Missouri Lawyers Awards 2011

Missouri Lawyers Weekly has long capped off the year with our announcement of the Lawyer of the Year. The award is given to a lawyer or judge who made a substantial impact on the Missouri legal community that year. Unlike many awards, this is not a career-achievement honor. It focuses on achievements over the past 12 months.

Lawyer of the Year:

■ Amy J. Lorenz-Moser, Armstrong Teasdale

Influential Lawyers: Awarded to Missouri lawyers who made substantial contributions to the legal community.

■ Cat Kelly, Missouri State Public Defender System

■ Dean Dankelson, Jasper County Prosecuting Attorney

■ Kris Kobach, former University of Missouri-Kansas City law professor and incoming Kansas Secretary of  State

■ Chief Justice William Ray Price Jr., Missouri Supreme Court

Law Firm Leader: Awarded to a law firm leader (chairman, managing partner, executive) who demonstrated extraordinary vision, innovation and leadership during the year.

■ T. Michael Ward, Brown & James

■ John Murphy, Shook, Hardy & Bacon

■ Jim Bennett, Dowd Bennett

Champions: Awarded to plaintiffs or defense lawyers, not based on the size of verdicts but the importance of the principle or policy at stake.

■ Bob Langdon, Langdon & Emison

■ Don Downing, Gray, Ritter & Graham

Influential Appellate: Awarded to the lawyers behind the most significant appellate decisions of the year.

■ The Simon Law Firm: John Simon, John Campbell and Erich Vieth,

■ Jerome “Jerry” Dobson, Dobson, Goldberg, Berns & Rich

Largest Plaintiff Wins: Awarded to plaintiff attorneys who scored the largest verdicts and settlements in Missouri this year. (All V&S honors based on the Missouri Lawyers Weekly Verdicts & Settlements search.)

■ Bachman et al. v. A.G. Edwards Inc. et al.; $60 million settlement — Robert Blitz and Christopher Bauman of Blitz, Bardgett & Deutsch; Ronnie White of Holloran White Schwartz & Gaertner

■ U.S. Bank National Association v. Elsesser et al.; $56 million settlement — Cathy J. Dean and Michael Foster, Polsinelli Shughart

■ City of University City et al. v. AT&T Wireless Service; $55 million settlement — John W. Hoffman and Douglas R. Sprong of Korein Tillery; John Mulligan, University City attorney; Howard Paperner, Maryland Heights city attorney

■ Gibbs v. Centra Inc. et al.; $32.25 million jury verdict — Kenneth McClain, Danny Thomas and Jonathan Soper of Humphrey, Farrington & McClain; Walter H. Bley of Bley Law Firm; Gary Robb and Anita Robb of Robb & Robb

■ Gerken et al. v. Sherman; $30.13 million bench verdict — Deborah Greider, St. Louis

Largest Defense Wins:

■ Marchosky v. St. Luke’s; $17 million — Timothy J. Gearin, David G. Ott and Maureen O. Bryan of Armstrong Teasdale

■ Machon et al. v. Washington University et al.; $5 million — Robert S. Rosenthal and Halle L. Dimar of Brown & James

■ Elder et al. v. Airsol Co. Inc.; $3 million — Corey L. Kraushaar and Christopher J. Seibold of Brown & James

■ Doe v. Francis et al.; $3 million — David Dalton of the Dalton Law Firm

Winningest Defense Attorneys: Awarded to defense attorneys and single law firm who had the most verdicts and settlements.

■ David Bub, Brown & James

■ Irene Marusic, Brown & James

■ Brown & James

Winningest Plaintiff Attorneys:

■ Stephen R. Bough, The Law Offices of Stephen R. Bough

■ Ralph K. Phalen, The Law Offices of Ralph K. Phalen

■ James P. Lemonds, Brown & Crouppen

■ Bradley D. Kuhlman, The Kuhlman Law Firm

■ Chad C. Lucas, The Kuhlman Law Firm

■ Brown & Crouppen

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