02
March
2021
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16:14 PM
America/Chicago

MoveMakers & NewsMakers for Mar. 2, 2021

Summary

See who is making news and moving where in the weekly Missouri Bar update "MoveMakers & NewsMakers."

St. Louis | Kansas City | Springfield
 

St. Louis

Fatima G. Khan of Lewis Rice has been elected president of the South Asian Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis (SABA-STL) for the 2021 term.

SABA-STL is a nonprofit organization that provides a vital link between South Asian lawyers and the growing South Asian community across the St. Louis metropolitan area. As a bar association, it promotes South Asian lawyers and fosters professional growth and advancement opportunities. It also focuses on providing legal services, education, outreach and other assistance to members of the South Asian community throughout the region.

“Fatima’s achievement is reflective of both her hard work and her dedication to diversity,” said Ronald A. Norwood, member and chairman of the firm's Diversity & Inclusion Committee. “As a firm that has always been, and will continue to be, a place that values inclusion, we at Lewis Rice look forward to supporting her in this important role.”

Before she was elected president, Khan served as board member and treasurer of SABA-STL for two years. She is looking forward to collaborating with her fellow officers to implement a variety of initiatives to accomplish the organization’s goals.

“SABA-STL is essential to protecting the rights and liberties of South Asians, developing the economy and culture, and improving the quality of legal services in our community, which are causes I care deeply about,” Khan said. “I look forward to leading SABA-STL during my term with continued support from Lewis Rice.”

Khan has practiced immigration and nationality law since 2003. She works closely with human resources personnel, managers and executives to provide business immigration services for a wide variety of clients.


Judge Anne-Marie Clarke was appointed by Gov. Mike Parson to the Coordinating Board for Higher Education. Judge Clarke served the family court for the 22nd Judicial Circuit (St. Louis City) for more than 33 years. She started her service as a hearing officer for the family court and was appointed as commissioner in 1998, serving in that capacity until her retirement in 2019.

Judge Clarke is a lifetime member of the National Bar Association, previously serving as judicial council chair. She is a past president of the Mound City Bar Association and was the first Black person elected to the board of governors of The Missouri Bar in 1986. She was also the first Black woman to serve on the Board of Police Commissioners for St. Louis City and became the first woman to serve as president of the organization.

Judge Clarke holds a B.S. in political science from Northwest Missouri State University and a J.D. from Saint Louis University School of Law.


Bailey Glasser is pleased to announce the election of Mark Boyko as a partner in the firm. “We are excited to make this announcement as Mark is a fantastic lawyer and has shown a relentless energy in fighting for our clients,” said Ben Bailey, founding partner.

Boyko practices primarily in the area of complex fiduciary breach and prohibited transaction litigation, representing clients in actions brought under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). He has secured $500 million in judgments and settlements in this area and handled successful appeals in federal courts including the U.S. Supreme Court. “Mark has been a rock star for us, and I am excited about his election to partner,” said Gregory Porter, partner with the firm. “He has been a trusted partner of mine as we fight for employees and pensioners against companies who have breached their fiduciary duties.”


Effective Mar. 1, Bailey Glasser’s St. Louis office has moved to 34 N. Gore, Suite 102, Webster Groves, MO 63119. In addition to Mark Boyko, the St. Louis office also consists of Jeff Baron, partner, and Amy Rubin, of counsel. Baron focuses his practice in commercial litigation involving energy-related matters and business disputes. Rubin practices in the areas of transactional work, cannabis law, and commercial litigation involving energy-related matters and business disputes.


Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, PC is pleased to announce that Christopher A. Pickett, an officer, member of the board of directors, and chief diversity officer at the firm, has been selected as an inaugural leader for a new initiative by Meritas, a global law firms network, to further its commitment to racial equality.

Pickett is one of six attorneys from across the U.S. who will serve on the Leadership Council for the newly formed Meritas Black Lawyers Forum. The forum will facilitate connections and mentorship and provide a discussion platform for Black lawyers within the Meritas network to share their experiences. Meritas’ goal for the forum is to help create business development opportunities for members and enhance the ability of member firms to hire and retain Black and other diverse lawyers.

