MoveMakers & NewsMakers for Apr. 23, 2021

Kansas City | Cape Girardeau

Kansas City

Jackson Lewis PC is pleased to announce Jeffrey M. Place has joined the firm’s Kansas City office as a principal. He joins the firm from Littler, where he spent the last 11 years focusing his practice on traditional labor relations.

“Jeff’s addition is extremely significant for our national labor practice, as well as the firm,” said Jonathan J. Spitz and Richard F. Vitarelli, co-leaders of the firm’s labor relations group, in a joint statement. “He brings significant experience in all areas of traditional labor law and will greatly complement our existing team. Jeff is a talented attorney who will add immediate value to our clients regionally and nationwide.”

Place represents management in all aspects of labor and employment law, with a particular focus on matters involving organized labor and labor relations counseling. He regularly handles collective bargaining negotiations, counter-union campaigns, labor arbitrations, mediations, matters before the National Labor Relations Board and other federal and state agencies.

Place also counsels clients on personnel management and defends employers against discrimination, harassment and retaliation claims by current and former employees, wage and hour claims, and claims arising under Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act and Section 13(c) of the Federal Transit Act. He frequently appears before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and state corollaries, the Missouri State Board of Mediation, the Missouri Division of Labor Standards, and the Kansas Public Employee Relations Board, as well as in state and federal courts.

“We are incredibly pleased to welcome Jeff to our growing Kansas City team,” said Kyle B. Russell, managing principal of the firm’s Overland Park and Kansas City offices. “Jeff is a locally renowned attorney with an impressive client roster and has a proven track record of successfully representing employers in all facets of labor relations. His labor and employment experience provides significant value to this office and the firm as a whole.”

For more than a decade, Place has served as an adjunct professor of labor law at the University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Law.  He is a member of the ABA Labor & Employment Section's Committee on the Development of the Law Under the National Labor Relations Act, the Kansas Bar Association, The Missouri Bar, the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, the Builders’ Association of Kansas City (AGC), and is a Chapter Editor for the leading treatise on U.S. labor relations law, The Developing Labor Law. Additionally, he is a frequent lecturer on labor relations matters, both locally and nationally.

Place earned his J.D. from Harvard Law School and his B.A. from the University of Utah.
 

Cape Girardeau

Spencer Fane LLP is pleased to announce that Jake Kohut has joined the litigation group as an of counsel attorney in the firm’s Cape Girardeau office.

Kohut works closely with clients to develop strong litigation strategies and successfully close transactions. With a focus on commercial, fiduciary and health care issues, Kohut regularly defends claims in state and federal court.

“It’s important to our local office to bring on attorneys that understand our clients and have a specific interest in helping businesses thrive,” said Mike Murphy, office managing partner for Spencer Fane in Cape Girardeau. “Our clients can be assured Jake’s ability to practice across multiple areas of litigation will help us to continue providing efficient and effective client service.”

Kohut previously worked for two St. Louis area law firms. Working as a litigator in both firms, he specialized in defending medical malpractice, product liability and premises liability claims. He also has experience in criminal law, having served as an assistant prosecuting attorney in Greene County, Missouri.

Kohut completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Missouri - Columbia and earned his J.D. from the University of Missouri - Columbia School of Law, where he served as an associate editor of the Missouri Law Review and was a member of the Order of the Barristers.