Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila

Partner

Brian gets things done: a nationally ranked lawyer with engineering and business expertise who’s just as comfortable trying cases in the courtroom as he is creating solutions at the negotiation table.

As a trusted advisor and first-chair trial lawyer, Brian represents clients on both sides of the “v” through every stage of litigation from pre-suit negotiations through trials and verdicts to appeals and judgment enforcement.

Earlier in his career, Brian got graduate degrees in engineering, business, and law—all while working full time and cherishing caffeine—so he’s spent time with clients on their 100 degree factory floors, their unpredictable fields, their innovative tech centers, and their company headquarters.

Brian dedicates countless hours personally and professionally to pro bono and community service in a broad range of areas from constitutional, voting, and civil rights to family, housing, and consumer protection. He’s deeply committed to helping those most in need.

Brian is the Lead of the firm's Product Liability, Mass Torts & Environmental Practice Team.

Chicago Bar Association
Federal Bar Association
Illinois State Bar Association
Indiana State Bar Association
Law360, Illinois Editorial Board (2025)
Missouri Bar Association
Wisconsin Bar Association

Chicago-Kent College of Law, J.D., 2010, cum laude
Dean’s Honor List
Merit Scholarship
CALI Awards for highest grade awarded in The Corporation and the Constitution, Disability Law, Energy Law, Illinois Civil Procedure, Intellectual Property in the High Tech Era, Legal Writing IV, Litigation Technology, Mediation, Patent Office Practice, and Police Misconduct Litigation

Purdue University, West Lafayette, M.S., Engineering, 2005

DePaul University, Kellstadt Graduate School of Business, M.B.A., Applied Economics, Operations Management, 2004, with distinction, Delta Mu Delta

Michigan Technological University, B.S., Electrical Engineering, Economics Minor, 2002, cum laude