Ryan A. Keane | Up & Coming Lawyer

Ryan A. Keane, 34, Attorney, The Simon Law Firm, St. Louis

Practice areas: Class action and product liability

Law school: Saint Louis University 

The potential demise of red-light cameras in Missouri can largely be chalked up to one lawyer: Ryan A. Keane.

Keane is leading a series of class action lawsuits in Kansas City and St. Louis against the once-ubiquitous cameras that snapped photos and sent tickets to red-light runners. Keane is always quick to note that running a red light is a dangerous thing, but he argues that the cameras minimize due process just to maximize city revenues.

So far, Missouri’s appellate courts have largely agreed with him. In particular, Keane last year won a case, Edwards v. city of Ellisville, in which the Court of Appeals Eastern District overruled one of its own recent decisions supporting red-light cameras.

Keane takes part in Project XOXO, a charitable organization his firm created in 2010 to raise money for local charities that support the homeless.

What is your greatest accomplishment to date? 

I briefed, argued, and won several appellate victories in 2013 involving class actions challenging the constitutionality and validity of red-light cameras. As a result, many red-light camera ordinances in Missouri were invalidated, and the Court of Appeals overruled the leading appellate decision that had endorsed red-light cameras.

Who is your legal hero?

Louis Brandeis.

Who is your all-time favorite U.S. Supreme Court justice?

John Marshall.

What’s been your favorite moment as an attorney so far?

Arguing before the Missouri Court of Appeals.