“I am honored to serve on the Leadership Council of the Meritas Black Lawyers Forum to help further diversity and inclusion efforts within the network and provide Black lawyers with greater visibility and support around the world,” Pickett said.

Kevin T. McLaughlin, the firm's president and CEO said, “We congratulate Chris on his appointment to the Meritas Black Lawyers Forum Leadership Council, and we are thrilled to support this outstanding initiative aimed at helping Meritas member firms promote diversity and inclusion for the legal industry.”

Greensfelder is a longtime member of Meritas and the exclusive member firm in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Meritas is the premier global network of independent business law firms with nearly 200 firms in 90 countries worldwide as members. Greensfelder’s efforts to foster an inclusive, diverse workplace, led by Pickett, share common ground with the mission of the Meritas forum, with a focus on creating an environment that is equitable and people-focused and that welcomes diverse perspectives and experiences.

In addition to his work as the firm's chief diversity officer and leader of its Equity, Retention and Advancement Committee, Pickett is a frequent presenter to businesses, bar groups and other organizations on topics related to equity and inclusion, including dismantling assimilation and increasing diversity in the legal profession.

In 2013, Pickett was named a fellow of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, participating in a national leadership program for high-performing attorneys with diverse backgrounds. He also has received numerous awards and recognition for his work on diversity issues and in business law.

In his law practice, Pickett represent clients from across the country in an array of business litigation matters, particularly in the areas of securities and higher education.
 

Kansas City

Lewis Rice LLC is pleased to announce that Paul Himmelstein has joined the firm. Himmelstein has extensive background in the areas of business and estate planning, and real estate. He practiced with Van Osdol prior to joining Lewis Rice.

"We are pleased to have Paul join our team at Lewis Rice," said Tom Martin, managing member of the Kansas City office. "The addition of Paul to our corporate, tax, and estate planning department aligns with our firm’s focus of providing sophisticated legal counsel and custom-tailored solutions to our clients. We have a great deal of respect for the background, experience, and insight he brings to Lewis Rice.”

Himmelstein will assist clients with business formation, contract review, employment issues, and real estate transactions, and counsels clients in estate planning matters including the preparation of wills, revocable trusts, irrevocable trusts, estate and trust administration, and tax return preparation. He also has extensive experience in advising clients on more sophisticated estate planning issues such as multi-generational planning as well as charitable gift planning.

In addition to Himmelstein's professional experience, he serves on several boards and committees including the Kansas City Estate Planning Symposium, the Estate Planning Society, the Jewish Federation, Centurions, and Children’s Mercy Hospital.


Lewis Rice LLC is pleased to announce it has named Jonah Lock as a new member.

“My warmest congratulations to Jonah on his promotion to member,” said Tom Martin, Kansas City office chairman. "Jonah works tirelessly for his clients. His commitment and dedication is truly an asset to the firm’s growth and success."

Lock is a 2007 graduate of the University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Law. His practice is particularly focused on protecting the rights of creditors nationwide, where he successfully represents automobile and commercial lenders, mortgage servicing companies, businesses, and related organizations. In addition, he focuses much of his practice on assisting commercial property owners with their leasing and landlord-tenant issues, including vendor litigation and tenant evictions/collections, and also devotes a significant portion of his practice to construction law, including filing mechanic’s liens, bond claims, and all related litigation matters.

Lock has been with the Kansas City office of Lewis Rice since 2019.
 

Springfield

Baty Otto Coronado PC is pleased to announce that partner Stephen H. Snead has been inducted into the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals (NADN).

Snead is a highly skilled mediator having mediated more than 500 civil disputes in the past 10 years. He focuses his practice on personal injury, professional liability, and product liability defense, commercial litigation, and insurance defense.  Also an experienced trial lawyer, he has tried more than 100 jury trials on a range of issues including catastrophic injury, large property damage claims, and commercial and professional liability litigation.

The National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals is a professional association whose membership consists of ADR professionals distinguished by their hands-on experience in the field of civil and commercial conflict resolution.  Membership is by invitation only and all Academy members have been thoroughly reviewed and found to meet stringent practice criteria. 

“We’re delighted to recognize Stephen H. Snead to the Academy’s Missouri Chapter in recognition of excellence in his mediation practice,” commented Darren Lee, executive director of NADN.

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