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2026 Unsung Legal Heroes: Publisher’s Letter, honorees
Missouri Lawyers Media is honored to facilitate Unsung Legal Heroes, a public recognition that moves a whole bunch of unsung heroes into the sung category.
Tracy Tabb
Tracy Tabb found her professional footing at the intersection of two lifelong interests — writing and the law.
Tonya M. Hearty
Tonya Hearty entered the legal field at 18, transitioning from a healthcare role in admitting and medical records after deciding she wanted to put her medical knowledge to broader use.
Sydney A. England
Sydney England's path to the legal field was shaped by a painful family experience: after her great-grandfather was murdered, her grandparents and other relatives navigating the legal system felt uninformed and unsupported by the attorneys involved.
Stacey C. Miller
Stacey Miller knew from childhood that she wanted a career in law, and the legal field has been her only professional home.
Samantha Long
Samantha Long spent years working in clinical settings at local hospitals before the realities of healthcare work — long hours, holiday shifts and the physical risks that come with patient care — led her to seek a new path.
Rachael M. Leadbetter
Rachael Leadbetter spent 10 years in Fire/EMS before a sudden medical emergency — a vertebral arterial dissection resulting in a stent placement and a stroke at age 29 — ended that chapter of her career.
Nikki Krone
Nikki Krone stumbled into the legal field looking to escape retail and found a career she would spend decades in.
Michele Edstrom
Michele Edstrom has spent 36 years building expertise in a specialized corner of civil litigation.
Zack Zidzik
Zack Zidzik came to the legal field through a friend's recommendation and found that his background in technology, design and communication fit naturally into a role that blends all three.
Maria Louise Pisano
Maria Pisano was drawn to personal injury work by a belief that compassion and precision matter equally — and that her organizational skills and attention to detail could directly help people rebuild their lives after trauma.
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Top stories
- AAA Insurance faces $21.5M bad faith verdict in Clay County
- Legal Limelight: Meghan S. Largent champions landowners in takings cases
- Supreme Court rejects bright-line rule on FAA worker exemption
- 2026 Unsung Legal Heroes: Publisher’s Letter, honorees
- Driver in accident settles negligence suit with other motorist
- Verdicts may fuel Missouri social media claims
- Judge Anthony Rex Gabbert retiring after 32 years
- Severe motorcycle crash nets seven-figure settlement
