Charles J. Holley

Charles J. Holley is a public finance and corporate attorney who joined Holley & Pearson-Farrer LLP in 1996 and became a partner in 2004. He focuses on public finance and general corporate transactions. He has served as disclosure counsel, bond counsel, and underwriters’ counsel for major public issuers, including the State of Illinois, the City of Chicago, the Chicago Transit Authority, and other municipal entities. He also advises New York and Georgia issuers and underwriters on financing matters.

Charles earned his J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School and his B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is admitted to practice in Illinois. He maintains professional affiliations with the National Association of Bond Lawyers, the International Municipal Lawyers Association, the Municipal Forum of New York, the Black Men Lawyers’ Association, and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity.

Charles has worked on financing projects involving education, healthcare, water and sewer systems, sanitation, solid waste, housing, and community development. He advises municipal clients on fiscal strategy and long-term planning. He also counsels corporations, partnerships, nonprofit organizations, and municipal bodies on business organization, financing, divestitures, and related commercial transactions.

Charles has extensive experience handling complex civil litigation in federal and state courts. He has represented clients in real estate disputes, directors’ and officers’ liability matters, corporate litigation, civil rights cases, employment discrimination claims, contractual disputes, and shareholder liability matters. In 2007, he represented Chicago’s Aldermanic Black Caucus in the successful resolution of Shakman v. Democratic Party of Cook County, ending 38 years of litigation over city hiring policies. He previously represented students in a successful Rockford school desegregation case and also represented city aldermen and residents in a gerrymandering lawsuit.

Charles J. Holley combines transactional, public finance, and litigation experience with a detailed understanding of municipal operations and public policy. He received recognition as lead disclosure counsel for The Bond Buyer’s 2023 Deal of the Year. He brings strategic planning, complex transaction experience, and courtroom perspective to clients navigating significant financial, corporate, and public-sector matters.

Law Office Affiliations

• Attorney, Holley & Pearson-Farrer LLP
• Member, Illinois State Bar Association
• Member, Municipal Forum of New York
• Member, National Association of Bond Lawyers
• Member, International Municipal Lawyers Association
• Member, Black Men Lawyers’ Association
• Member, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity

Licensed State

• Illinois

Education

• University of Wisconsin Law School
  Juris Doctoe (JD)
• University of Wisconsin-Madison
  Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Awards & Badges