Richard Engel is new Armstrong Teasdale managing partner

Richard. W. Engel Jr. is the new managing partner of Armstrong Teasdale, the St. Louis-based firm announced on Jan. 2.

Engel took over on Jan. 1 from outgoing managing partner Patrick W. Rasche, who decided to step down from the firm’s top leadership role and return to the practice of intellectual property law at the firm. Rasche became managing partner on June 1, 2021.

Armstrong Teasdale’s new top executive has spent 37 years at Armstrong Teasdale – including an internship – and served as the firm’s general counsel for the past two and a half years. He previously led the financial and real estate services group and was chair of the restructuring, insolvency and bankruptcy practice.

Engel said the equity partners’ selection of him as the new managing partner can be seen as a promise of continuity for the firm, which he said has never been stronger.

Rasche led the firm at a time of notable investment, with new offices opening in Miami, Florida; Washington, D.C.; and Dublin, Ireland, in 2022 and Orange County, California; and Chicago, Illinois, last year. According to Missouri Lawyers Media’s 2023 MOney publication, the firm’s gross revenue was $197,300,000 in 2022, an 11.7 percent increase from the prior year.

“We have a wonderful and diverse client base throughout the country and in the UK and in Dublin,” Engel said. “We’ve moved into markets that have great potential for continued expansion of our client base. But also, they are markets that are responsive to the needs of our existing clients. So, it’s been really exciting to see that growth occur. It’s exciting to be at the helm, to be able to strengthen each one of those offices and each one of the markets that we’re practicing in and be able to better serve our clients.”

For Engel, who led the hiring committee when Rasche joined the firm in the 1990s, the now-former managing partner will remain a sparring partner.

“I consider him to be a wonderful resource for me going forward and he, of course, will be because we are friends, we are dear friends,” Engel said.

In a press release, Rasche said he is confident Engel will be a strong leader for the firm.

“We have worked closely for several decades during which time he has impressed me with his visionary approach. Rick has great relationships with our people and is well-respected within the broader legal community,” Rasche said. “I am looking forward to returning to my patent practice and continuing to grow with the firm well into the future.”