Class Notes

1967
The U.S. Russia Foundation for Economic Advancement and Rule of Law appointed Michael Mihm to its Board of Directors and elected him to serve as Chair of the Rule of Law Advisory Committee. The U.S. State Department recommended that the new foundation be created in 2006 to provide grants to Russian and U.S. organizations as well as training opportunities and a series of exchanges and partnerships between Russians and Americans.

1968
The Best Lawyers in America ranked Thomas Kummer No. 1 in Nevada in the fields of corporate law, energy law, government relations law, land use, zoning law and mergers and acquisitions for its 2009 edition.

Stephen Lambright recently retired from Williams Venker & Sanders LLC to spend more time with his wife, Gail, and their children and grandchildren. Lambright formerly served as general counsel of Anheuser-Busch. He is also a founder of the Law Class of 1968 Endowed Scholarship at the School of Law.

2008 Super Lawyers reported that Robert Ritter is among the top 5 percent of lawyers in Missouri and Kansas. He was also named as one of the top 50 attorneys in St. Louis and top 100 in Missouri and Kansas.

1969
The Big Game Hunters Inc. elected Charles Steib as its vice president.

1971
The Honorable Michael Shay recently published The Yankee Division in the First World War and was reappointed for a second eight-year term as Superior Court judge in Connecticut.

1973
The Best Lawyers in America named Peter von Gontard as one of the nation's best trial attorneys in the areas of medical malpractice law, personal injury litigation and product liability litigation for its 2009 edition.

1974
The Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) recently installed Jack Carey as its president at the organization's annual meeting. Carey's private practice concentrates in general trial work, labor law and personal injury law. Carey was elected in 2000 to the Board of Governors and has been a member of the ISBA Assembly for 16 years.

The Honorable Patrick McLaughlin is the vice president of Aegen 4 of the Association of Administrative Law Judges. He also recently served as conference chairman of the Association of Administrative Law Judges Conference.

The Pennsylvania Bar Association elected Francis O'Connor as treasurer in June. He is the first state officer elected from Susquehanna City, Pa.
The Best Lawyers in America named G. Keith Phoenix as one of the nation's best trial attorneys in the areas of commercial litigation, medical malpractice law, personal injury litigation and product liability litigation for its 2009 edition.

The Clayton Board of Aldermen reappointed attorney Gary Soule to a second five-year term on the Clayton Board of Adjustment. For the past two years, Soule has served as chairman of the Board of Adjustment. A longtime Clayton resident, Soule is also a founding member of the Carter Bauer Soule LLC law firm in Clayton.

1975
The Best Lawyers in America named Scott S. Brinkmeyer as a top attorney in its 2009 edition.

The Missouri Bar honored Janet Whitaker Brown with a Pro Bono Award at its annual meeting to acknowledge her outstanding pro bono work.

The Honorable Michael P. McCuskey was elected as chair of the Illinois State University's Board of Trustees. McCuskey is a chief U.S. district judge for the Central District of Illinois and was appointed to the board in 2005.

John J. Temporiti was elected Chairman of the Missouri Democratic Party and has joined Gallop, Johnson & Neuman as counsel.

1976
Attorney Lawrence Altman has been spent more than half of his 30-year legal career practicing special education law as applied through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and 504 legislation. His private practice also handles small business, estate wills, probate and family law.

1977
Joseph A. McCormick, a partner and shareholder at Weinberg & McCormick, PA in Haddonfield, N.J., was sworn in as the 82nd President of the Camden County Bar Association.

1978
After 20 years as an admini-strative law judge with the Utah Department of Workforce Services, Suzanne Mellor retired. She lives in Salt Lake City with her husband, John K. Fife.

1979
James Foster Jr. of McMahon Berger in St. Louis was named to the Labor Relations Institute Inc.'s 2008 Top 100 list of labor attorneys, placing the firm in the top 1 percent of labor attorneys in the country.

The Boys and Girls Town of Missouri honored Robert Keefe for outstanding service to the agency as a member of the statewide board of directors.

1980
Mary Coffey received the Lawyer's Lawyer Award by the St. Louis Daily Record at the 10th Annual Women's Justice Awards 2008.

