Mike Trask

Local February 13, 2013

St. Louis lender law may result in more suits

The Missouri Bankers Association is ready to take legal action against St. Louis City if the municipality enacts and enforces a measure that allows a homeowner to enter into mediation with a lender.

Local February 11, 2013

RCGA’s Reagan: Region needs more educated residents

Because of advances in technology, in the next 10 years this region will need 75,000 more residents who possess a bachelor’s or higher degree, St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association CEO Joe Reagan recently told members of the St. Louis Association of Realtors.

Local February 11, 2013

Nixon appoints longtime aide’s daughter to bench

Less than two years ago, Gov. Jay Nixon named Rex Burlison to fill a seat on St. Louis Circuit Court bench. Nixon now has tapped Burlison’s daughter, Erin S. Burlison-Huss, to serve as a St. Charles County Circuit Court associate judge.

Local February 11, 2013

Family of accident victim settles for $450,000

Family members of a passenger killed in an automobile accident have settled with a Bonne Terre restaurant and bar that allegedly sold the car’s driver a significant amount of alcohol. Crossroads Restaurant & Lounge agreed to a $350,000 settlement in exchange for a release of all claims against it.

Local February 1, 2013

Missouri Legislature unlikely to criminalize online fakes

The controversy over Notre Dame football player Manti Te’o and his fake online girlfriend hasn’t moved Missouri legislators to criminalize online impersonation, even though a tragic St. Charles case prompted other states to do just that.

Local January 28, 2013

Roger Johnson, Influential Appellate Advocate: Convinces Supreme Court to do about-face on damages caps

It is one thing for an attorney to get the Missouri Supreme Court to issue what could be a groundbreaking decision in your client’s favor. Doing so by getting the court to overturn its own precedent is even more remarkable.

Local January 28, 2013

Greg Mermelstein, John Gunn and Michael Gunn, Influential Lawyers: Protect integrity of public defender offices

Last year, Greg Mermelstein made big news when he helped win one for the little guys.

Local January 25, 2013

To safeguard money, lawyers must think like business owners

But while “lawyers never expect to run a business, a lot of them end up running law firms,” says Michael Downey, a partner at the Armstrong Teasdale law firm in St. Louis. Some lawyers are good at it, and some aren’t, he adds.

Local January 25, 2013

Group says it lost TIF battle but will win war

Adolphus Busch IV acknowledges his environmental group lost its legal battle to prevent the city of St. Peters from using tax-increment financing (TIF) to subsidize development in a floodplain.

Local January 25, 2013

Fed economist tells Realtors St. Louis housing market ‘still soft’

The St. Louis region’s housing market is “still soft” even though sales volume is on the rise, William R. Emmons told a crowd of more than 100 people who gathered Thursday morning at the Realtors association’s headquarters in St. Louis County. “I think we’re going to bounce along the bottom for a while,” he added.

Local January 11, 2013

Spirit of cooperation has its financial limits

When it comes to paying for projects that benefit the entire region, disagreements emerge. The latest example of that is the refusal of the St. Charles County Council to place a sales tax proposal on the April ballot.

Local January 10, 2013

Entrepreneurs get more time to apply for grants

Entrepreneurs don’t have a reputation as being procrastinators, especially when it comes to seeking investment dollars. But some are out there if the latest round of applications for Arch Grants is any indication.