Brusati, Clarke, Schaeffer awarded for outstanding appellate work
Paul L. Brusati, Andrew J. Clarke, and Robert Schaeffer were honored with the 2026 Hon. David J. Dixon Appellate Advocacy Award for their exceptional appellate work.
The David J. Dixon Appellate Advocacy Awards recognize outstanding achievement in appellate practice by three lawyers who are 39 years old or younger. Created by the Missouri Bar Foundation, the award is named after the late Hon. David J. Dixon, whose tenacity, professionalism, and judicial skills epitomized outstanding appellate practice.
Brusati
Brusati is an appellate and commercial litigation partner at Armstrong Teasdale in St. Louis. A graduate of the Saint Louis University School of Law, he clerked for Hon. Laura Denvir Stith, of the Supreme Court of Missouri.
He also provides pro bono services, which he said was “the most satisfying feeling I’ve had in my career.” Through that work, Brusati handles felony appeals for indigent defendants as a special public defender and represents survivors of intimate partner violence through St. Louis Survivors Legal Support.
Brusati is an incoming co-chair of The Missouri Bar Appellate Practice Committee and co-chairs the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis’ Appellate Practice Committee. He is also treasurer of the Eighth Circuit Bar Association.
Brusati said lawyers “owe deep ethical duties” to their clients, but they must be cautious to not “stretch facts or law under the cover of zealous advocacy.”
“What I hope is that I was chosen [to receive the 2026 Hon. David J. Dixon Appellate Advocacy Award] for living up to the title of ‘officer of the court’ and not just advocate for one side,” Brusati said. “I’d like to believe the lawyers I’ve been on the other side of and the judges I’ve appeared before know how much time and effort I spend ensuring the accuracy of what I write and say.”
Brusati encouraged new lawyers to find a niche in their careers and excel at that.
“Pick something you genuinely enjoy and get better at it than anyone around you,” he said. “Be the person your firm, your city, or your town calls when that issue comes up. Then never say ‘no’ to any case or project involving it.”
Clarke
A graduate of the University of Missouri School of Law, Clarke is an assistant attorney general, where he supervises a team as the habeas unit leader in the Public Protection Section of the Missouri Attorney General's Office. He previously served as a law clerk for Hon. Lisa White Hardwick, of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District.
Clarke said his passion for law and appellate work stems from meeting victims and their families and hearing their stories.
“I find that, through the appellate process, these stories can be told to honor the memory of victims and steer the law toward a just outcome,” Clarke said.
Clarke encouraged new lawyers to “cultivate resiliency and be intentional” in their choices.
“The best results happen when you truly understand the legal landscape surrounding the entire area of law, rather than the issues presented in any particular case,” he said. “That mastery takes time, resiliency, and a focus on being intentional. There is no substitute for putting in the work.”
Schaeffer
A graduate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law, Schaeffer is legal/regulatory counsel for City Utilities in Springfield. After clerking for Hon. Cynthia Martin, of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District, Schaeffer worked at Husch Blackwell LLP, then the Missouri Attorney General's Office.
Schaeffer said receiving the 2026 Hon. David J. Dixon Appellate Advocacy Award is a “huge honor and incredibly flattering.”
“I owe a lot to the collaboration from colleagues who mooted cases, read briefs, and talked issues,” he said. “Receiving this award affirms the hard work I put in, but equally so, I want those around me to know it affirms all their help and support, too.”
He advised new lawyers to be prepared.
“Nobody expects you to know everything. The expectation is that you are prepared,” he said. “You can’t skate by, but don’t let perfectionism overwhelm you, either.”
Brusati, Clarke, and Schaeffer will accept the Hon. David J. Dixon Appellate Advocacy Award in Kansas City during the Annual Meeting of The Missouri Bar and Judicial Conference, Sept. 16-18.
Click here to learn more about annual awards presented by The Missouri Bar, the Missouri Bar Foundation, and other entities. Read about other 2026 award winners here.