MoveMakers & NewsMakers January 30, 2019

Jan. 30, 2019 - See who is making news and moving where in the weekly Missouri Bar update "MoveMakers & NewsMakers."

St. Louis Area

HeplerBroom is pleased to announce that Charles Insler has been elected partner of HeplerBroom LLC.

Insler focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation, including antitrust and appellate work, business torts, class action matters, securities litigation, and cybersecurity. He is a 2006 graduate of Tulane University School of Law and is licensed to practice in Missouri, Illinois, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. In addition to his law practice, Insler is an accomplished writer, and his works (both legal and non-legal) have appeared in national and international publications.

Tucker Ellis LLP is pleased to announce that Nicholas Clifford has joined the firm as a partner in its St. Louis office. Clifford will practice in the Tucker Ellis intellectual property & brand protection group and will be handling intellectual property litigation and other commercial litigation matters.“Nick’s knowledge and experience will add significant depth to our IP Litigation capabilities not only in our St. Louis office, but firmwide,” said Carlos Garritano, chair of the firm’s IP practice group. “His ability to use well-honed trial skills and provide strategic litigation advice in matters across a wide variety of intellectual property and other commercial subject matters involving dozens of different technologies will benefit our clients tremendously.”“We are fortunate that more and more A+ lawyers who are also A+ people and who care deeply about relationships, like Nick Clifford, are choosing to call Tucker Ellis their professional home,” said Joe Morford, managing partner of the firm.. “Nick’s addition to our growing St. Louis office bolsters our Midwest presence and accelerates our capabilities in Missouri and Illinois, as well as nationwide.”A trial lawyer with 25 years of experience, Clifford handles intellectual property and commercial litigation in state, federal, and appellate courts throughout the United States. He prosecutes and defends litigation and counsels clients in patent, copyright, and trademark infringement matters, as well as trade secret misappropriation, preparing non-infringement and invalidity opinions, patentability, licensing, registration, and other due-diligence issues. Clifford represents clients in a wide range of technologies, such as automotive service products, biomass pretreatment, cable video on-demand, computer middleware and memory devices, diagnostic and educational software, electronic voting machines, financial trading platforms, LED warning signal lights, pharmaceutical packaging, retinal surgical devices, and telecommunication systems. He received his law degree with high honors from Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology. He received his undergraduate degree from Trinity College.

Capes Sokol is pleased to announce that Sara G. Neill, shareholder and chair of the firm's tax controversy and litigation practice group, has been elected a Fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel (“ACTC”).Membership in ACTC, a prestigious professional association established in 1981, is reserved for an elite group of tax attorneys in recognition of their exceptional reputations and contributions to the field of tax law.In order to be elected a Fellow of ACTC, nominees must meet established criteria and undergo an arduous screening process. Fellows of ACTC, representing the top seven hundred tax attorneys across the United States, are renowned for their commitment to a “high standard of excellence and ethical performance in the practice of tax law.”Neill represents individuals and businesses in civil and criminal tax disputes involving the Internal Revenue Service, Department of Justice, and various state taxing authorities. She currently serves as the president-elect of the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis; co-chair of the Subcommittee on Important Criminal Developments of the Civil and Criminal Tax Penalties Committee of the ABA’s Taxation Section; and the secretary of the St. Louis Chapter of the Women in White Collar Criminal Defense Association.Neill is an adjunct professor of law in Washington University Law School’s Tax LL.M. program where she co-teaches Tax Fraud Prosecutions.

Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, P.C. is pleased to announce that Samantha E. Caluori has rejoined the firm’s St. Louis office as an associate in the business services practice group. She previously held the same position with the firm from late 2016 through 2017.

“We are very pleased to welcome Sam back to Greensfelder, and we are excited to reap the benefits of the valuable experience she gained while serving in an in-house corporate position while away from the firm,” said Timothy R. Thornton, the firm's chief executive officer.

