Three top rainmakers break off from Baker Sterchi

Updated

Three of Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice’s top revenue-makers have left and formed their own firm in Kansas City, according to court documents.

A document filed Tuesday in relation to a rails-to-trails case stated that Thomas S. Stewart and Elizabeth McCulley, who represent the plaintiffs in the case, “are no longer associated with Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice” and have formed a new law firm, Stewart Wald & McCulley.

Steven Wald, another former Baker Sterchi attorney based in St. Louis, is listed as the registered agent on the Missouri Secretary of State’s website. The firm filed the form to create the new business on April 6.

The three attorneys have worked on rails-to-trails cases for the firm, including one that settled for $33 million in 2013 and included a nearly $11 million contingency fee, and another case that settled for $141 million.

Stewart Wald & McCulley’s address is listed in court records as 9200 Ward Parkway, Suite 550, which is also the office of Kansas City firm The Gepford Law Group. The St. Louis address listed for Wald as the registered agent is 100 North Broadway, Suite 1580, the address of The Baldwin Law Group. Brent Baldwin is also a former Baker Sterchi attorney.

Members of the new firm couldn’t be reached immediately for comment.

J. Scott Kreamer, managing member of Baker Sterchi, said that the three lawyers resigned from the firm and “it’s been a very amicable departure.” Kreamer said the attorneys were working exclusively on contingency fee cases, and Baker Sterchi will continue to partner with them on contingency fees cases.

“The firm will continue to have its own trails practice group going forward,” Kreamer said. “We wish them well, I think they probably wish us well as well.”