Dreyer fires back at former partner after firm split

Attorneys for a high-ranking official of The Missouri Bar are urging a judge to throw out “immaterial, impertinent, and scandalous” allegations that her former law partner made following the dissolution of their firm.

In an Aug. 2 court filing, Shelly Dreyer argued that she and fellow partner Andrew “Keegan” Tinney “fully complied with their ethical obligations under the Missouri Rules of Professional Conduct” in splitting from the Joplin firm formerly known as Sticklen, Dreyer & Tinney.

They also accused their former partner, Charlie Sticklen, of “usurping the business opportunities” of the former law firm by keeping clients for himself. They alleged that, since the split, Sticklen had engaged in “illegal restraint on trade” by making disparaging statements about them without evidence and interfering with their representation of clients.

Dreyer and Tinney also allege Sticklen made “false complaints of unethical conduct” against them with the Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel.

Sticklen, who had worked with Dreyer since 2014 and with Tinney since 2018, has alleged that his former partners conducted a “middle-of-the-night raid” on the law office when they left in February. Sticklen, whose allegations came in a counterclaim to a suit that Dreyer and Tinney filed seeking the proceeds of several settlements from the former firm, alleged that his former partners had diverted clients and files to themselves, stolen firm property and tampered with computers.

In their formal response, Dreyer and Tinney denied the allegations. They argued that, as partners in the former firm, they had an ownership interest in its client lists, electronic files, settlement funds and other property and that Sticklen lacked standing to sue for its return. They also said they had an obligation to inform clients of the firm’s dissolution, and that those clients had a right to choose the new firm of Dreyer & Tinney to represent them.

“It’s our general policy to decline comment on the substance of ongoing litigation,” Michael Seitz of Spencer Fane, an attorney for Sticklen said in a brief interview. “Mr. Sticklen expects to prevail on his claims against Shelly Dreyer and Keegan Tinney in court.”

Dreyer is currently the vice president of The Missouri Bar and is expected to serve as its president starting in 2024. Dreyer, Tinney and their firm are represented by Joan Swartz of the Law Office of Joan M. Swartz in St. Louis and Erica Mynarich of Cantin Mynarich in Springfield.

The case is Dreyer v. Sticklen, 23AO-CC00203.

This post has been updated to add a comment from Sticklen’s attorney.