hardin managing partner Ron Safer, imagines potential responses of U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald to challenges to his manhood leveled recently by former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich. Mr. Safer, himself a former federal prosecutor, points out the sometimes personal risks inherent in a prosecutor's work.
• April 14, 2010
  'News Analysis: The Blagojevich Case'
  Chicago Tonight (WTTW Channel 11) and other local news programs
  Ronald S. Safer
  Schiff Hardin managing partner Ron Safer participated in a panel discussion on Chicago Tonight, a news and public affairs program airing on WTTW Channel 11, a Chicago public television station. The discussion centered on the recently released proffer outlining the government's case against former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, who is due to stand trial for corruption this summer. Mr. Safer also appeared on two other local television stations — NBC affiliate WMAQ-TV Channel 5 and WGN-TV Channel 9 — to discuss recent developments in the case.
• April 5, 2010
  'Taxpayers likely to help fund ex-gov's defense'
  Chicago Sun-Times
  Ronald S. Safer
  This article in the Chicago Sun-Times quotes Schiff Hardin managing partner Ron Safer on the likelihood of public funds being used in the defense of Rod Blagojevich, the former Illinois governor due to stand trial this summer for corruption. Mr. Safer is a former federal prosecutor and former chief of the Chicago U.S. Attorney's Criminal Division.
• April 1, 2010
  'Listening In'
  Inside Counsel
  Patricia A. Pileggi
  Schiff Hardin partner Patricia Pileggi, who practices in the firm's White Collar Crime and Corporate Compliance group, comments in this article about the potential advantages of wiretaps — and the legal obstacles to their use — in white collar criminal investigations.
• March 1, 2010
  'Schiff Hardin's Safer Leads His Midsize Firm by Example, Compassion, Modesty and Grit'
  Of Counsel
  Ronald S. Safer
  In its March issue, Of Counsel magazine features an interview with Schiff Hardin managing partner Ron Safer. Mr. Safer discusses his early years as a lawyer, two of his most significant engagements (defending Julie Rea Harper and Mark Kipnis), and the challenges of navigating a midsize law firm through the economic turmoil of recent years.
• February 4, 2010
  'Taking Time to Represent the Little Guy'
  Chicago Daily Law Bulletin
  Ronald S. Safer
  This feature story focuses on Schiff Hardin managing partner Ron Safer. It traces his legal career from a clerkship for a federal judge in Washington, D.C., through a ten-year stint at the U.S. Attorney's Office in Chicago — where he ultimately led the Criminal Division — to his current position. The story notes Mr. Safer's continuing commitment to pro bono work, particularly his efforts to exonerate Julie Rea Harper, a woman wrongfully convicted of murdering her son, in 2006.
• October 23, 2009
  'Skilling's Enron Appeal: Is 'Honest Services Fraud' a Bogus Charge?'
  TIME Magazine
  Patricia A. Pileggi
  Patricia Pileggi, a partner in Schiff Hardin's New York office who concentrates on white collar criminal defense, is quoted in this article from TIME Magazine discussing the broad application of the controversial 'honest services fraud' charge, which has been used to convict several high-profile defendants in recent years.
• September 29, 2009
  'New tenet in law of supply and demand; Federal judge tosses price-fixing charges after finding no evidence of lies, misrepresentation or other fraud'
  Chicago Tribune
  Ronald S. Safer
  This article about a case of alleged commodities price-fixing quotes Schiff Hardin managing partner Ron Safer. Schiff Hardin was co-counsel for one of the defendants in the case, in which four former BP America Inc. employees were accused of market manipulation and conspiring to corner the market in over-the-counter propane. Though BP paid hundreds of millions of dollars in fines, a federal judge in Houston recently threw out the indictments. This is an important development for the trading and related industries.
• May 19, 2009
  'In rare ruling, court agrees to hear Black's appeal' and 'Were Black's Services Honest?'
  Toronto Daily Globe and Mail
  Ronald S. Safer
  Two stories in Toronto's Globe and Mail address the recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to review the convictions of Conrad Black and Hollinger General Counsel Mark Kipnis last year on fraud charges. Ron Safer, managing partner at Schiff Hardin and lead attorney for Mark Kipnis, is quoted on the application of the 'honest services' theory used to convict Black and now under review by the Court.
• May 8, 2009
  'Beefing up investigative tools: State panel's proposals include expanded use of wiretaps, but some see flaws'
  Chicago Tribune
  Ronald S. Safer
  This story on the role of state and local law enforcement in public corruption investigations quotes Schiff Hardin Managing Partner Ron Safer, a former federal prosecutor. Mr. Safer questions the need for expanded state powers when federal authorities already have the tools and track record to successfully fight corruption.
• April 7, 2009
  'With Stevens order, judge declares war on withheld evidence'
  McClatchy newspapers
  Ronald S. Safer
  Schiff Hardin Managing Partner Ron Safer is quoted in this story regarding the dismissal of former U.S. Senator Ted Stevens' conviction on corruption charges. Mr. Safer noted that the dismissal was a tremendously powerful statement directed at federal prosecutors. The story originated from McClatchy Newspapers' Washington bureau; the McClatchy organization owns dozens of papers nationwide.
• March 19, 2009
  Elliott Spitzer discussion
  The Brian Lehrer Show
  Patricia A. Pileggi
  Patricia Pileggi, a partner in our New York office who concentrates in white collar crime matters, was interviewed on WNYC radio. On the first anniversary of the resignation from office of Governor Elliott Spitzer, Ms. Pileggi discussed issues related to the decision not to prosecute former Governor Spitzer, his potential criminal liability, and the prosecution of the clients of prostitutes.
