Judge Ann Callis (retired) is a partner at Holland Law Firm and heads up the firm’s Madison County, Illinois office. She serves as local counsel and leads major civil litigations in state and federal courts in Illinois and Missouri.

Ann Callis was the first woman Circuit Judge in Madison County, Illinois and was the first woman Chief Judge in Madison County, where she served for 18 years. She served in every division in the 3rd Circuit Court where she presided over hundreds of jury and non-jury trials including complex litigation, environmental, personal injury, and professional negligence (legal and medical). She spent 8 years on the circuit bench on the Felony docket.

In addition to handling a full civil docket, Chief Judge Callis was instrumental in creating the nationally recognized Veterans Treatment Court, the first of its kind in Illinois, where Veterans involved with the justice system are given necessary assistance and counseling to become once again productive members of society. She also established the Mandatory Foreclosure Mediation Program that saved hundreds of families their homes.

As an attorney, Judge Callis concentrates her practice on mass torts, products liability, environmental disasters and commercial practice. She is currently handling many aspects of the opioid litigation, where she represents more than thirty Governmental Entities in Illinois and Missouri and has also been appointed to the Plaintiffs ’Executive Committee for the Statewide Opioid MDL in Illinois. Judge Callis also represents women in the Illinois Essure Litigation.

She has received many awards and recognition for her judicial service including an Achievement Award from the Alton Branch of the NAACP, the Coalition of Concerned Citizens of Alton Chairman Award (for promoting Justice for All), the Community Counseling Center Mental Health Hero and an award from the St. Clair/ Monroe Counties Salute for Protecting the Children from the Storms of Life.

Judge Callis obtained her B.A. Magna Cum Laude from St. Louis University in 1987 and went on to earn her law degree from S.LU. in 1990. She also completed a public managers program at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard College.

She is married to attorney, Jim Holloran, and the proud mother of Caroline, a public school ESL teacher, and Elliot, an Airborne Ranger and Captain with the 82nd Airborne.