MoveMakers & NewsMakers for Aug. 3, 2021

St. Louis

St. Louis

The Bar Plan welcomes Charles Coffey as sales and marketing director, effective July 14.  He brings a service and sales-oriented mindset, most recently holding the roles of senior claims adjuster for Skyward Specialty Insurance and broker/salesperson for Coldwell Banker Realty-Gundaker. He was employed at The Bar Plan from 2012 to 2020 as a claims attorney handling legal malpractice matters. Coffey was promoted to senior claims counsel in 2015 and held this title until his departure.

Coffey’s extensive knowledge of lawyers’ professional liability policies gives him a unique perspective, and he plans to use technology to improve efficiency and customer service. “I am thrilled to apply my experience to help more attorneys build a better practice with The Bar Plan,” he said.

Coffey earned a B.A. in business administration, cum laude, from Truman State University and a J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law. He has held various leadership roles in the American Bar Association, The Missouri Bar, and The Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis.

Andrew Chipperfield joins Baker Sterchi as an of counsel attorney in the firm’s St. Louis office, where his practice covers a variety of civil litigation, including personal injury, wrongful death, premise liability, and commercial matters.

Chipperfield has appeared on behalf of clients in courts throughout Missouri and Illinois, and he has practical experience in the analysis and resolution of legal issues in both state and federal courts. Recognizing his dual role as advocate and counselor, he emphasizes efficiency and communication to provide value for his clients.

Chipperfield earned his J.D. from the Saint Louis University School of Law in 2011 and his undergraduate degree from the University of Denver.

The Association of Corporate Counsel, St. Louis Chapter (ACC STL) kicked off its 2021 Diversity and Inclusion Summer Internship Program with 11 law school students participating.

The ACC STL Diversity Internship Program, which started in 2012, provides participants with meaningful exposure to in-house practice. Law school students who participate in the program will learn about the various areas of legal advocacy and general corporate practice that in-house counsel handle, as well as the relationship between providing business and legal advice to clients in a variety of substantive areas.

“The Diversity and Inclusion Summer Internship Program has been an initiative the ACC St. Louis chapter has been very dedicated to in the last several years. Diversity and inclusion efforts must be continuous and thoughtful to enact systemic change. This program allows for one immediate way for our chapter to make steps towards that change, as it gives us the opportunity to do the important work of mentoring and supporting law students who are typically underrepresented in the legal profession,” said Vikas Sunkari, chair of the ACC STL 2021 Diversity and Inclusion Summer Internship Program, and SSM Health's Senior Legal Counsel for System Legal Affairs.

The 2021 ACC STL Diversity Summer interns include:

• Alexa Belancourt-St. Julien, University of Missouri School of Law, will intern at Ameren.
• Jada Flynn, Saint Louis University School of Law, will intern at RaboBank.
• Joshua Johnson, University of Missouri School of Law, will intern at Wells Fargo.
• Erich Kaletka, Washington University School of Law, will intern at Ameren.
• Justin McPherson, Saint Louis University School of Law, will intern at Bunzl.
• Mackay Miner, Saint Louis University School of Law, will intern at ICL.
• Abhijit Nair, Saint Louis University School of Law, will intern at MiTek.
• Zara Saiyed, University of Missouri School of Law, will intern at Charter Communications.
• Maria Villegas Bravo, Washington University School of Law, will intern at AT&T.
• Matthew Warren, University of Missouri School of Law, will intern at Washington University.
• Sarah Zanola, Washington University School of Law, will intern at Emerson Electric.

Each intern is also matched with an in-house lawyer mentor, who is an ACC STL member.

“Through the internship program, we hope to increase diversity and inclusion in the St. Louis legal community as these students continue forward in their careers and join law firms and corporate legal departments in the region. We seek to give these students meaningful and immersive experiences in their summer internships and to provide additional educational and networking opportunities throughout the summer and sometimes beyond,” added Sunkari.