Kevin Galley is serving as a presiding judge in Civil Law Court in the Tenth Judicial Circuit of Illinois, Peoria County.

1981
Tom Burke is the president-elect of the Missouri Bar Association. The Best Lawyers in America and 2008 Super Lawyers named Bruce Friedman as a top attorney in family law.

1982
John Cooney was named a principal at Danna McKitrick, P.C. in St. Louis.
After serving more than 25 years of active duty in the United States Air Force, Mark A. Presson retired.

The Defense Research Institute's Trucking Law Committee recently named Michael Reda as a member. Reda is a partner at Hepler, Broom, MacDonald, Hebrank, True & Noce, LLC and is a member of its trucking and transportation practice area.

1983
The Honorable Paula Perkins Bryant was nominated by the Twenty-Second Judicial Commission to fill the vacancy on the Circuit Court of the City of St. Louis. In 2004, she was appointed to the bench as an associate circuit judge.

1984
Mary Berry is a partner at Kaestner & Berry Professional Insurance Services, a specialty insurance broker for lawyers.

1985
Donna M. Goelz has joined the firm of Howard & Howard. She works in the Business & Corporate practice group and practices out of the firm's office in Peoria, Ill.

The Best Lawyers in America named Patrick J. Hagerty a leading attorney in the area of personal injury litigation in its 2009 edition.

Daniel Seiden was named as the most recent city circuit judge in Binghamton, N.Y.

1986
Jennifer Borron Furla, executive vice-president of Kansas City-based Jeffrey Byrne & Associates Inc., has been elected to the Board of Directors of the Giving USA Foundation.

The Commercial Law League of America elected David Gamache as president for the league's 2008-2009 term. The league is the nation's oldest organization of attorneys, judges and other financial experts actively engaged in the field of commercial law, bankruptcy
and insolvency.

The Best Lawyers in America named Stephen R. Woodley a leading attorney in the area of personal injury litigation in its 2009 edition.

1987
Matthew Geekie was recently promoted to senior vice president, secretary and general counsel of Graybar. Prior to joining Graybar, Geekie served as general counsel and secretary at XTRA Corp. He also was assistant general counsel at Emerson Process Management.

Arch Coal Inc. recently elected Robert Jones as senior vice president-law, general counsel and secretary.

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan in Detroit recently swore in Stephen J. Murphy at a ceremony in October.

Ames & Gough, a specialty design and construction insurance brokerage firm headquartered in Washington, D.C., recently selected Robert Staed to open the firm's Midwest office.

1988
Former Gov. Matt Blunt appointed Theresa Counts Burke to the Office of Associate Circuit Judge of the Twenty-Second Judicial Circuit. Burke is a municipal judge for the City of St. Louis.

James P. Carmody, a principal at Carmody MacDonald P.C., was one of two Missouri lawyers accepted this year as a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.

Former state representative Margaret Donnelly was recently named head of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services by Gov. Jay Nixon.

1989
Fox Galvin, LLC announced that Ted Lucas has joined the firm as a partner. Lucas offers 18 years of experience as a trial attorney specializing in admiralty, commercial and zoning law.

1991
Francis J. Murphy III has been named a partner at Cordell & Cordell, P.C., a nationally recognized family law firm focusing on men facing domestic relations issues.

Gary True, a partner at Hepler, Broom, MacDonald, Hebrank, True & Noce, LLC in Edwardsville, Ill., earned his Master of Laws in Taxation from Washington University School of Law in May of 2008.

1992
The Labor Relations Institute Inc. named Geoffrey M. Gilbert Jr. of McMahon Berger PC as a 2008 Top 100 labor attorney, placing the law firm in the top 1 percent of labor attorneys in the nation.

Debra Stachowski Pierce was promoted to vice president of compliance and associate general counsel of healthcare for Golden Living, a multistate, long-term care company based in Fort Smith, Ark.

Patricia Reed Zimmer, a partner at Ripplinger & Zimmer L.L.C., has been appointed chair of the Insurance Law Section Council of the Illinois State Bar Association.

1993
The 2008 Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business recognized Bret Cohen as a leader in labor and employment law in Massachusetts. Cohen is with Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C.

