MoveMakers & NewsMakers for May 18, 2021

St. Louis | Kansas City | Other States

St. Louis

Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice welcomes Branden Brooks as an associate in St. Louis.

Brooks has experience defending manufacturers in toxic tort and product liability actions. As a former prosecutor, Brooks represented the State of Missouri in prosecuting individuals charged with felony offenses within the City of St. Louis, gained valuable experience in both jury and bench trials, argued hundreds of primary hearings to assist the court in making probable cause determinations regarding felonious matters, and presented cases to the grand jury.

Brooks earned his law degree from Boston College, his undergraduate degree from Ursinus College, and M.Div. from Harvard Divinity School. He is admitted to practice in Missouri and Illinois.

Kansas City

Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice welcomes Nicholas Ruble as an associate in Kansas City.

Ruble represents companies of all sizes and industries in employment and labor, personal injury, creditor’s rights, and commercial disputes.

Ruble earned his J.D. from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law in 2011 and his undergraduate degree from William Jewell College in 2005, where he currently serves as a member of the Career Mentorship Committee and a Career Mentor. He is admitted to practice in Missouri and Kansas.

Other States

The Chicago firm BatesCarey welcomes Craig M. Leff, who joins as a partner and brings more than 30 years of trial experience to the firm’s insurance coverage practice.

Leff has litigated disputes involving a wide spectrum of matters, including catastrophic injury and complex commercial litigation cases. He serves clients as a go-to trial lawyer in a variety of areas including complex insurance coverage, bad faith claims, railroad defense, products liability, industrial accidents, employment law, and legal malpractice.

Leff has tried multiple cases to verdict in Kansas and Missouri courts and has significant capability trying cases across the country. His appellate experience enables him to continue representing his clients after judgment, and he has successfully handled appeals before the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Seventh, Eighth and Tenth Circuits, the Supreme Court of Missouri and Court of Appeals, and the Kansas Supreme Court and Court of Appeals.

In his work defending claims against railroad companies, Leff has developed an extensive working knowledge of the railroad industry. Having handled a variety of cases arising from workplace injuries and railroad crossing accidents, he has unique experience handling matters often involving the immediate on-site investigation of accidents and the coordination of experts in such disciplines as train handling and dynamics, biomechanics, traffic engineering, accident reconstruction, audiology, and medicine.

“Craig’s track record in the courtroom and reputation as a trusted counselor are well known in the insurance coverage industry,” said Robert J. Bates, Jr., founding partner of the firm. “We are thrilled to have him expand our bench of litigators to pursue our clients’ interests.”

Leff joins the firm from Scharnhorst Ast Kennard Griffin PC.