MoveMakers & NewsMakers for Aug. 8, 2023

St. Louis | Kansas City | Springfield
 

St. Louis

Cary Press has joined Baker Sterchi as a senior attorney in St. Louis. He focuses his practice on defending toxic tort, employment liability, and product liability claims. In addition, Press has successfully represented plaintiffs and defendants in various cases involving personal injury, property damage, contract disputes, and labor union disputes. He has first-chair trial experience in state and federal courts. 

Press earned his law degree from the University of Missouri School of Law and his undergraduate degree from the University of Missouri. He is admitted to practice in Missouri and Illinois. 

Emily O’Connor has joined Baker Sterchi as an associate in Belleville. O’Connor's practice focuses on representing railroads in Federal Employers' Liability Act (FELA) cases and handling nursing home litigation for facilities, nurses, and staff. O’Connor has achieved multiple dismissals in FELA negligence and premises liability cases involving railroad occupational disease matters. She is a member of the National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel. 

O’Connor earned her law degree from Northern Illinois University College of Law and holds an undergraduate degree from Baylor University. She is admitted to practice law in both Illinois and Missouri. 

Quarles & Brady LLP announces that Travis Kearbey, a leading employment law attorney in St. Louis, has joined the firm as a partner in their labor, employment, and benefits practice group. He is particularly experienced in the areas of litigation, business transactions, employment law counseling, and labor law, representing clients in industries such as higher education, manufacturing, hospitality, professional services, and various nonprofit sectors. 

“Quarles is nationally recognized as a leading firm in employment and labor law,” said Kearbey. “I am beyond excited to be part of the Quarles culture of success, which includes an admirable record of progress in terms of diversity, equity, and inclusion. I am honored to join an incredibly deep bench of attorneys in the areas of employment and higher education and to have the opportunity to partner with seasoned attorneys across the firm’s full-service platform that will help me take my practice to the next level." 

Kearbey earned his Juris Doctor from Vanderbilt University Law School and his B.S. from Missouri State University. 

Members of the Association of Corporate Counsel St. Louis (ACC STL) had a unique learning experience at the Saint Louis Art Museum on July 21. They participated in the “Artful Observation of the Cultures of World Faiths,” a program that uses artful observation techniques to enhance bias and observational awareness and facilitate a conversation about the diversity of cultures of world faiths using art as conversation tools. 

The facilitator, Dr. Cathleen Fleck, Ph.D., Saint Louis University, chair of the Department of Fine and Performing Arts and associate professor of art history, used artful observation techniques and the rich collection of artworks at the Saint Louis Art Museum to guide conversations about the Christian, Buddhist, Islamic, and African Yoruba cultures. 

“Our discussions centered around observing several key artworks at the museum, allowing us to delve not only into the details of the pieces but also into the history of art in relation to religious faiths. Each specific religious culture discussed—including European Catholic Christian, Chinese Buddhist, Middle Eastern Islamic, and African Yoruba cultures—has made choices about how to display the divine,” stated Dr. Fleck.

Kansas City

Janae’ Maxwell has joined Baker Sterchi as an associate in Kansas City. Her practice primarily focuses on premises liability, personal injury, product liability, and insurance defense. Prior to joining the firm, she served as an assistant public defender with the Missouri Public Defender's Office in Liberty. Maxwell provided legal representation to indigent defendants in various criminal cases and managed a caseload of over 100 clients concurrently. She also has over five years of experience as an insurance claims representative.

Maxwell earned her law degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law and her undergraduate degree from Alabama A&M University. She is licensed to practice law in Missouri.  
 

Springfield

Richard Winders has joined Baker Sterchi as a senior attorney in Springfield. He focuses his practice on civil claims defense, commercial litigation, and insurance coverage matters. Before joining the firm, Winders served as associate general counsel for a prominent electric cooperative, where he successfully managed a wide range of legal matters. His responsibilities encompassed contract negotiations, providing legal counsel and collaborating with high-level executives and board members. Winders' experience extended across diverse areas, including information technology, human resources, labor relations, corporate law, real estate, and risk management. 

Winders earned his law degree from Creighton University School of Law and his undergraduate degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He is admitted to practice in Missouri.