MoveMakers and NewsMakers for April 28, 2026

St. Louis | Kansas City | Other States

Kansas City

The law firm of Kirkland Hochstetler LLC is very pleased to announce that Stephanie R. Kleyh is joining their Kansas City office as Counsel, effective May 1, 2026. After graduating from Liberty High School, Ms. Kleyh attended Central Methodist University, in Fayette, Missouri, where she played third base for the softball team and graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Business Management.

Ms. Kleyh received her law degree, with an emphasis in Business and Entrepreneurial Law, from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law, graduating cum laude. At UMKC, Ms. Kleyh actively participated in the law school’s Entrepreneurial Legal Services Clinic, and served as Literary Editor of the UMKC Law Review., Throughout law school, Ms. Kleyh found that her love for planning was not limited to business ventures, but included estate planning as well. Ms. Kleyh works for a wide variety of clients throughout the Kansas City area and beyond, in estate planning, business planning, and probate and trust administration. Stephanie spent the first eleven years of her career practicing at another prominent Northland Kansas City law firm.

National law firm Armstrong Teasdale announces the addition of Associate Tiara D. Arties to the firm’s Litigation practice group. Based in Armstrong Teasdale’s Kansas City office, she leverages her background in nursing and public health to advocate for clients in a range of disputes, particularly those involving health care and employment-related matters.

Arties was a summer associate at Armstrong Teasdale prior to joining the firm full time. Before that, she served as a judicial intern for the Hon. Roseann A. Ketchmark of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri. Before attending law school, Arties was a registered nurse working in clinical and public health settings.

St. Louis

Watters Wolf Bub Hansmann is pleased to announce the addition of two Principals, Ellen Brooke and Katherine Smith, to the firm’s St. Louis office. Ms. Brooke and Ms. Smith will be joining the firm’s First-Party Insurance Practice Group. Ms. Brooke and Ms. Smith each have over 20 years of experience in first-party insurance coverage work and litigation, and we are proud to welcome them to the firm.

Ellen Brooke
Ms. Brooke is a nationally recognized lawyer in the area of first-party insurance claims involving suspected arson and fraud. She works regularly with her SIU partners to provide guidance and counsel during the carrier’s claim investigation. She has conducted hundreds of examinations under oath. She also routinely defends her insurance company clients in first-party litigation on cases involving arson and fraud. Ms. Brooke is a sought-after speaker, regularly presenting to claims professionals, SIU investigators, and law enforcement through organizations such as the IAAI, NSPII, and NICB. A Missouri native, Ms. Brooke returned to the state in 2000 after years as a military spouse and earned her law degree from the University of Missouri, where she received awards for her trial and mediation advocacy. She remains dedicated to pro bono work supporting victims of domestic violence.

Katherine Smith
Ms. Smith is widely recognized as a leading lawyer in Missouri and Illinois in the area of first-party property insurance coverage work. She regularly serves as coverage counsel for her insurance clients on a wide range of complex first-party property coverage issues, with a particular emphasis on claims involving allegations of bad faith and vexatious refusal to pay. Ms. Smith also advises insurers on best claims practices to ensure compliance with applicable insurance regulations and industry standards. She handles cases from inception through resolution and has successfully tried numerous cases in both state and federal courts. Ms. Smith earned her Juris Doctor from Saint Louis University School of Law. 

The firm looks forward to the experience and depth of knowledge Ms. Brooke and Ms. Smith bring and is excited to havethem join the St. Louis office.