MoveMakers and NewsMakers for Nov. 10, 2026

St. Louis | Kansas City

St. Louis

Thompson Coburn LLP is pleased to announce that Matthew B. Banocy has joined as partner in the firm’s Labor & Employment Practice in St. Louis. 

Banocy is a seasoned trial attorney who represents corporate and individual clients in complex employment and business litigation matters. He serves as lead counsel for clients before federal and state courts, in arbitration, and before administrative agencies, defending employers against claims under Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, and the Family and Medical Leave Act. He also prosecutes and defends business litigation claims involving restrictive covenants, trade secrets, and breaches of contract.

Banocy has been recognized by Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers as a Rising Star and by The Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Labor and Employment Law – Management and Litigation – Labor and Employment.

“Thompson Coburn’s depth across employment counseling, business litigation, and traditional labor matters was a strong draw for me,” said Banocy. “I look forward to working with colleagues across the firm to provide employers with practical guidance and vigorous representation, from preventive counseling through every stage of a dispute.”

Banocy earned his J.D. degree from the University of Missouri and holds a Bachelor’s degree from Southeast Missouri State University. He joins from Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner. 

St. Louis-based law firm Lewis Rice is pleased to welcome Nicholas P. Bonastia as an associate in its Litigation Department.

Focusing on labor and employment matters, Bonastia advises and represents employers in workplace disputes. He draws on experience at a national labor and employment law firm, as well as in a broad range of complex litigation, providing clients with a well-rounded perspective on employment-related challenges.

“Nick approaches workplace disputes with an understanding of the business concerns behind them,” said Lewis Rice Chairman Richard B. Walsh Jr. “That perspective will serve our clients well, and we are pleased to welcome him to Lewis Rice.”

Bonastia earned a bachelor’s degree in finance in 2017 and an MBA in 2019, both from Elmhurst University. He received his law degree from the University of Illinois College of Law in 2023.

Prior to joining Lewis Rice, Bonastia practiced at FordHarrison in St. Louis. During law school, Bonastia worked as a judicial extern for U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp of the Eastern District of Missouri and with litigation firms in St. Louis and Chicago.

Bonastia is admitted to practice in Missouri and Illinois.

Kansas City

Rouse Frets White, P.C. is pleased to announce the addition of attorney Arthur K. Shaffer, who will serve as practice group leader of the law firm’s Intellectual Property Practice Group.

Arthur brings considerable experience to the law firm in obtaining, protecting, licensing and enforcing IP rights, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets and trade dress, for clients ranging from start-ups and emerging businesses to multinational Fortune 500 companies. As a registered patent attorney, Arthur has prepared more than 300 patent applications and more than 400 trademark applications. He has litigated IP disputes in federal and state courts and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
 

Rouse Frets White, P.C. has launched its Surety and Fidelity Law Practice Group headed by senior attorneys Carol Smith and Matt Geary.

Carol, who is chair of the practice group, is a leading attorney in her field and a well-known author and presenter on surety and fidelity topics who works with some of the largest surety and fidelity underwriters in the country. She is a past chair of the American Bar Association’s Tort Trial & Insurance Practice (TIPS) Fidelity and Surety Law Committee and sits on the Board of Directors of the Surety Claims Institute.

Matt has extensive experience representing surety companies in a wide variety of litigation and arbitration claim situations and is also a frequent presenter and author on topics impacting the surety industry.

As a group, the law firm’s surety and fidelity law attorneys analyze and defend claims on performance and payment bonds, commercial bonds, financial institution bonds, and commercial crime policies.

Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice is pleased to announce the addition of four associates to the firm’s Kansas City office. Alejandrea Brown, Charlie Ketchum, Keali Myrick and Katie Nelson. Ketchum, Myrick and Nelson previously served as Baker Sterchi summer law clerks in 2025.

Brown represents employers and municipalities in labor and employment matters. Before joining Baker Sterchi, she served as a prosecutor handling felony-level cases, gaining courtroom and trial advocacy experience. Brown earned her law degree from the University of Minnesota Law School, a Master of Public Administration from Tarleton State University and a Bachelor of Science, magna cum laude, from the University of Houston-Downtown. She is admitted to practice in Missouri and Kansas.

Ketchum represents individuals and businesses in civil defense litigation, including commercial litigation, insurance defense, personal injury, premises liability, real estate, construction and trucking matters. Ketchum earned his law degree from the University of Kansas School of Law, where he served as managing editor of the Kansas Journal of Law and Public Policy and was a member of the Mock Trial Council. He earned his undergraduate degree in finance from the University of Kansas and is admitted to practice in Missouri.

Myrick represents clients in civil defense litigation, including construction, trucking and business tort matters. Myrick is a member of the Kansas Bar Association and The Missouri Bar’s Young Lawyers Division. She earned her law degree from the University of Kansas School of Law, where she participated in the Tribal Law Clinic and was involved in Women in Law and the Business & Tax Law Society. She earned undergraduate degrees in journalism and political science from the University of Missouri. She is admitted to practice in Missouri and Kansas.

Nelson defends businesses and individuals in civil litigation, including personal injury and premises liability matters. Nelson is a member of The Missouri Bar’s Young Lawyers Division. She earned her law degree and a master’s degree in business analytics from the University of Kansas, where she also earned undergraduate degrees in finance and Spanish. She is admitted to practice in Missouri and Kansas.