MoveMakers & NewsMakers for Jan. 20, 2021
See who is making news and moving where in the weekly Missouri Bar update "MoveMakers & NewsMakers."
St. Louis
Stinson LLP announces the election of Jonathan Pollmann as a new partner, effective Jan. 1, 2021.
Pollmann prepares and prosecutes domestic and foreign patent applications for technologies related to medical devices, automation software, infrastructure repair solutions, refrigeration devices, fiber optics, and packaging products. He also works with clients to identify third-party intellectual property rights and assess industry trends in order to avoid patent infringement.
Pollmann earned his J.D. from Saint Louis University School of Law.
Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice elected Brandy Simpson and Meghan Kane as new members, effective Jan. 1, 2021.
Simpson primarily practices medical malpractice defense in the firm's St. Louis office. She also defends premises liability, personal injury, and product liability matters. Simpson serves as a Women’s Affinity Group liaison to Baker Sterchi’s Diversity Committee. She is the 2020-2021 secretary of The Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis Women in the Legal Profession Section. She earned her J.D. from the University of Dayton and is licensed to practice in Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky and West Virginia.
Kane practices in the firm's Belleville office and focuses on toxic torts, personal injury, product liability, and premises liability. She is a member of the Madison County Bar Association and provides pro bono services through the Madison County, Illinois Legal Clinic. She earned her J.D. from Saint Louis University School of Law and is licensed to practice in Illinois and Missouri.
Kansas City
Stinson LLP has elected four new partners from its Kansas City office, effective Jan. 1, 2021: Ashley Dillon, Greg Johnson, Anna Krstulic, and Colin Turner.
Dillon represents companies across industries in employment and complex business disputes, including employment discrimination, wrongful termination and retaliation claims, wage and hour claims, state law contract and tort claims, and litigation concerning issues for oil and gas companies. She provides practical business and legal solutions in employment law compliance and regularly counsels and trains employers on a wide variety of matters including employment agreements, disability issues, wage and hour compliance, and preventing discrimination. Dillon also has experience conducting sensitive workplace investigations for employers. She earned her J.D. from University of Kansas School of Law.
Johnson has experience regarding contracts and compliance matters for payment systems and financial technology programs. He also represents clients on transactions involving financing, acquisitions and general corporate matters. Johnson earned his J.D. from University of Missouri - Columbia School of Law.
Krstulic counsels municipal and private sector clients on land use planning and zoning, municipal law, economic development, and public incentives. With a background as an assistant attorney for the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas, she currently serves as city attorney for the City of Mission Hills, Kansas and the City of Tonganoxie, Kansas, and serves as zoning counsel for the City of Fairway, Kansas. She continues to represent the Unified Government in economic development transactions involving major local projects financed with public incentives. Krstulic's municipal experience benefits private sector clients seeking land development approvals, and she is well versed in traditional real estate practice, including purchase and sale agreements, leases, licenses, easements, and declarations of covenants and restrictions. She earned her J.D. from Washburn University School of Law.
Turner is a registered patent attorney who focuses his practice in intellectual property litigation, trademark prosecution and enforcement, and patent preparation and prosecution. He has considerable experience representing clients in complex intellectual property disputes in federal courts and in trial proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Additionally, he works with clients to protect their brands through cease and desist letter campaigns and the preparation and submission of takedown notices to social media platforms and online retailers. Turner's background in chemical engineering informs his ability to advise inventors and stakeholders across technological areas. He earned his J.D. from University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law.
Spencer Fane LLP is pleased to announce Melinda (Mindy) Ward and Eric Worster have joined the firm’s Overland Park office in the tax, trusts, and estates practice group. Ward joins as a partner, and Worster joins as of counsel. Both dedicate their practices to complex estate, business, and gift and tax planning issues.
“Mindy and Eric exemplify the values our firm holds, fitting in seamlessly with our shared commitment to client service and collaboration,” said Blane Markley, office managing partner for Spencer Fane in Overland Park. “Our clients are increasingly looking to plan for the future of their businesses and assets in tax-advantaged ways. Mindy and Eric’s significant experience will be key in helping us provide a valuable resource in this area.”
Ward and Worster assist clients with sophisticated estate and tax planning strategies and regularly prepare wills, revocable trusts, family limited partnerships, limited liability companies, irrevocable insurance trusts, grantor retained annuity trusts, intentionally defective grantor trusts, and various charitable trusts.
In addition, Ward advises clients in all types of fiduciary controversies, administers estates and trusts, and prepares federal and state individual, estate, gift, corporate, and generation-skipping tax returns, as well as fiduciary income tax returns for estates and trusts. She is a member of the Kansas City Estate Planning Society and the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association (Taxation Committee and Probate Committee).
Ward completed her undergraduate studies at William Jewell College and later earned her J.D. and LL.M. in taxation from University of Missouri - Kansas City.
Worster completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Missouri - Columbia and earned his J.D. and LL.M. in taxation from University of Missouri - Kansas City.
Jackson Lewis PC is pleased to announce Lindsey L. Poling has been elevated to principal in the firm’s Overland Park office. She focuses her practice on employment litigation in state and federal court as well as representing her clients before administrative agencies.
Poling represents employers in all matters concerning the employment relationship including civil rights, reductions in force, and wage and hour issues. Along with defense of claims brought by individuals, she has been involved in the defense of collective and class action claims.
Poling has a passion for providing advice and counsel to employers on all aspects of employment and human resource law, including investigating and responding to internal employee complaints, managing leave requests, discipline and performance management, policy review and development, employee training, and the array of emerging issues resulting from the COVID-19 global pandemic.
In addition to her substantial experience in private practice, Poling also practiced as the sole in-house legal advisor to a national mortgage lending institution where she developed expertise in the development and review of compensation agreements for mortgage loan originators to ensure compliance with the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau’s Loan Originator Compensation rules. She continues to provide assistance to financial institutions with review of compensation agreements for loan originators, processors and other mortgage lending staff.
Poling earned her J.D. from University of Kansas School of Law and her B.A. from Iowa State University.
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