MoveMakers & NewsMakers for Sept. 28, 2022
See who is making news and moving where in the weekly Missouri Bar update "MoveMakers & NewsMakers."
Kansas City
McDowell Rice Smith & Buchanan PC announces the addition of J. Aaron Craig to their litigation and dispute resolution practice. His practice focuses on complex commercial litigation, including commercial, bad faith insurance, fiduciary, healthcare technology, product liability, medical device, consumer protection, and general tort litigation. He is licensed in both Missouri and Kansas and is very experienced in e-discovery.
After clerking for two years at the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, Craig spent seven years working at a large Missouri law firm, before co-founding and spending over three years at a boutique Kansas City law firm.
Craig is a 2009 magna cum laude graduate of Creighton University School of Law, and a cum laude graduate of Missouri State University.
Dysart Taylor Cotter McMonigle & Brumitt PC announces shareholder Amanda Pennington Ketchum has been named chair of the USLAW NETWORK for 2022-2023. She officially took over the leadership position at the USLAW NETWORK’s fall meeting in Austin, Texas.
Ketchum has served on the USLAW NETWORK Board of Directors since 2017, most recently as vice chair in 2021-2022 and secretary/treasurer in 2019-2021 She is also a member of the USLAW NETWORK Diversity Council.
“I am thrilled to begin serving as chair in the year ahead,” said Ketchum in her statement with USLAW. “As I follow in the footsteps of previous USLAW leaders, I look forward to continuing the momentum that Rod (Umberger) most recently and other past USLAW chairs have inspired around exceptional client service, innovative and accessible legal programming and important business development and networking opportunities across the NETWORK.”
Littler has added Traer Cundiff as a shareholder in its Kansas City office. Cundiff, who was previously eDiscovery counsel at Ogletree Deakins, is the latest in a series of nine shareholder additions to Littler in recent months.
“Traer is an exceptional attorney and her depth of experience managing eDiscovery in employment litigation and investigations will further strengthen our esteemed eDiscovery practice,” said Erin Webber, Littler’s managing director and president. “Technology advancements and the rapid proliferation of workplace-related data have created both opportunities and challenges for employers. Traer’s insights, gained from nearly a decade spent focused on eDiscovery and proficiency in using eDiscovery technologies, will greatly benefit our clients in guiding litigation strategy and outcomes.”
With extensive experience in data and records retention, Cundiff manages and advises on such issues as litigation holds, data preservation, custodian collection, negotiation and iteration of search terms, document review, data retention schedules and policies, drafting privilege logs, and production. Her practice has focused exclusively on eDiscovery for over ten years, and she has acted as eDiscovery counsel for more than 100 class and/or collective actions.
“Littler recognized early on that eDiscovery would have a transformational impact on every aspect of evidence in litigation and information management in the workplace, and we have built a world-class team with skills and knowledge across the range of leading-edge eDiscovery issues,” said Paul Weiner, the firm's national eDiscovery counsel and head of the firm’s eDiscovery practice. “With her proven track record in managing eDiscovery review and litigating employment cases, Traer’s addition furthers our ability to provide clients with innovative solutions in this subspecialty of the law.”
Cundiff has represented clients in several industries, including energy, transportation, retail, hospitality, healthcare, and financial services. In addition to her litigation and eDiscovery practice, she conducts employment audits, drafts workplace policies, and handles trade secret and restrictive covenant actions.
“Littler not only delivers a top-notch group of eDiscovery practitioners, but also a global platform with the best and brightest minds covering each area of labor and employment law,” Cundiff said. “I look forward to collaborating with this talented roster of attorneys to help our clients navigate the complexities of employment litigation and eDiscovery obligations today.”
Cundiff received her J.D. from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law and her B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis.
Cape Girardeau
The Limbaugh Firm welcomes Daniel A. Schuenemeyer to the firm. He previously worked as finance leader and corporate counsel for a regional healthcare system. Before that, he was with PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP in St. Louis, focusing on state and local tax matters.
Schuenemeyer will maintain a general transactional practice including the areas of corporate law, real estate, tax, and estate planning.
Schuenemeyer's community involvement includes the Missouri Tax and Transactional Law Society Advisory Board, the Missouri Future Business Leaders of America Board of Directors, and the finance committee of the national Future Business Leaders of America organization.
Schuenemeyer earned a B.S.B.A. and M.B.A. from Southeast Missouri State University, with an emphasis in accounting. He earned his J.D. from the University of Missouri School of Law, where he concentrated in transactional tax. He is admitted to practice before Missouri Courts and the U.S. Tax Court.
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