Stinson adds five associates in labor, IP, real estate and litigation

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Stinson Leonard Street has added five associate attorneys to its Kansas City and Jefferson City offices. Thirteen attorneys have joined the firm since late 2013, just before Kansas City-based Stinson Morrison Hecker and Minneapolis-based Leonard, Street and Deinard combined, creating Stinson Leonard Street.

In Kansas City:

Samuel Butler IV has joined the firm’s labor, employment and employee benefits division. Butler focuses on employee benefits issues, including compliance and design issues for retirement plans and welfare benefit plans for public, private and government organizations. Butler previously was as a government relations analyst for Blank Rome in Washington, D.C. He received his law degree from the University of Kansas School of Law.

Colin W. Turner has joined the intellectual property and technology division. Turner is a registered patent attorney who focuses on all aspects of intellectual property counseling with an emphasis on the prosecution of patent applications. Before joining Stinson, Turner was an associate with a law firm in Nashville, Tenn. He received his law degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Laura E. Phelps has joined the labor, employment and employee benefits division. Phelps focuses on employee benefits issues for retirement plans, health and welfare plans and cafeteria plans. Phelps previously was an ERISA compliance attorney with Blake & Uhlig, representing multi-employer Taft-Hartley benefit plans. She earned her law degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Karl R. Phares has joined the real estate division. Phares focuses on real estate acquisition and leasing transactions, financial services and economic development incentives. Before joining Stinson, Phares worked as underwriting counsel for First American Title Insurance Co. He earned a degree from the William Mitchell College of Law.

In Jefferson City:

Erin M. Naeger has joined the firm’s litigation division. Naeger focuses on commercial litigation, administrative law and government solutions. Naeger previously was a judicial law clerk for Judge Fernando Gaitan with the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri. She earned her law degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.