The Up & Coming lawyers of 2017

By: Staff Report August 24, 2017

Dedicated? Of course. Intelligent? Certainly. Hardworking? Goes without saying. But it takes a little bit more to be one of Missouri Lawyers Weekly’s Up & Coming lawyers.

The 58 members of our 2017 Up & Coming class stand out from their peers. They’re the kind of lawyers you just know you’ll be hearing about for the rest of their careers.

Our staff selects finalists 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. 6 at the Missouri Athletic Club in downtown St. Louis.

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

Ashley Atwell-Soler, Holman Schiavone, Kansas City
Jeremy Brenner, Armstrong Teasdale, St. Louis
Sarah Burns, Simmons Hanly Conroy, Alton, Illinois
Emily Cantwell, Lathrop Gage, St. Louis
Josh Christensen, Lathrop Gage, Springfield
Matt Crane, Dowd Bennett, St. Louis
Adam Doerr, Jackson Lewis, St. Louis
Julia Drafahl, Ogletree Deakins, St. Louis
Whittney Dunn, The Bar Plan Foundation, St. Louis
Chantal Fink, Blitz, Bardgett & Deutsch, St. Louis
Kyle Harmon, Lowther Johnson Attorneys at Law, Springfield
Amanda Hettinger, Thompson Coburn, St. Louis
Shelby Hewerdine, Bryan Cave, St. Louis
Blake Hill, King, Krehbiel & Hellmich, St. Louis
Melesa Johnson, Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice, Kansas City
Danielle Kincaid, Ozarks Elder Law, Springfield
Jacqueline Kinder, Brown & James, St. Louis
Frank Koranda, Polsinelli, Kansas City
Meghan Litecky, Dysart Taylor, Kansas City
Betsy Lynch, Lynch Sharp & Associates, Kansas City
Michelle Marvel, Bartimus Frickleton Robertson, Leawood, Kansas
Megan McCurdy, Stinson Leonard Street, Kansas City
John McLeod, Brown & James, St. Louis
Greg Meyer, Harness Dickey, St. Louis
Christina Miller, Reproductive Family Law Center, Kansas City
Jehan Moore, Lathrop Gage, Kansas City
Amy Moore Harris, UMB Financial Corporation, Kansas City
Brian Nolan, Carmody MacDonald, St. Louis
Nathan Oleen, Husch Blackwell, Kansas City
Lindsey Phoenix, Whiteaker & Wilson, Springfield
Scott Pummell, Lashly & Baer, St. Louis
W. Brad Risby, Neale & Newman, Springfield
Jared Rose, Rose Law Firm, Kansas City
Ernesto Segura, Husch Blackwell, St. Louis
John M. Simon, The Simon Law Firm, St. Louis
Alan Simpson, Graves Garrett, Kansas City
Tracy Spradlin, The Gordon Law Firm, Kansas City
Cort VanOstran, Gray, Ritter & Graham, St. Louis
Brian Wacker, Herzog Crebs, St. Louis
Sarah Wade, Thompson Coburn, St. Louis
Nicole Zellweger, Stinson Leonard Street, 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.

Jordan Ault, Husch Blackwell, Jefferson City
Casey Crawford, Wallace Saunders, Overland Park, Kansas
Michael Daming, Wasinger Daming, St. Louis
Tiffany McFarland, McDowell Rice Smith & Buchanan, Kansas City
Lori Rook, Ozarks Elder Law, Springfield

Public Service

Recognizing early-career professionals working in the non-profit or government sectors.

JoEllen Engelbart, Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office, Kansas City
Jacki Langum, ArchCity Defenders, St. Louis
William Lynch, Jasper County Prosecutor’s Office, Joplin
Steven Ramsey, Missouri Attorney General’s Office, Jefferson City
Nikola Smith, City of Kansas City, Missouri
Kristine Walentik, St. Francis Community Service Catholic Legal Assistance Ministry, St. Louis
Jerri Zhang, Jackson County Circuit Court probate division, Kansas City