On Sept. 18, Jennifer Getz and husband, Patrick, welcomed a baby boy, Jacob Henry Getz. Jacob joins big brothers, Sam and Charlie, 8; and Louie, 2.

The St. Louis Daily Record honored Joan Galli Lockwood with the Rising Star Award at the 10th Annual Women's Justice Awards 2008.

1994
Roy Anderson joined Amelung, Wulff, Willenbrock & Pankowski, P.C. as a principal. He specializes in insurance defense litigation with an emphasis in workers' compensation defense, parti-cularly in Illinois.

The Fourth Judicial Circuit of Christian County, Ill., appointed Bradley Paisley as an associate judge. He was elected Christian County state's attorney in 2004.

1995
Don Fritschie continues to work as a partner and shareholder at Wallace Saunders in Overland Park, Kan. He and his wife, Laura, have three children: Emily, 9; Jack, 6; and new baby, Grace, who just turned 1.

The Missouri Bar honored Joy L. Holley with the Pro Bono Award at their annual meeting to acknowledge her outstanding pro bono work.

1998
The St. Louis Daily Record honored Heather Hays with the Rising Star Award at the 10th Annual Women's Justice Awards 2008.

The Missouri Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers awarded Travis Noble the 2008 Charles Shaw Trial Advocacy Award.

Timothy Sansone is chairing the Sandberg, Phoenix and von Gontard Charitable Foundation and practices in the areas of product liability, business litigation and appellate law.

1999
Robert Kenney made history at the Missouri Attorney General's Office with his recent appointment as chief of staff — elevating Kenney to the highest position an African-American lawyer has ever held in that office. Kenney's recent appointment, quick rise to partner at Polsinelli Shalton Flanigan Suelthaus PC, his leadership at the Mound City Bar Association and his volunteer work with numerous community organizations were the focus of a recent St. Louis Beacon article.

Antonia M. Ponder recently joined Gallop, Johnson & Neuman in the firm's Business and Law Services department.

The Intellectual Property Services Group at Armstrong Teasdale announced Richard A. Schuth as a partner. He specializes in U.S. and worldwide patent preparation and prosecution, invalidity and non-infringement opinions and patent portfolio development and management, especially as it relates to the chemical and chemical engineering sciences.

2000
Fox Galvin announced John M. Allen as partner. Throughout his career, Allen has represented a wide variety of clients in product liability, employment, toxic tort, maritime, environmental and general commercial litigation matters.

The Board of Directors for the Chicago Coalition of Women's Initiatives in Law Firms announced the election of Amy Gulinson Enloe to its board. Enloe is an attorney in Quarles & Brady's Corporate Services Group in Chicago.

Katherine M. Fowler has also been announced as a partner at Fox Galvin. She concentrates on commercial litigation matters, commercial lease disputes, defending product liability actions and environmental litigation. She is a member of Commercial Real Estate Women-St. Louis, the Defense Research Institute and the St. Louis Women Lawyers' Association. She is also a board member of Let's Start, a non-profit organization at St. Vincent's Church that provides the caregivers of children whose mothers are in prison or on drugs a range of support services.

The Intellectual Property Services Group at Armstrong Teasdale named Daniel S. Kasten as counsel. He has experience working in the chemical and biological fields, including pharmaceutical compositions and formulations, biological therapeutics and genetically engineered organisms.

Colonel Samuel Mahaney of the United States Air Force is just finishing up a yearlong National Security Fellowship at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Afterward, he will be stationed at the Pentagon. He will also be an adjunct professor at Georgetown Law.

Daniel Welsh has become a shareholder at Copeland Thompson Farris PC. Welsh specializes in civil litigation, commercial landlord-tenant law, construction law, real estate law, corporate law, bankruptcy law and sports law.

2001
Justin Carver, head of the Fulton District Office of the Missouri State Public Defender, has been selected as a 2008 recipient of the Lon Hocker Award, an honor given annually to a Missouri attorney who has demonstrated exceptional courtroom skills and talent as a litigator.

Jennifer Elliott of Stites & Harbison, PLLC has been elected as a member of the firm's Health Care Service Group in Louisville, Ky. She focuses her practice on regulatory and transactional health care law and is a frequent author and lecturer on health care topics for both national and local organizations.

