Missouri Lawyers Media Missouri legal news and public notices
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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