Tamara Holder

Contributor

Tamara N. Holder is one of the nation’s rising attorneys and legal analytical stars. She is a Contributor for Fox News Channel. She has received recognition from some of the country’s most respected people, organizations and publications.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Tamara founded The Law Firm of Tamara N. Holder, LLC in 2005. Her work includes: criminal defense, expungement, race discrimination, police brutality, public policy, and pro bono practices.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Soon after she founded her practice, Tamara quickly realized how even a dismissed misdemeanor arrest can return to haunt people. Many of her clients found themselves facing lifetime bans on employment, education, adoption, even access to credit – all because of a prior arrest record. Seeing the need for outreach in this area, Tamara founded www.xpunged.com, a practice that provides a second chance to those individuals who have expungeable offenses under Illinois law. She also helps ex-offenders seek a Governor’s pardon for non-expungeable offenses.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Shortly thereafter, Tamara was invited to work with Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., Founder and President of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. With a commitment to pro bono work unparalleled in the City of Chicago, she founded The Rainbow PUSH Expungement Clinic at its headquarters in 2006. Every Monday night, a crowd gathers for her to review their criminal records and provide advice on expungements and other legal issues.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Tamara also works closely with Rev. Jackson in crafting and executing public policy initiatives, together with programs to increase opportunities for minorities and the economically disadvantaged; as well as initiatives designed to get guns off the nations streets, help reduce street gang violence, and offer educational opportunities for young people. As a result of her work, she quickly caught the attention of not only Chicago’s civic leaders, but also of those nationwide. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Tamara was the first in the country to expose the railroad industry’s improper employment practices toward those with criminal records. She spearheaded a Congressional inquiry and a hearing before the Congressional Committee of Homeland Security in February of 2007. Then, in July of 2007, Tamara testified as an expert witness before the Congressional Committee of Transportation, Sub-Committee of Maritime and Infrastructure. Her testimony was crucial to preventing passage of an invasive, anti-worker, anti-business piece of legislation calling for mandatory identification cards for transportation workers, a statutory scheme criticized by organized labor and management alike.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> In 2008, the Chicago Sun-Times recognized Tamara as one of “50 People Who Make Chicago a Better Place.” In 2009, her work was featured on the front page of The Wall Street Journal.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Tamara has met with Illinois Governors Rod Blagojevich and Pat Quinn on the issue of pardons and Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan on criminal sentencing and expungement laws. She has met with numerous Congressmen, including John Conyers, Bennie Thompson, and Sheila Jackson-Lee, as well as members of the Department of Homeland Security, including former Administrator of TSA, Kip Hawley on the issue of the relationship between hiring practices and terrorism.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Tamara sits on the exclusive board of Women of Power (an organization within the Cook County Sheriff’s Office), alongside Congressmen Danny Davis and Jesse Jackson, Jr., as well as many judges and elected officials. The organization is devoted to helping women rehabilitate who are caught within the criminal justice system. She also sits on the board of Horizon prison ministry, Tamara believes in rehabilitation over incarceration for drug abusers.<br /> <br /> Tamara is an early graduate from college (The University of Arizona, 2000) and from law school (The John Marshall Law School, 2005). While in law school, she learned criminal trial practice as an intern for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office in Chicago and contract negotiation and mediation Miramax Films in Los Angeles.