ICON Awards 2022: Publisher’s letter, honorees

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Meet our 2022 class of legal Icons. 

This annual Missouri Lawyers Media celebration honors career achievement by recognizing lawyers for their exceptional and lengthy contributions to the profession and community — those who personify the ideals of what it means to be an attorney.

Clearly, we’ve succeeded for the fifth year in identifying Missouri’s legal icons. Read the profiles of the 31 attorneys featured on these pages, and you will agree. After all, to even be considered for this honor, nominees must be an integral part of their businesses and routinely have made a positive impact on their communities.

And they must have reached at least the age of 60. It’s not about age, per se. After all, six decades of living doesn’t ensure accolades. Six decades of consistent remarkable contribution, however, does ensure Icon status.

These men and women aspire to a higher call, leading the way for others. The journey of each may be different, but the destination is the same — measured, thoughtful success. They are paragons in the industry who recognize the need to participate and improve their communities, however they define them.

History will continue to catalog the achievements of those we honor through the ICON Awards. But it is their work so far that we highlight through this recognition.

They set a high standard of accomplishment.

Icons tend to do that.

So we thank them — for what they’ve done, what they do and what they will do.

— Liz Irwin, Group Publisher

2022 ICON Awards honorees

David Appleby, Appleby Healy Attorneys at Law

Lee Baty, Baty Otto Coronado Scheer

Duane Benton, 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals

Ruth Binger, Danna McKitrick

Christopher “Kit” Bond, Former Republican U.S. Senator

Lynne Jaben Bratcher, Bratcher Gockel Law

Bert Braud, The Popham Law Firm

Lee Brumitt, Dysart Taylor Cotter McMonigle & Brumitt

Michael David, Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice

John E. Franke, Franke Schultz & Mullen

Michael Geigerman, US Arbitration & Mediation; St. Louis Mediation Project

Julianne Platz Hand, Kramer, Hand, Buchholz & Partney

Bill Hart, Husch Blackwell (retired)

John Hessel, Lewis Rice

Stephen L. Hill Jr., Dentons US

George Kapke, Kapke Willerth

Bruce Keplinger, Norris Keplinger Hicks & Welder

Michael Manners, Langdon & Emison

Claire McCaskill, Former Democratic U.S. Senator

Basil L. North Jr., Basil North & Associates

Craig O’Dear, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner

Robert S. Rosenthal, Brown & James

John A. Ruth, Newman, Comley & Ruth

R. Pete Smith, McDowell Rice Smith & Buchanan

Ed Sterling, Gilmore Bell

Erwin “Erv” Switzer, Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale

Stephen L. Taylor, Burns, Taylor, Heckemeyer, Green & Edwards

Sarah Terrace, BJC HealthCare

Larry Tucker, Armstrong Teasdale

Charles Valier, Lashly & Baer

Michael T. White, Rouse Frets White Goss Gentile Rhodes