• March 10, 2009
  'Madoff to Cop to Charges Without Plea Deal'
  Law360
  Allan Horwich
  Schiff Hardin partner Allan Horwich is quoted extensively in this assessment of the government’s case against disgraced financier Bernard Madoff. Mr. Horwich comments on the lack of a plea bargain in the case.
• January 12, 2009
  “Blagojevich Trial to Hold Drama: Observers See ‘Dragnet’ Meeting ‘Columbo’”
  USA Today
  Ronald S. Safer
  This story in USA Today profiles two attorneys on opposing sides of the corruption case involving Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich: defense attorney Ed Genson and U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald. Schiff Hardin Managing Partner Ron Safer, who knows both lawyers, offers his assessments of their legal styles and abilities.
• January 11, 2009
  'Can the Senate Nix Burris?'
  Chicago Tribune
  Ronald S. Safer
  An editorial about the recent appointment by Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich of Roland Burris to the U.S. Senate draws on the knowledge and experience of Schiff Hardin Managing Partner Ron Safer. Mr. Safer offers three possible arguments that the Senate could make in a decision not to seat Mr. Burris.
• December 23, 2008
  'Madoff Case Raises Compliance Questions'
  The Wall Street Journal
  Michael K. Wolensky
  Schiff Hardin partner Mike Wolensky, who focuses on financial industry issues in the firm’s Atlanta office, is quoted in this article about compliance procedures in the alleged $50 billion Ponzi scheme connected to Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC.
• March 5, 2008
  'Hollinger Trial Shows Even Least Culpable GC at Risk'
  Daily Report
  Patricia Brown Holmes, David H. Williams
  This article reflects on the recently increasing exposure of corporate general counsel to risks of criminal prosecution for ethical infractions. Schiff Hardin partners Patricia Brown Holmes and David H. Williams comment on the ethical pitfalls that can complicate the work of a GC. Ms. Holmes, along with managing partner Ron Safer, represented Mark Kipnis, the former GC of Hollinger International, Inc., in the fraud trial of Conrad Black and his associates.
• December 12, 2007
  'It’s A Wonderful Verdict: Mark Kipnis, the George Bailey of the Black Trial, Didn’t Deserve Jail'
  Toronto Sun
  Ronald S. Safer
  This column in the Toronto Sun reviews the sentencing of Mark Kipnis, former in-house counsel of Hollinger International, Inc., who was a defendant in the recently concluded Conrad Black trial. Mr. Kipnis received the lightest sentence of all the defendants — probation — due in part, the column suggests, to a deft characterization of him before the judge by his attorney, Schiff Hardin Managing Partner Ron Safer. Similar pieces noting the favorable sentence have appeared in the Chicago Tribune and numerous other publications across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
• August 6, 2007
  'In-House Attorneys, Watch Your Step'
  BusinessWeek
  Ronald S. Safer
  This article focuses on the status of Conrad Black co-defendant and former Hollinger International Inc. in-house counsel Mark Kipnis. Schiff Hardin managing partner Ron Safer, who represents Mr. Kipnis, comments on the significance of the jury’s decision in the case.
• June 7, 2007
  'Kipnis' Case May Have Improved' and 'Largely Forgotten Figure Now Looms Large'
  Chicago Tribune and Toronto Daily Globe and Mail
  Ronald S. Safer
  These articles, part of continuing coverage of the Conrad Black fraud trial, take special note of U.S. District Court Judge Amy St. Eve's praise for the efforts of Schiff Hardin managing partner Ron Safer on behalf of his client, Mark Kipnis. Specifically, Mr. Safer's cross-examination of a government witness showed that Mr. Kipnis received no improper reward for his in-house counsel work at Hollinger International Inc. Judge St. Eve was quoted as telling Mr. Safer that this testimony 'gives you a very powerful argument in your closing arguments.'
• May 3, 2007
  'Director Says He Skimmed Reports - Former Chair Of Hollinger Audit Committee Concedes He Should Have Read Papers Carefully'
  Globe and Mail (Toronto)
  Ronald S. Safer
  Ron Safer’s cross-examination of former Illinois Governor and former Chair of the Hollinger International Inc. Audit Committee, James R. Thompson, in the Conrad Black trial, attracted worldwide media attention in articles such as this story.
• April 4, 2007
  'Lawyer Tries To Show Hollinger Board OKd Payments'
  Crain’s Chicago Business Online and Reuters
  Patricia Brown Holmes
  Patricia Brown Holmes’ examination of a witness in the Conrad Black et al. trial, including Schiff Hardin client, co-defendant Mark Kipnis, was featured.
• April 1, 2007
  'Defending His Lordship'
  American Lawyer
  Ronald S. Safer
  Ronald S. Safer was featured regarding his representation of Mark Kipnis, a co-defendant of Conrad Black in a white collar crime prosecution that is one of the most covered cases in recent Chicago history. This is just one of dozens of articles mentioning Mr. Safer in regard to this case that have appeared in news media across the United States and around the world.
• December 11, 2006
  'Corruption Boom — Front Page — In Chicago, There Is Steady Work Defending Public Officials Gone Awry'
  National Law Journal
  Ronald S. Safer
  Ronald S. Safer was featured in this survey story focusing on the significant increase in defense work for Chicago and Illinois governmental officials charged with criminal wrongdoing.