MoveMakers and NewsMakers for Jan. 13, 2026

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Simmons Hanly Conroy, a national leader in the legal representation of mesothelioma patients and their families, is pleased to announce that Jenny Paulson has been elevated to partner, effective Jan. 1, 2026.

“We are thrilled to announce this well-deserved promotion,” said Simmons Hanly Conroy Managing Partner Laurence V. Nassif. “Jenny truly embodies our firm’s foundational values, and I look forward to seeing all that she accomplishes in the partner role.”

Paulson, who joined Simmons Hanly Conroy in 2022, focuses her practice on high-stakes, complex litigation, including consumer class action lawsuits. She works to give clients a voice against corporations that prioritize profits over individuals’ rights.

Paulson represents people who have been wronged in product liability, consumer fraud, and data privacy cases. She successfully argued before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit in Doe v. BJC, a case involving health data privacy that influenced multiple federal courts.

She also contributes to major litigations, including In re: Uber Technologies, Inc., Passenger Sexual Assault Litigation and In re: Meta Pixel Healthcare Litigation.

Previously, Paulson served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Nancy J. Rosenstengel, the Honorable Mark A. Beatty, and the Honorable Clifford J. Proud of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois. She earned her J.D. from Southern Illinois University Simmons Law School and her MBA from Southern Illinois University. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts from The Ohio State University.

Across MO

National law firm Armstrong Teasdale LLP has announced the promotion of six attorneys—Counsel Halle Dimar; senior associates Michael Carwin, Rhys Williams and Avila Zepp; and associate Richard Cole—into the firm’s profit-sharing partnership tier. The firm also promoted 24 existing income partners into the profit-sharing tier. Promotions were effective as of January 1, 2026.

Introduced at the beginning of 2025, Armstrong Teasdale’s profit-sharing partnership represents a departure from the traditional two-tier partnership structure common in the legal industry. Designed to broaden pathways to leadership, the tier allows attorneys to share in the firm’s financial success without exposure to losses.

“All of the attorneys being promoted have proven invaluable to the success of Armstrong Teasdale,” said Managing Partner Richard W. Engel, Jr. “The breadth and depth of their experience spans industry sectors, practice areas and geographies. Each attorney is greatly deserving of entering this new tier of partnership, and they are poised to continue driving the success of the firm for years to come.”

About the Attorneys

Halle Dimar (Litigation, St. Louis) focuses on defending health care providers, long-term care providers and pharmacies. She regularly advises on HIPAA issues, physician and employee discipline, subpoenas and child abuse prevention programs.

Rhys Williams (Corporate Services, St. Louis) represents developers, investors, financial institutions, governmental bodies and other public and private entities in all aspects of real estate transactions. He also advises clients on state and federal regulations governing the legalized marijuana industry.

Avila Zepp (Corporate Services, Miami) is a multilingual immigration attorney with extensive experience in family- and employment-based immigration matters. She counsels clients around the world on immigration strategy and has experience drafting and reviewing filings before a wide array of governmental entities.

Richard Cole (Litigation, Miami) represents businesses and individuals in a wide range of complex litigation matters, including commercial contracts, construction, banking, real estate, defamation and employment, as well as trusts and estates disputes. He has considerable experience in high-stakes and bet-the-company litigation and consistently delivers favorable outcomes for clients, both before and at trial.

The following income partners were also promoted to Armstrong Teasdale’s profit-sharing partnership tier:

Corporate Services
Patricia Beckerle (St. Louis)
Keith Grissom (St. Louis)

Intellectual Property
Patrick Coyle (St. Louis)
Kyle Gottuso (St. Louis)
Mark Thomas (St. Louis)

Litigation
Christopher Baucom (St. Louis)
Paul Brusati (St. Louis)
Nicolas Cejas (St. Louis)
Brian Nye (Kansas City)
Daniel O’Brien (St. Louis)
Mark Ohlms (St. Louis)
Ida Shafaie (St. Louis)
Jared Walsh (St. Louis)