MoveMakers & NewsMakers for Sept. 22, 2021

St. Louis

Monique D. Abby, assistant circuit attorney for the City of St. Louis, was recently elected to serve on the board of directors with the Women Lawyers' Association of Greater St. Louis for 2021-2022 as a member at large.

Abby earned her B.A. in political science with a minor in business at Howard University in 1997, and she received her J.D. at Saint Louis University School of Law in 2003.
 

Gray Ritter Graham announces that Michael S. Figenshau has joined the firm as an associate. His practice will focus on wrongful death, catastrophic injury, and commercial litigation.

Figenshau graduated with honors (Order of the Coif) from the University of Missouri School of Law, where he served on the editorial board of the Missouri Law Review in 2021.

St. Louis City Mayor Tishaura Jones announced the appointment of Sheena Hamilton as St. Louis City Counselor. Hamilton’s first day in the position will be Sept. 27, 2021. The City Counselor is the chief attorney for the City of St. Louis, overseeing two deputy city counselors, 38 attorneys and 20 support staff.

“Sheena Hamilton will be the first Black woman to serve the people of St. Louis as City Counselor,” said Mayor Jones. “I am excited to bring on another talented professional and add her experience in private practice, corporate law departments, and government to this administration.”

Currently an equity partner at Dowd Bennett LLP, Hamilton serves as client manager for multiple Fortune 100 companies and government or quasi-government offices by managing litigation, investigations, budgets, staffing and compliance. Prior to joining Dowd Bennett, she clerked for Judge Catherine D. Perry of the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Missouri. She also has served as an adjunct professor at her alma mater, Saint Louis University School of Law, and is a member of the board of directors for the United Way of Greater St. Louis and of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated – Gamma Omega Chapter. Hamilton concluded a three-year term on the board of governors for the ABA in August 2021. She also has served multiple terms on the executive boards for the Mound City Bar Association and Women Lawyers' Association of Greater St. Louis. She was awarded the John C. Shepherd Professionalism Award in 2019 by the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to serve St. Louis in this position,” said Sheena Hamilton. “I look forward to working with lawyers in the Office on the critical issues facing our community during this historic time.”
 

Sandberg Phoenix announces that Joseph Rolnicki has joined the firm as counsel and as a member of the intellectual property practice group.

Rolnicki is registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and is a former patent primary examiner. His years of experience in preparing and prosecuting patent applications has resulted in the issuing of hundreds of U.S. patents in various technical fields and in many foreign countries. It also gives him special insight in the handling of patent applications, from their filing to their issuance as patents.

Rolnicki was awarded a U.S. Department of Commerce, Patent and Trademark Office Certificate of Recognition from 1982 to 1986.

Rolnicki earned his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from Southern Illinois University Carbondale and his J.D. from Antonin Scalia Law School with George Mason University.