Allison Orlina moved to Washington, D.C. to get married and is working as a contract services coordinator at George Washington University Hospital, where she works in house operations, clinical policy advising and contracts supervision.

2002
Suzanne Swacker Leiteritz, an associate at Carmody MacDonald P.C., was elected to the Board of Directors for the Women's Safe House, which provides safe shelter and support services to battered women and their children. Leiteritz has been with Carmody MacDonald since 2006 and concentrates her practice in medical professional defense litigation. She has legal experience in both private practice and with the Missouri Attorney General's Office and is a registered nurse.

The American Bar Association named Captain Jennifer S. Parker of the United States Marine Corps as the 2007-2008 Outstanding Young Service Lawyer. She is currently a platoon commander at Officer Candidate's School.
Dora Schriro received Harvard University's Ash Institute Innovations in American Government Award.

2002
Kevin E. Myers joined Danna McKitrick, P.C. as an associate in the firm's litigation department. He focuses on commercial and civil litigation matters, specializing in insurance defense.

2003
Missouri Lawyers Weekly named Dawn M. Mefford as the 2008 Up and Coming Lawyer.

2004
Jennifer Collins Hansen joined Williams Venker & Sanders LLC as an associate. She will focus her practice on defending against medical malpractice actions and representing companies involved with employment discrimination and personal injury claims.

Copeland Thompson Farris PC announced Rachel Jeep as an associate. She specializes in business litigation, federal civil litigation, business law, corporate law, labor and employment law, health law, physician contracts and commercial landlord and tenant law.

Reiad Khouri joined Casey & Devoti and is concentrating in the fields of personal injury law and commercial litigation.

2005
James M. Heffner is the new treasurer of the Young Lawyers Division of the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis. He is an attorney with Danna McKitrick, P.C.

Missouri Lawyers Weekly named Brian E. Kaveney of Armstrong Teasdale as one of Missouri's Rising Stars in its 2008 Up and Coming Lawyers list. Kaveney successfully launched the firm's Security Clearance Task Force, which consists of Armstrong Teasdale attorneys who serve companies and individuals seeking facility and security clearances.

Brendan Kelly was elected as the St. Clair County Illinois Circuit Clerk. He won against Republican challenger, Terry Wright, by a margin of 64 percent to 36 percent.

As an associate at Williams Venker & Sanders LLC, Bryan Mauller concentrates in the areas of product liability, toxic tort and personal injury defense while also working on cases involving insurance law and medical malpractice.

2006
Annie Ewing is working primarily in real estate foreclosures, eviction and bankruptcy at Kozeny & McCubbin, L.C. In her free time, she serves as the assistant varsity basketball coach at Lutheran High School South and tutors at Matthews-Dickey Boys' and Girls' Club.

2007
In September 2007, Gregory Kelly married Melissa Sestak (Public Service '03) at St. Francis Xavier College Church. Greg is an attorney and runs his own law firm in St. Louis. The couple is moving to Cozumel, Mexico.

Katherine Fansler Moore is an associate attorney at the Gilroy Law Firm, specializing in eminent domain law, real estate law and business litigation. She married Thomas Moore last March.

David Pfeffer has accepted a clerkship with Judge Michael Murphy of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. He will be moving to Salt Lake City for the 2009-2010 term, after which he intends to return to St. Louis to practice.

2008
Sandberg, Phoenix & von Gontard, P.C. welcomed Raven J. Akram.

John R. Ashcroft joined Armstrong Teasdale as a member of the firm's Intellectual Property Practice Group.

The Kansas City office of Bryan Cave LLP welcomed Andrew Brummel to its Transactions Client Service Group.

Danna McKitrick P.C. recently announced Jennifer Doering as an associate. She specializes in bankruptcy and civil and commercial litigation.

Mark G. Jacobs joined Armstrong Teasdale as an associate in the firm's Employment and Labor Practice Group, in which he primarily focuses on discrimination under Title VII.

Armstrong Teasdale also welcomed Timmi Kloster as a member of the firm's Real Estate Practice Group.

Paul Woody is practicing civil litigation as an associate at Klar, Izsak & Stenger. Paul and his wife, Christine (Shine) Woody (A&S '02), are expecting their first child in January.