St. Louis Area
Herzog Crebs LLP is pleased to announce that Carrie F. Keller, Tracy Beckham Phipps and Jacqueline F. Redmond have become partners in the firm.

Claude C. Knight, '73 Mo.Bar, grad. UMKC School of Law , in good health, retired from the general practice of law in the St, Charles area on 12/31/12. The firm, Knight &Tomich has moved to a new location and the firms building has been sold and closes the end of January. Josh Knight, Claude partner for ten years has joined forces with Darrel Davis now, Davis and Knight.

Pennington Shea, LC has relocated its law offices to 106 West Madison Avenue, Suite 200, St. Louis (Kirkwood), Missouri 63122. The firm engages in general civil practice, with emphasis on business law and litigation, employment law and litigation, and mediation and arbitration services.

Ronald B. Wessel has relocated to 7751 Carondelet Avenue, Suite 702, Clayton, MO 63105, effective Jan. 2, 2013. Mr. Wessel practices in the area of family law, is Guardian ad Litem in Order of Child Protection matters in St. Louis County, and has been Municipal Judge in the Village of Marlborough (St. Louis Co.) since 1997.

Carmody MacDonald P.C. is proud to announce that David H. Luce, Principal, has been appointed by the Supreme Court of Missouri en banc to serve as a member of the Regional Disciplinary Committee for Division 1 of Region X.  Mr. Luce’s four-year term became effective January 1, 2013.  The role of the committee is to investigate the facts regarding an ethics complaint and determine whether “there is probable cause to believe that the individual under investigation is guilty of professional misconduct.” The committee then makes recommendations regarding the complaints, which are passed on to the Office of Disciplinary Counsel for formal action. The Region X Committee covers those lawyers who practice in the St. Louis region. According to its website, the Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel is an agency of the Missouri Supreme Court and is responsible for investigating allegations of misconduct by lawyers, prosecuting the cases where a lawyer’s misconduct poses a threat to the public or to the integrity of the legal profession, and maintaining current records of disciplinary information for lawyers licensed to practice law in Missouri. When lawyers enter the practice of law in Missouri, they obligate themselves to uphold the law and to abide by the Rules of Professional Conduct governing members of The Missouri Bar. The purpose of attorney discipline is to protect the public and the administration of justice from attorneys who have not discharged their professional duties to clients, the public, the legal system, and the legal profession. The professional conduct of attorneys is governed by Supreme Court Rule 4and the discipline process is governed by Supreme Court Rule 5. Mr. Luce concentrates his practice in general civil litigation, including real estate, employment and commercial litigation. He is one of the firm's three managing principals.

Armstrong Teasdale announces the addition of a new partner, Nancy M. Hawes, and two associates, M. Courtney Jackson and Jonathan R. Shulan, to its St. Louis office. Ms. Hawes, a member of the Corporate Services practice group, focuses on real estate, finance, nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations and public finance law. Ms. Hawes, whose practice includes serving as outside general counsel to private companies, provides guidance on strategies for growth, operation, structure and best practices. Admitted to practice in Missouri, she earned her J.D. from Saint Louis University School of Law and B.A. from the University of Missouri. Hawes is a member of The Missouri Bar, the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, the American Bar Association and the National Association of Bond Lawyers. Ms. Jackson, a member of the Intellectual Property practice group, provides counsel regarding trademark and brand management, strategy and operational issues. Admitted to practice in Missouri, Jackson received her J.D. from Saint Louis University School of Law and B.A. in English from Loyola University Chicago. She is a member of The Missouri Bar and International Trademark Association. Mr. Shulan, a member of the Litigation practice group, concentrates on medical malpractice and health care matters. He defends health care providers, including hospitals, nursing homes, doctors and nurses, against medical negligence actions in state and federal courts and state regulatory boards. Admitted to practice in Arkansas and Texas, Mr. Shulan earned his J.D. from William H. Bowen School of Law - University of Arkansas at Little Rock, M.M. from the University of Missouri-Columbia and B.M. from Johns Hopkins University.

Rory J. Roundtree has joined the Ryals Law Firm, P.C. as an associate.  He served as a law clerk for the firm for a year previously.   Mr. Roundree will represent clients in civil rights matters.   The Ryals Law Firm, P.C. focuses on litigation and advocacy in the civil rights realm.  Most of the firm’s work is in the areas of police misconduct – the Fourth Amendment – the First Amendment and the Fourteenth Amendment.  Overarching the specific cases is the philosophical foundation for the work of the firm; combating the abuse of government power and violations of the United States Constitution. Mr. Roundtree earned his law degree from St. Louis University School of Law in May 2012.  He graduated cum laude with B.S. degrees in Political Science and Justice Systems from Truman State University in 2006.

The law firm of Danna McKitrick, P.C., is pleased to announce the election of James M. Heffner to the position of principal, effective January 1, 2013. A transactional lawyer, Heffner concentrates his practice in banking and finance, corporate, and real estate law. In addition to his law practice,Mr. Heffner co-chairs the firm’s marketing committee and mentors younger attorneys in the firm. Admitted to the bar in Missouri and Illinois, Mr. Heffner is also admitted in the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Missouri.  He is a member of the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, the Missouri Bar and the Illinois State Bar. Heffner is a frequent speaker for real estate law CLE’s and seminars. He serves on the Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center Development Board and the Webster Groves Board of Adjustment. He is a graduate of Leadership Clayton and was the recipient of the Multiple Sclerosis Society’s Corporate Achievers Leadership Award. Mr. Heffner obtained his J.D. from Saint Louis University School of Law and his B.A., with honors, from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He also earned a German Proficiency Certificate from the Universität Tübingen.

