Tamara Holder is a nationally recognized women's rights, sexual abuse, and institutional abuse attorney, and former Fox News legal analyst. The Founder of The Law Firm of Tamara Holder, LLC, based in Chicago, Tamara has a reputation for building multi-plaintiff cases without "aggregating" and mass-advertising campaigns. She partners with the nation's top litigators when called to action.
Tamara & her team represent women across the globe in the following matters: labor trafficking, sex trafficking, sexual assault, sexual harassment and discrimination in the workplace, including promotion and pay disparities. They have filed cases under numerous laws including but not limited to: Illinois Gender Violence Act, Trafficking Victims Protections Act of 2000, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Americans with Disabilities Act, Age Discrimination in Employment Act, Title IX, to name a few.
Tamara Holder spearheaded the largest doctor-patient sexual abuse case in Illinois history against Fabio Ortega.
In 2019, Tamara Holder started multi-plaintiff litigation against OB/GYN Fabio Ortega, a now convicted sex offender who worked for NorthShore University HealthSystem (now Endeavor Healthy) & Swedish Covenant Hospital. In 2021, Ortega pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting one of the Firm's first clients. The Firm also drafted and obtained first-of-its-kind legislation in Illinois that allows for a doctor's name to be redacted from a birth certificate. To date, Holder and her teams have filed and settled dozens of cases against Ortega. The currently represented over 200 former patients.
In 2018, Tamara and her co-counsel Josie Raimond filed a 50+ person, multi-plaintiff case against Twin Peaks Restaurants for sexual harassment. The case was featured on the front page of the Chicago Tribune's Sunday paper.
Among other cases, Tamara has pending litigation against: Kering, Gucci, Northwestern University, Ace Hotel, and iHeart Media.
Tamara has testified before Congress, founded xpunged.com to obtain clemency for the rehabilitated, and worked as a criminal defense attorney in Cook County, Illinois. In 2008, the Chicago Sun-Times named Holder one of "50 People Who Make Chicago a Better Place. She also created a pro-bono legal clinic at Rainbow PUSH with Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.
The following global news sources have recognized the Tamara Holder's work, including: The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, New York Post, The Guardian, The Daily Mail, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, New York Daily News, Chicago Sun-Times, and Hollywood Reporter.
For nearly a decade, Tamara was the only female “progressive” Legal Analyst on Fox News Channel (FNC) - the most-watched cable news network - where she was primarily seen on Sean Hannity's prime time show. While there, she co-created hosted “Sports Court,” where she interviewed athletes, attorneys, and journalists on legal, political and social issues in sports. "Sports Court" was an extension of "Sports Court Media" which she founded with Linda Kenney Baden.
Tamara is a Colorado native, born in Rocky Ford, Colorado. She comes from a multi-generational family of melon and onion growers. In her younger years, she was an avid snowboarder. She loves to play golf and is huge fan of the band Phish. She and her husband Mike DeMaio enjoy traveling and share a dog, Sammy.
Tamara's favorite charities are the Divided Sky Foundation (Trey Anastasio's drug rehab center) and Phish's official charity, The WaterWheel Foundation.
Admissions: Illinois State, Northern District of Illinois
Pro Hac Vice Admissions: Middle District of Tennessee; New Jersey State
Michele Lomax is an attorney who specialized in commercial real estate and contract law at notable law firms in Chicago, Illinois. Driven by her passion for equity and fostering diversity and inclusion, her pro bono work often included helping individuals from marginalized groups fight unlawful eviction, and race and sex discrimination cases. Prior to joining the law firm, Michele was in-house counsel to a nationally recognized consulting firm dedicated to minority business development and diversity, equity and inclusion where she supported numerous Fortune 500 clients in their pursuit of diversity goals and compliance with diversity directives.
Michele is also a certified mediator and mindfulness meditation facilitator who is passionate about helping individuals face and move beyond the harmful effects of bias, harassment and discrimination within the workplace and beyond. Michele is a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School and a frequent presenter for continuing legal education seminars, specializing in mindfulness and meditation for lawyers, as well as addressing topics of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging within the legal profession.
Alexis joined the firm in December of 2023. Prior to joining the firm, Alexis was an associate for a boutique employment litigation firm. In this position, she encountered a broad range of issues and grew an interest in sexual harassment and discrimination in particular. Before moving into private practice, she clerked for the Cook County Circuit Court in the Commercial Calendar of the Law Division. In her three years of clerking, she had the unique experience of clerking for two different judges, including the supervising judge of mandatory arbitration.
Alexis graduated in 2014 with her B.A. in Psychology from Indiana University Bloomington, completing it in just three years. She pursued law school at Loyola University Chicago at 20 years old and graduated in 2017 with her J.D. and Master’s in Public Policy. While attending law school, Alexis focused her studies on litigation, earning a certificate in advocacy. In addition to her studies, Alexis was involved in numerous extracurriculars. She was elected Lead Article Editor for Volume 48 of the Loyola Law Journal and also wrote her own article addressing whistleblower protections under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Further, she served as founder and president of the first-ever Loyola Chapter of the Hellenic Bar Association, a student clinician with the Life After Innocence program where she worked with the wrongly convicted, and also studied abroad with the school’s comparative advocacy program in London, England. At graduation, she was awarded the Public Interest Award for her service in the public sector.
She is admitted to practice in the state of Illinois, the Northern District of Illinois, and is pending admission to the New York Bar, having passed the New York bar exam.
Alexis is a certified sexual assault crisis counselor, having completed 60 hours of training pursuant to the state requirements through the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault (ICASA). With that, she volunteers bimonthly with a local rape crisis center where she is dispatched to local emergency rooms to advocate for survivors of sexual assault and help them to assess their medical and legal options.
In her free time, she likes to cook, workout, and spend time outdoors with her two rescue dogs when weather permits. She is passionate about animal rescue and has fostered nearly fifty dogs and cats to date.
Kateri joined the Firm in November 2020 with more than 20 years experience in office administration for non-profit and educational institutions. In her work life, she loves organizing, spreadsheets, and the opportunity to advocate for women. She is passionate about food justice, and volunteers weekly with local farmer's markets. In her personal time, she loves birds, cooking, hiking, and the smell of salt air.
Lucy joined the Firm in the fall of 2023. Her most recent professional experiences include field organizing for the Wisconsin Democrats and creating display artwork for retailer Anthropologie. Lucy has a passion for social justice, and looks forward to building her skills in support of women’s rights in this administrative role. In her free time you can find her working on an art project, swimming, or biking!
