MoveMakers & NewsMakers for Nov. 29, 2022
See who is making news and moving where in the weekly Missouri Bar update "MoveMakers & NewsMakers."
St. Louis
Simmons Hanly Conroy announces that firm shareholder and University of Missouri graduate Sarah Burns is the recipient of a Column Award from the University of Missouri's College of Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources (CAFNR).
“We congratulate Sarah on her many achievements that have earned her distinction as an alumnus of the University of Missouri’s College of Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources,” said Larry Nassif, managing shareholder of the firm.
Burns said, “I am honored to have received the Column Award and am truly grateful for everything I learned while at Mizzou, but especially all that I learned from each of my professors within CAFNR.”
The only award specifically for alumni presented by the CAFNR, the Column Award recognizes those who have made significant professional contributions and whose accomplishments, affiliations, and careers have honored its legacy of excellence. Each year, the awardee class includes one graduate from each of the CAFNR’s six divisions, reflecting the six, historic, Ionic-style columns at the University of Missouri that originally supported its first campus building (Academic Hall) and serve as a testament to the school’s history. This year, Burns was the honoree for the CAFNR’s biochemistry division.
A member of Simmons Hanly Conroy’s complex litigation department, Burns has substantial legal experience handling prescription opioid litigation, consumer safety cases, mass tort multidistrict litigations, and other complex business torts. She is a member of the firm’s opioid litigation team, which is dedicated to helping counties and municipal governments enforce their legal rights against pharmaceutical companies.
Burns received her B.S. in biochemistry from the University of Missouri and her Juris Doctor (with honors) from the University of Tulsa College of Law.
Kansas City
Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice LLC and Foland, Wickens, Roper, Hofer & Crawford PC announce that they will merge effective Jan. 1, 2023.
The combined firm name will be Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice LLC. Baker Sterchi managing member Scott Kreamer will continue to serve as the managing member of the merged firm. More than 20 Foland Wickens attorneys will move into the Baker Sterchi Crown Center offices in Kansas City, Missouri. The new firm will have offices throughout Missouri, Illinois, and Kansas.
“Foland Wickens enjoys a great reputation in the legal community, and we are thrilled to be joining forces with such a talented group of people. In addition to adding seasoned attorneys in bad faith and extra-contractual liability, the merger deepens our roster of trial lawyers, advancing our shared goal of being recognized as one of the best trial law firms in the Midwest,” said Kreamer.
Foland Wickens principals Scott Hofer and Clay Crawford are fellows of the distinguished American College of Coverage Counsel. Collectively, the two firms' lawyers have tried thousands of jury trials in state and federal courts across the country and have several attorneys who are members of the American Board of Trial Advocates and American College of Trial Lawyers.
Baker Sterchi and Foland Wickens both have award-winning practices defending clients in civil litigation, including commercial and business, construction, employment and labor, insurance coverage and defense, medical malpractice, premises liability, product liability, professional and management liability, and transportation litigation. Clients range from individual professionals to Fortune 500 companies located locally, regionally, nationally, and globally.
“This merger brings together two extraordinarily successful trial law firms in the Midwest, providing additional depth and resources to cross-serve clients in new practice areas and geographies," said Roper. "We see unlimited potential in this combination and look forward to reaching new milestones with our new colleagues.”
The combination with Foland Wickens will increase the number of Baker Sterchi attorneys to more than 90, with more than 50 located in Kansas City.
“As part of our strategic plan, we continuously seek to add attorneys, whether individual laterals or groups of trial attorneys, who are well-respected in the legal community and endeavor to provide quality legal representation to clients,” said Kreamer.
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