Kansas City Area
Armstrong Teasdale announces the addition of Shelley Ericsson as a partner in its Kansas City office. Ms. Ericsson focuses her practice on labor and employment legal issues. An experienced litigator, Ms. Ericsson has a deep knowledge of employment law policies and an eye on the ever-changing economic reality. She defends employers in matters involving claims of discrimination, harassment, retaliation and wages and has appeared extensively before state and federal courts as well as administrative agencies. She also provides valuable day-to-day preventative counseling; review and drafting of employment-related agreements; and contracts, employee handbooks and policies. Admitted to practice in the states of Kansas and Missouri, Ms. Ericsson earned her J.D. from the University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Law, M.S. in Legal Administration from the University of Denver College of Law and B.A. in Political Science from Missouri State University. She is also a member of The Missouri Bar, the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association and the American Bar Association.

Fulkerson Elder Law LLC has moved from its office on the Liberty Square to the Seaport Office Complex in Liberty. The firm's new address is 28A Westwoods Drive, Liberty, Missouri 64068. Fulkerson Elder Law will continue to practice in the areas of Medicaid Planning, Veterans Benefits, Special Needs Planning and Estate Planning.

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C., one of the largest labor and employment law firms representing management, is pleased to announce that Nikki Hininger Howell and Nicholas J. Walker, from the firm’s Kansas City office, have been elected to the position of shareholder. Howell was also named managing shareholder of the firm’s Kansas City office. Ms. Howell, who succeeds Patrick F. Hulla as managing shareholder of Ogletree Deakins’ Kansas City office, is the first female managing shareholder in the history of the office which opened in 2005. She also becomes the seventh female managing shareholder in Ogletree Deakins offices in the United States. Ms. Howell’s practice focuses on defending employers and management in employment-related disputes in various forums, primarily on discrimination, retaliation, harassment, and wrongful discharge cases. Her extensive employment litigation experience includes 11 trials, several employment arbitrations, drafting successful motions for summary judgment, taking and defending multiple key witness depositions, representing employers in settlement conferences and in mediation, and defending EEOC on-site inspections. Howell earned her J.D. from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law. Nicholas Walker is a litigator who has extensive labor and employment litigation experience. In his career, he has favorably represented clients in matters involving claims of discrimination, retaliation, harassment, and wrongful discharge. He also successfully resolved labor disputes through arbitration, and defended unfair labor practice charges. As part of his litigation practice, Walker has represented employers in settlement conferences and in mediations, as well as obtained beneficial results for clients in administrative rulings with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Missouri Commission on Human Rights. Walker earned his J.D. from the University of Missouri.

Gilmore & Bell is pleased to announce that Gina M. Riekhof has been promoted to Director in the Kansas City office. Ms. Riekhof serves as counsel on a wide variety of financings for Kansas and Missouri state and local government capital needs, including general obligation and revenue bonds, economic development matters and public power financings. She is also a frequent speaker on various public finance topics. Ms. Riekhof is a member of Missouri Bar Association and the Kansas Bar Association. She received a M.S. and a B.S. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Ms. Riekhof received her J.D. Degree the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law in 2003 where she was a member of the Missouri Law Review and Order of the Coif. Gilmore & Bell was established in 1979, and today is one of the leading public finance law firms in the United States. The firm primarily represents states, counties, cities, school districts and other governmental and quasi-governmental entities as bond counsel in municipal finance transactions. Gilmore & Bell’s has offices located in Kansas City and St. Louis, Missouri, Wichita, Kansas, and Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska.

Springfield Area
Locally-owned law firm Baird, Lightner, Millsap & Harpool P.C. has been recognized for their hard work and service to clients by being ranked in the annual list of “Best Law Firms” published by U.S. News – Best Lawyers®. BLMH earned a Tier 1 ranking in the practice areas of Family Law and Labor and Employment Litigation, and earned Tier 2 status in Personal Injury Litigation and Real Estate Law. To be eligible for a ranking, a law firm must have at least one attorney included in the Best Lawyers annual peer review assessment. Ranking on this list is based on a rigorous evaluation process that includes not only client and attorney evaluations but also peer reviews from leading attorneys in the fields mentioned. Clients were asked to provide feedback on the firm’s expertise, responsiveness, understanding of a business and its needs, cost-effectiveness, civility and whether they would recommend another client to the firm. Other attorneys also voted on the same qualifications and in addition were asked if they would refer a matter to the firm and whether they consider the firm a worthy competitor.

Mid-Missouri Area
Armstrong Teasdale welcomes Mark Stahlhuth to its Jefferson City office as Of Counsel to the Corporate Services practice group.   With more than 25 years of insurance law experience, Mr. Stahlhuth advises clients on compliance matters regulated by the Missouri Department of Insurance, Financial Institutions & Professional Registration (DIFP) and similar agencies in other states. He previously served as senior counsel to the DIFP.

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P.O. Box 119, Jefferson City, MO 65102.