MoveMakers & NewsMakers for September 19, 2023

St. Louis | Kansas City 

St. Louis

St. Louis-based law firm Lewis Rice has named Joel L. Weeks and Timothy D. Yeaglin co-chairs of the Estate Planning & Probate Department. They succeed longtime Estate Planning & Probate Department co-chairs Marian V. (Bo) Mehan and Michael D. Mulligan. Mehan and Mulligan have worked closely with Weeks and Yeaglin to ensure a smooth transition.

Weeks focuses his practice on estate and gift planning with an emphasis on transfer tax planning, business succession planning, estate and trust administration, preparation of estate and gift tax returns, and estate and gift tax controversies. He advises high-net-worth individuals and families with respect to their wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, charitable giving, and asset protection. Weeks is licensed to practice in both Missouri and Massachusetts and is also a member of the firm’s Management Committee.

Yeaglin counsels individuals and families on the implementation and development of sophisticated tax and estate plans. He also has considerable experience putting wealth transfer techniques into action, including the use of limited partnerships, limited liability companies, buy-sell and shareholder agreements, intra-family loans, sales to defective grantor trusts, and other gifting practices. In addition, he is well-versed in estate administration and gift and estate tax audits. Yeaglin is licensed to practice in both Missouri and Florida.

Thompson Coburn is pleased to announce a suite of leadership transitions, including a new firm chair, new Executive Committee member and new Litigation Department leadership.

The firm was founded in St. Louis and has since grown its presence nationwide with offices in key cities throughout the U.S. while maintaining its Midwestern values. These leadership moves come at a time of sustained financial, geographic and practice growth for the firm and demonstrate the successful execution of its long-term strategic plan to transition seamlessly to next-gen leadership. The moves also reflect the firm’s commitment to national expansion and its diversity priorities.

Current Management and Executive Committee member and Litigation Department Chair Chris Hohn has been elected Chair of the firm effective August 2024. Hohn will succeed current Chair and fellow St. Louis partner Roman Wuller, who will conclude his planned tenure at that time.

Hohn is a St. Louis local from the city’s Hills neighborhood and is heavily involved in the community alongside the rest of the firm, which has been recognized as the most philanthropic midsize company for a second year in a row in the St. Louis Business Journal’s 2023 Corporate Philanthropy Awards. Hohn serves on the board of trustees for the St. Louis Art Museum and in a variety of leadership roles for the Boy Scouts of the Greater St. Louis Area Council.

Having joined Thompson Coburn as a summer associate, Hohn has spent his entire career at the firm. For more than a decade, he has served on the Management Committee and co-chaired the Business Litigation group – the firm’s largest practice. His leadership roles have been many and varied – from chairing the Associate Review Committee for Litigation and mentoring many associates to serving on the Women’s Initiative Committee and holding roles on multiple firm task forces focused on strategic growth.

Additional key changes in leadership are:

Management Committee member Adrienne Clair has been appointed to the Executive Committee. Based in Washington, DC, Clair is a nationally recognized energy lawyer, who formerly chaired Thompson Coburn’s energy group and has helped to build that practice into a national powerhouse.

Management Committee member and Human Resources Practice Co-Chair Laura Jordan has joined Hohn as Co-Chair of the Litigation Department. A nationally ranked practitioner based in St. Louis, Jordan will become Chair of the department when Hohn becomes Firm Chair.

Tax Credits Practice Chair Jarrod Sharp has been appointed to the Management Committee. Sharp, who is based in the St. Louis office, also chairs the firm’s Client Relations Committee, which focuses on client service and feedback, client teams and practice innovation.

Kansas City

Spencer Fane LLP is pleased to announce the formal launch of its Sports Law team, led by attorneys Peter Goplerud, Loren Mulraine, and James Crumlin.

Comprising lawyers who have experience in corporate law, entertainment, higher education, intellectual property, and labor and employment, the group already has significant experiences in key aspects of name, image, and likeness (NIL) practice. The team handles legal and regulatory issues involving professional sports teams and executives, collegiate athletic programs, athletes, coaches and athletic directors, and NIL collectives.

Spencer Fane attorneys have assisted with projects ranging from contract drafting and formation to counseling on compliance with NIL laws and school policies. We have also assisted with various aspects of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) compliance and eligibility questions.

“The rapid growth and overall complexity of NIL work, especially in relation to athletic organizations, has led to a rising demand for legal and regulatory assistance.” said Goplerud. “We look forward to meeting the growing Sports Law needs for our national clientele.”

In addition to NIL-specific work, Spencer Fane also supports its sports law clients through contract negotiations, business formation and ancillary business matters, compliance assessment, conduct of internal investigations, and intellectual property protection matters at both the professional and collegiate levels.

“We look forward to continuing our work to help collectives, student-athletes, universities, teams, merchandisers, and others in the sports industry navigate the ever-changing legal environment and regulatory challenges,” said Crumlin.

“Every athlete, coach, institution, and club has a brand. This move is in response to the growing needs of our clients for Sports Law representation and to expand our long-standing work representing universities, athletes, coaches, and various collectives,” said Mulraine. “Our team understands the specific needs and responsibilities of our clients and, even more now, our clients will benefit from having a full range of legal resources and knowledge.”