MoveMakers and NewsMakers for Aug. 4, 2026

St. Louis | Kansas City

St. Louis

Hall Render, the nation’s leading law firm focused exclusively on health care, is pleased to announce the opening of its office in St. Louis, Missouri, formalizing the Firm’s well-established presence advising clients in the St. Louis metropolitan and Missouri health care markets.

The St. Louis office is a client-driven extension of Hall Render's national footprint, as the Firm already performs a significant amount of work for St. Louis and Missouri-based clients. Sustained client demand, along with the continued growth of the Firm's Missouri practice, informed the decision to establish a formal office in the region. The move is designed to strengthen local accessibility, support in-person collaboration and build on existing regional relationships, all while keeping clients connected to Hall Render's national health care legal and advisory capabilities.

"Client demand has made clear that the time was right to invest in a physical presence in St. Louis," said Gregg Wallander, Firm President and CEO. "This office reflects our long-term commitment to Missouri's health care sector and reinforces how our national platform and local relationships work together to serve clients where they need us most."

Hall Render’s new office is located in the Sevens Building at 7777 Bonhomme Avenue, Suite 1420 in Clayton, Missouri. Leading the St. Louis office is Office Managing Partner John Bowen who has extensive experience advising health care providers on complex transactional, corporate governance and antitrust matters.

"We have been serving Missouri-based health care clients for years, and this office allows us to deepen those relationships in a much more direct way," said Bowen. “Having a physical presence here means our clients get the accessibility and in-person collaboration they've requested, while still drawing on the full strength of Hall Render's national health care platform.”

The St. Louis office reflects Hall Render's continued investment in the health care organizations it serves and the communities they support. By expanding its local presence, the Firm is advancing its mission of supporting health care organizations across the continuum of care.

Kansas City

Ogletree Deakins, one of the largest labor and employment law firms representing management, is pleased to welcome Nicholas Ruble to the firm's Kansas City office as a shareholder. Ruble joins Ogletree Deakins from Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice, where he was a member and vice-chair of the firm’s Employment and Labor Practice Group.

Ruble's practice focuses on employment litigation and traditional labor, drawing on more than a decade of experience in both areas. He represents employers at every stage of litigation and alternative dispute resolution, including mediation and arbitration, and provides counsel on workplace policies. Ruble brings first-chair trial experience and leads collective bargaining and labor arbitration work, having provided representation before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

"Nick's arrival strengthens our Kansas City office in exactly the areas our clients need most right now: first-chair litigation experience and collective bargaining knowledge," said Michael Matula, office managing shareholder in Kansas City. “He has represented a diverse set of clients in litigation, arbitration, and in federal agency proceedings throughout his career, and that range of experience is exactly what our clients are looking for as they face more contested labor and employment matters.”

Ruble represents companies of all sizes across numerous industries, including banking, construction, insurance, retail, and more. He is a legal thought leader who regularly speaks and contributes to local and national publications and business groups on emerging labor and employment issues while mentoring the next generation of young attorneys.

“Ogletree Deakins provides attorneys with the resources to serve clients across every stage of the employer relationship, from strategy and policy work through hearings and trial," said Ruble. “That range, combined with the firm's national reach, is what drew me here. I'm looking forward to putting my labor and employment litigation experience to work for our clients alongside my new colleagues.”

Ruble earned his J.D. from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law and his B.A. from William Jewell College. He is active in the local business community, serving as Legislative Updates Vice-Chair for the Employment and Labor Law Committee at DRI (Association of Lawyers Defending Businesses) and as co-chair of the Labor and Employment Law Committee at the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association.