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Health & Fitness

Chicago's Tamara Holder tackles national television, hot sports cases and passion-filled philanthropy projects

Having been named one of the Top 50 people who make Chicago a better place, Tamara Holder's career started in the Windy City. She started her law practice in her Old Town apartment and a website xpunged.com (then moved to a real office in the loop), focusing on clearing criminal records, particularly governors' pardons/clemency. Now splitting her time between Chicago and New York - where she is a legal/political analyst on Fox News Channel - Tamara sits down to talk about her many projects.

PATCH: Born in Colorado, and having gone to school in Arizona, what first brought you to Chicago, and why did you decide to start your practice here?
TAMARA: What brought me to Chicago? A guy, of course! We moved here together after college and I went to law school at John Marshall. After I passed the IL bar, he got a job in another state and we moved again. But then the relationship ran its course so I decided to move back to Chicago - the best city in the world. And I haven't looked back, that's for sure!

PATCH: You have since worked with some of the city's most prominent leaders, including Governors Rod Blagojevich and Pat Quinn on the issue of pardons, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan on criminal sentencing and expungement laws, and former Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis on gang violence and relationship-building between the police and the inner city. What is one of the most memorable cases you've worked on here?
TAMARA: I was definitely most affected by working with residents of our infamous housing projects, particularly the Harold Ickes homes. I remember going to court with a young man who was arrested on the property because he didn't live there, he was visiting his grandmother. The judge told the young man, "If you don't live on the government owned property, you can't be there." I thought, "Weird. Isn't the White House government-owned property? So our President is not allowed to have visitors either? That said, I have so many other wonderful memories. I went from fighting with officers of the Chicago Police to becoming friends with them, and admiring Cook County judges that sentenced my clients to prison. Chicago's leaders aren't just on the front page of the paper. Those that protecting our city and building businesses are just as important to this town. 
PATCH: You serve on the board for Leo Catholic High School, an all-boys school within Chicago's inner city with a 100% graduation rate; Women of Power, which is located within the Cook County Jail and is devoted to helping women rehabilitate; and Horizon Prison Ministry, which helps prisoners prepare for their release into society. What is the message you hope to share?
TAMARA: If you're reading this article, you have something that somebody else doesn't have: maybe it's that you are literate, or maybe it's that you have eyesight. We all have something to give back to those less fortunate. "Giving back" doesn't even have to involve a lot of work. To me, "giving back" is simply walking through the halls of Leo and proudly watching the "Leo men" receive support and education - something that isn't available in most public schools, unfortunately. I just connected a friend's charity with a local travel company & they're going to put something together. That's giving back - and I didn't even do anything but make an introduction. It's super easy and we should all do more of it. 

PATCH: For your television commentary, you must have to stay well versed in all the hot issues of the day. How do you prepare for your primetime debates?
TAMARA: Prepare?! It depends on the show. The more "newsy" shows require a general understanding of the topic. But then I have to deal with Sean Hannity in the evening. He's the best guy in the world but an absolute pest! He's also the best in the business. No matter how prepared I am for his show, he knows how to get my head to spin. Politics aside, his talent is fascinating. And at the end of the day, the big names in TV are more talented than anything else. Basically, preparing for a "show" is a lot different than preparing to debate the news. I'll share this with you: I have a lot of different types of coaches.

PATCH: Is there something you DON'T have an opinion on?
TAMARA: Ha! Good question. I have an opinion on men, dating, marriage, politics, sports...sorry, I'm just thinking out loud...nope, there isn't!

PATCH: Your newest venture is called SportsCourtsMedia.com. Can you tell us about the website and what you and co-founder Linda Kenney Baden are doing with it?
TAMARA: Linda is my dear friend and an amazing criminal defense attorney. She represented Jason Williams, Phil Spector, and Casey Anthony. (Her husband, Dr. Michael Baden, is THE leading forensics expert in the world.) She and I love each other, our careers...and we love sports. We wanted to build something together that merged our love of sports with our backgrounds and voila we came up with Sports Court Media - the place to get news and commentary on all sports-law issues: from A-Rod, to Aaron Rodriguez, to the NFL concussion lawsuits, to the Dolphins bullying disaster. We want both men and women to visit our site. Women love sports just as much as men; unfortunately, some think we have to wear pink jerseys. 

PATCH: Two girls running a sports site?
TAMARA: Girls? We are hardly girls. We are bad-ass women! Get it right. 

PATCH: You seem to have your hands full. What's a day in the life of Tamara Holder like?
TAMARA: My days are boring. I do a lot of reading. I'm obsessed with Twitter (shameless plug: @tamaraholder). I play Words with Friends with my uber-competitive uncle & a Cook County Commissioner. I go to yoga, write poetry and study words. Hang out at the Friars Club with dinosaur-aged comics. (I'm currently obsessed with Alan Zwiebel, and he's young compared to the rest.) That's pretty much it. Nothing fancy. Oh, and of course I try to visit Chicago as often as possible, especially to join Mancow on his morning show. How can a man that is so incredibly brilliant and genuine annoy so much? It's shocking. 

PATCH: What's your favorite thing about Chicago?
TAMARA: I don't have "one favorite thing" about Chicago. You can't say Wrigleyville without saying Ronnie Woo-Woo. You can't say the summertime without saying sitting outside at Gibson's, sipping an enormous dirty martini. You can't say a Bears game without saying the fans are awesomely insane and the hotdogs are divine. You can't say Billy Goat Tavern without also saying Wiener Circle. But I couldn't enjoy any of these favorite things without all of my Chicago friends. The best people in the world are definitely from Chicago!

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