MoveMakers & NewsMakers January 17, 2019

Jan. 17, 2019 - See who is making news and moving where in the weekly Missouri Bar update "MoveMakers & NewsMakers."

St. Louis Area

Lashly & Baer, PC added four experienced health care litigation attorneys, James P. Reinert, William J. Magrath, Jeffrey E. Atkinson, and Timothy F. McCurdy, from Gonnerman Reinert, LLC.

Reinert, who becomes a shareholder at Lashly & Baer, concentrates his trial practice in medical professional liability defense. Throughout Reinert’s extensive career, he has managed hundreds of cases representing hospitals and universities and a wide range of medical practitioners including nurses, surgeons, family practitioners, gynecologists and radiologists.

Magrath, Atkinson and McCurdy have over 55 years of combined experience defending a wide variety of health care providers throughout Missouri, as well as experience in product liability, premises liability and automobile liability cases. McCurdy has also done extensive fiduciary litigation, in addition to elder law and estate planning.

“We are excited about the additional talent that has joined our firm and are looking forward to a successful 2019,” said Lisa Stump, president of Lashly & Baer. “We have always respected the attorneys at Lashly,” said Reinert. “Lashly’s expertise in health care, on both the litigation and the corporate side, provides a real strong fit for our clients.”

Mark Gonnerman, founding partner of Gonnerman Reinert, did not join Lashly & Baer. He intends to maintain his individual practice, and work on select cases that allow him flexibility, while pursuing other interests.

Haar & Woods, LLP is pleased to announce that Jozef Kopchick has become a partner in the firm, where his practice will continue to focus on business litigation, professional liability defense, and appellate litigation. Kopchick graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School in 2011. He also holds a degree in history from Yale University.

Kirkland Woods & Martinsen LLP is very pleased to announce the opening of its fourth office, located at 231 S. Bemiston Avenue, Suite 750, Clayton, on Feb. 1. KWM is equally pleased to announce that John M. Challis and Andrew M. Mitchell will join the firm’s new St. Louis office effective Feb. 1. Mitchell will continue to focus his practice on wealth transfer and asset protection planning and trust and probate administration. Challis will continue his practice in all types of trust, estate, and fiduciary litigation. Each will lead KWM’s efforts in their respective practice areas in the St. Louis market.

"We are absolutely thrilled to add John and Andrew to our team, and to open an office in St. Louis,” said Robert Kirkland, managing partner of Kirkland Woods & Martinsen LLP. “We have great respect for our colleagues who practice in the trusts and estates area in the St. Louis region, and we look forward to joining them in serving this important market.”

“It is an honor to join a firm as focused and respected in the areas of estate planning and fiduciary litigation,” said John Challis. “As a lifelong St. Louisan, I am very excited to bring the KWM platform to clients in St. Louis.”

“Moving my practice to this well-respected boutique firm will provide some cost savings I can pass on to my current and future clients while the firm and I will provide the highest quality service in our focused practice area,” said Andrew Mitchell.

Challis received his J.D. from Saint Louis University School of Law, magna cum laude, in 2004, and has practiced at the Polsinelli law firm in St. Louis since his graduation, most recently as a shareholder. He is licensed to practice in Missouri and Illinois.

Mitchell received his J.D. from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 2006, where he served on the Kentucky Law Journal. He most recently practiced as an officer with the Greensfelder firm in St. Louis. He is licensed to practice in Missouri, Illinois, and Kentucky.

Kirkland Woods & Martinsen LLP has existing offices in Liberty, Springfield, and Overland Park, Kansas.

Other Areas

Joseph, Hollander & Craft LLC proudly announces the election of Diane L. Bellquist as a member of the firm. Bellquist, who joined the firm in 2014, practices primarily in the areas of professional licensure and professional liability defense.

“We couldn’t be more proud of Diane, or more pleased to have her as a member of this firm,” said Christopher M. Joseph, managing nember. “When Diane joined us, she brought with her more than 10 years of experience as the former assistant general counsel for the Kansas Board of Healing Arts and former general counsel to the Office of the State Bank Commissioner. Her first-hand knowledge of the regulatory system helped us build a statewide professional liability defense practice. Through Diane’s leadership, we’ve recently added another attorney in this area and expanded our scope to include medical malpractice defense.”

Bellquist is president of the Topeka Bar Association and has served on its board of directors since 2011. She was honored as the TBA’s Outstanding Young Lawyer in 2012 and is a past president of the TBA’s Young Lawyers’ Division. In addition to her active roles with the TBA, Bellquist also is a past president and member of the Women Attorneys Association of Topeka.

Bellquist earned her J.D. from the University of Kansas School of Law. She is a member of the Professional Liability Defense Federation and holds an attorney certification from the Federation of Associations of Regulatory Boards. She is licensed to practice in both Kansas and Missouri.

With 16 years of military service, Bellquist holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel with the Kansas Air National Guard.

Jonathan Todd was elected partner with Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff. He practices in the firm's Cleveland, Ohio office.

Todd advises clients on transportation, logistics, warehousing, import compliance, export controls and economic sanctions, and related supply chain management issues. He leads those transactional and regulatory matters for manufacturers, distributors, retailers, third party logistics providers, brokers, forwarders, intermediaries, and carriers of all modes. His work spans the wide range of challenges that arise when clients buy and sell regulated companies, purchase and offer regulated services, procure and produce goods, deliver those services or ship those goods around the world, and manage regulatory compliance or respond to enforcement actions.

Todd received his J.D. from Saint Louis University School of Law. He is licensed to practice in Ohio and Missouri.

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