Caluori assists businesses with a variety of transactions including mergers and acquisitions. Her corporate transactions work involves exempt securities offerings and other governance matters, as well as commercial contracts, and entity formation and dissolution.

Prior to rejoining Greensfelder, Caluori served as in-house associate counsel for Energizer Holdings, Inc., the St. Louis-based manufacturer of batteries, flashlights and lanterns. With that company, she was involved with commercial transactions, international and domestic supply agreements, and international distributorship arrangements, among other matters. She also assisted with due diligence and integration related to multiple acquisitions of global consumer products companies.

During law school, Caluori worked for the Consumer Protection Division of the Missouri Attorney General’s Office.

Caluori received her J.D. (cum laude) from St. Louis University School of Law and her Bachelor of Science from Iowa State University.

Legal Services of Eastern Missouri has received a $25,000 grant from the Monsanto Fund, a philanthropic arm of Bayer, to support free legal support services for low-income families with children who need special education services to succeed in school. The services underwritten by the Monsanto Fund grant will be used to support at-risk families and children living in North St. Louis County and will concentrate efforts on children attending schools in the Ferguson-Florissant, Hazelwood, Jennings, Normandy, Pattonville, Ritenour, and Riverview Gardens districts.

“This Children’s Legal Alliance Educational Advocacy Project funded by the Monsanto Fund helps both parents and children get the education needed to succeed. This includes homeless families and children who, by federal law, are entitled to a quality education,” stated Daniel Underwood, managing attorney of the Children’s Legal Alliance Project. “We are very grateful for the Monsanto Fund’s partnership in helping children in under-served communities,” said Underwood.

Kansas City Area

Steve James has been promoted to the position of senior associate general counsel withh Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. He has been in the legal department since 2016 and has substantial experience in the areas of real estate and development law. James was previously with Husch Blackwell LLP. He graduated from UMKC School of Law.

Jetstream Aviation Law, P.A. is pleased to announce that Lori McGee has joined the firm as a partner.McGee will be a great addition with her extensive experience in aircraft acquisitions, finance, leasing, management, charter operations, insurance, regulatory matters, and federal and state tax matters.McGee is a lawyer, pilot and A&P mechanic, and has served on various industry committees, including the Part 125/135 Aviation Rulemaking Committee, and the NBAA Regulatory Issues Advisory Group. She has authored numerous articles on business aviation issues, and is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and events.Drawing on her unique regulatory expertise, McGee works with domestic and international clients to identify effective options in all phases of aircraft ownership to achieve regulatory compliance, mitigate risk and liability concerns, and realize business and tax goals.

McAnany, Van Cleave & Phillips (MVP) Law Firm is pleased to welcome James R. Hess to its workers’ compensation defense group.

Hess joins the firm after 20 years of serving as in-house counsel for companies including CNA, Zurich, Liberty Mutual and Nationwide in workers’ compensation defense. He’s successfully handled jury trials in both Missouri and Kansas, and he’s argued bench trials in the U.S. District Court for Kansas and the Western District of Missouri.

“Jim brings a unique perspective and understanding of our clients’ needs in insurance defense,” states MVP President Byron Bowles. “He’s a wonderful addition to MVP’s workers’ compensation defense team in Kansas and Missouri.”

Hess earned his Juris Doctorate from Washburn University and his Bachelor of Science from Western Kentucky University.

At its 2019 annual meeting, McDowell Rice Smith & Buchanan, PC, announced the re-election of Kristie Remster Orme as president, and the re-election of R. Pete Smith as chairman of the board of directors. Also re-elected were Thomas R. Buchanan and Greg T. Spies, and Jonathan A. Margolies was newly elected to serve on the board of directors.

It was also announced at the meeting that Thomas R. Buchanan will serve as the firm’s general counsel in 2019. Charles W. Smiley will continue to serve as the firm’s secretary, and Ronald S. Bronstein will continue to serve as the firm’s vice president/treasurer/assistant secretary.

