Meet the Up & Coming lawyers of 2016

Most attorneys starting their careers are hardworking, dedicated and bright, but it takes something special to be included in Missouri Lawyers Weekly’s Up & Coming class. This year, we found 58 exceptional Missouri attorneys who stand out from their peers.

Missouri Lawyers Weekly staff selected the winners based on their demonstration of excellence and their potential to make a difference in the legal profession and their communities. The awards recognize lawyers who are 40 or younger or who are within their first 10 years of practice.

The attorneys will be honored at an awards luncheon on Friday, Oct. 7 at the Missouri Athletic Club in downtown St. Louis.

The members of this year’s Up & Coming class are:

• Michael Adrian, Lathrop & Gage, St. Louis
• Brittany Barrientos, Stinson Leonard Street, Kansas City
• Michael Campbell, Law Office of Mike Campbell, Columbia
• Joel Christensen, Behr, McCarter & Potter, St. Louis
• Charles Coffey, The Bar Plan, St. Louis
• Greg DeLassus, Harness Dickey, St. Louis
• Daniel Finney III, Finney Law Office, St. Louis
• Jane Francis, Law Office of Jane Francis, Kansas City
• Daniel Garner, Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, St. Louis
• Desarae Harrah, Collins & Jones, Raymore
• Mollie Hennessee, Tueth Keeney Cooper Mohan & Jackstadt, St. Louis
• Joshua Hill, Newman, Comley & Ruth, Jefferson City
• Amy Johnson, Paule, Camazine & Blumenthal, St. Louis
• Robert Kinsman, Krause & Kinsman, Kansas City
• Adam Krause, Krause & Kinsman, Kansas City
• Lily Kurland, Bryan Cave, St. Louis
• Nicole Larch, Sandberg Phoenix & von Gontard, St. Louis
• Brittany Lomax, Husch Blackwell, St. Louis
• Dane Martin, Graves Garrett, Kansas City
• John McGurk, Polsinelli, Kansas City
• Andrew Metcalf, Ogletree Deakins, St. Louis
• J. Austin Moore, Stueve Siegel Hanson, Kansas City
• A. Justin Poplin, Lathrop & Gage, Overland Park, Kansas
• Grant Rahmeyer, Strong Garner Bauer, Springfield
• Jason Romero, Husch Blackwell, Kansas City
• Sharon Rosenberg, Thompson Coburn, St. Louis
• Jason Scheiderer, Dentons Kansas City
• Craig Schlapprizzi, Schlapprizzi Attorneys at Law, St. Louis
• Melissa Schopfer, Simmons Hanly Conroy, St. Louis
• Erica Slater, The Simon Law Firm, St. Louis
• Tod Stephens, Armstrong Teasdale, St. Louis
• Jason Turk, Blitz, Bardgett & Deutsch, St. Louis
• Amanda Wolter, Monsanto, St. Louis
• Hannah Zhao, Rosenblum, Schwartz, Rogers & Glass, St. Louis
• Jennifer Znosko, Littler, St. Louis

In addition to the general Up & Coming category, some lawyers are recognized in special categories:

Law Firm Leader

Recognizing early-career professionals who hold important leadership positions at their firms. The winners are:

• Denise Childress, Ward & Associates, St. Louis
• Lucy McShane, McShane & Brady, Kansas City
• Justin Nichols, Lathrop & Gage, Kansas City
• Luke Baumstark, Cosgrove Law Group, St. Louis
• Amy Fehr, Capes Sokol, St. Louis
• Amanda Ketchum, Dysart Taylor Cotter McMonigle & Montemore, Kansas City
• Katherine Myers, Edelman, Liesen & Myers, Kansas City
• Brianne Thomas, Boyd, Kenter, Thomas & Parrish, Kansas City

Public Service

Recognizing early-career professionals working in the non-profit or government sectors. The winners are:

• Maggie Ahrenbach, Missouri Attorney General’s Office, Jefferson City
• Nick Heberle, Missouri Governor’s Office, Jefferson City
• Amanda Schneider, Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, St. Louis
• Stephanie Wan, Greene County Prosecutor’s Office, Springfield
• Matthew Gigliotti, Office of the City Attorney, Kansas City
• Erik Holland, Platte County Sheriff’s Office, Platte City
• Jacqueline Jimenez, Missouri Public Defender’s Office, Springfield
• Jennifer Matthew, City of St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office, St. Louis
• Ronald Nguyen, The Law Office of Ronald Nguyen, Kansas City

Pro Bono

Recognizing an extraordinary pro bono project led by an early-career professional. The winners are:

• Mark Emison, Langdon & Emison, Lexington
• John J. Rehmann, Dowd Bennett, St. Louis

Mentor

Given to more experienced legal professionals who have played an important role in the development of those starting out in the profession. The honored mentors are:

• Steve Bough, U.S. District Judge, Kansas City
• Mark Goodman, Capes Sokol, St. Louis
• Annette Griggs, McCollum & Griggs, Kansas City
• Mira Mdivani, Mdivani Corporate Immigration Law Firm, Overland Park, Kansas