23
May
2023
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11:02 AM
America/Chicago

MoveMakers & NewsMakers for May 23, 2023

Summary

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

St. Louis | Kansas City
 

St. Louis

Armstrong Teasdale announces the addition of Emily L. Goeke to the firm’s litigation practice group. She has previous experience in matters involving health care, civil rights and underserved populations, and has represented clients with disabilities in a wide variety of matters. 

Prior to joining Armstrong Teasdale, Goeke served as a law clerk for Judge David Noce in the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Missouri. She is skilled at managing a diverse civil docket and analyzing substantive issues of state and federal law.  She also has experience representing clients before state and federal administrative agencies. 

Goeke earned her Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from Saint Louis University School of Law. She is a graduate of Saint Louis University with a B.A. in English, magna cum laude.


Greensfelder announces that Patrick J. Connaghan has joined the firm’s St. Louis office as of counsel in its trusts and estates group. 

Connaghan joins private practice after a highly respected tenure as the probate commissioner and clerk of the probate division for the 22nd Judicial Circuit (City of St. Louis), from 2007 to 2022. He was responsible for administering and overseeing probate cases, including the management of trusts, estates, and guardianships, as well as hearing civil commitment cases involving mental health and addiction issues. He retired from the court in 2022. 

“We are honored to have Commissioner Connaghan join our thriving trusts and estates practice,” said Kevin McLaughlin, the firm's president and chief executive officer. “He brings invaluable experience from the probate court system that cannot be taught and will provide exceptional value to our attorneys and clients alike.” 

Connaghan has spent most of his career in public service. He brings the experience gained from his time in the probate court to help clients resolve issues in an effective manner and navigate difficult situations. 

He is a past president and current board member of the Missouri Association of Probate and Associate Circuit Judges. He was honored with that organization’s President’s Award in 2011, 2016, and 2021. 

Before his appointment as probate commissioner, Connaghan’s career in public service included 12 years as general counsel for the City of St. Louis Board of Aldermen. There, he was responsible for providing legal advice and representation to the board and its members, as well as drafting legislation and serving as a liaison to the city’s operating departments. 

Prior to his role as general counsel, Connaghan served as an assistant city counselor for the City of St. Louis and worked as a legal advisor to the city’s operating departments. In this position, he was appointed as director of Operation Weed and Seed by the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri and focused his efforts on establishing neighborhood-based anti-drug initiatives. 


March 23 was a day of giving back for members of the Association of Corporate Counsel – St. Louis (ACC STL), who eagerly volunteered their legal experience at the Veterans Estate Planning Clinic, a program provided by the Missouri Veterans Commission (MVC). 

Before the event, volunteers attended a one-hour webinar to review the estate planning package developed by the MVC. With a mission to provide free legal counsel to veterans and their spouses, the team prepared simple wills, powers of attorney, living wills, and health care directives, all with the aim of ensuring that our nation’s heroes receive the support they deserve.  The event was a resounding success, thanks to the dedication and compassion of the 15 ACC STL members.

The ACC STL Pro Bono committee will be supporting another estate planning clinic later in the year.


Kansas City

McDowell Rice is pleased to welcome Dyanna Ballou to the firm. She is a first-chair trial attorney with jury trials in state and federal courts across the country. 

Ballou's practice has included the defense of product liability, premises liability, insurance defense, construction defect, and commercial matters involving asbestos, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, aviation, tobacco, food products, and many others. In addition to her law firm work, she has been the owner of several litigation support companies that provided document review and strategic planning assistance to large corporations nationwide. 

Ballou is a graduate of the University of Kansas where she holds her undergraduate and law degrees. 
 

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