Additionally, McDowell Rice is pleased to announce that Nancy A. Midden has joined the firm as a shareholder. With more than 15 years of transactional experience, Midden’s practice focuses on governmental finance, including state and local governmental lease-purchase financing, both taxable and tax-exempt; tax-exempt conduit financing for 501(c)(3) entities; general and limited tax obligation bonds and other tax-exempt or tax-advantaged obligations. She has represented lenders on purchases of tax-exempt obligations and has evaluated structures and issuers in many jurisdictions across the nation. She has also acted as bond counsel, special tax counsel and disclosure counsel. Midden’s public finance experience includes higher education transactions, healthcare transactions, multifamily housing bonds, charter school transactions, senior living transactions, school district financings, state and local government obligations, sewer and water districts, housing authorities and various development districts. She also has significant experience in secondary market transactions, the purchase and sale of lease portfolios, certificates of participation and pooled lease transactions. Midden is a regular speaker on the subject of governmental leasing at the national level.

As part of her public finance practice, she has handled transactions secured by real property (including acquisition and construction), aircraft, equipment, software, vehicles, and energy improvements. Midden’s transactional experience also includes real estate, including condominium formation and development, and general corporate matters, including advising corporations on appropriate structures and drafting and maintaining necessary organizational documentation. She is experienced in the establishment of 501(c)(3) organizations and application for tax-exempt status.

Midden received her B.A. in economics from Saint Mary’s College graduating magna cum laude, and her J.D. from The University of Notre Dame Law School. She is licensed to practice law in Missouri, Kansas, and Florida (inactive).

Other States

HeplerBroom is pleased to announce that Kevin Birkenmeier and Christian Willenborg, M.D., have been elected partners of HeplerBroom LLC. They practice in the firm’s Edwardsville, Illinois office.

Birkenmeier concentrates his practice on trials involving complex litigation matters, with a particular focus on asbestos and toxic tort matters, as well as premises and products liability. He is licensed to practice in Illinois and Missouri and is a 2012 graduate of Saint Louis University School of Law.

Willenborg concentrates his law practice on the defense of medical and dental malpractice and nursing home matters. He is a 2005 graduate of Washington University Law School in St. Louis and is licensed to practice in Illinois and Missouri. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Willenborg was a physician and earned his medical degree from the University of Illinois College of Medicine in 2000.

McAnany, Van Cleave & Phillips (MVP) Law Firm is pleased to welcome Andrew J. Sheehan to its workers’ compensation defense group in its Illinois office.

Sheehan returns to MVP after a short stint with a Midwest law firm. His focus will be on defending employers and insurance carriers in Illinois workers’ compensation claims, and also defends clients in a variety of civil litigation issues, including insurance bad faith claims, commercial vehicle accidents and construction litigation. He regularly appears before the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission and Illinois Court of Appeals on workers’ compensation issues.

“We’re excited to have AJ back,” said Steve McManus, managing partner at MVP’s St. Louis office. “His ability, experience and attitude are great additions to our team and provides us the opportunity to expand our Illinois footprint.”

Sheehan earned his Juris Doctorate from Southern Illinois University School of Law and his Bachelor of Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

HeplerBroom is pleased to announce that Pamela Gamble and Katie Jacobi have been elected partners of the firm. They practice in the firm's Chicago office.

Gamble focuses her practice on trials involving complex litigation matters, including toxic torts, personal injury, product liability, and commercial litigation. She is a 2004 graduate of Southern Illinois University School of Law and is licensed to practice in Illinois, Missouri, and Wisconsin. Gamble is on the board of directors of the National Forum on Environmental & Toxic Tort Issues.

Jacobi focuses her practice primarily on insurance coverage and bad faith litigation. She is also an experienced appellate lawyer. She is a 2011 graduate of Saint Louis University School of Law and is licensed to practice in Illinois and Missouri. Jacobi is currently assistant editor of IDC Quarterly, a publication of the Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel.

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