I have spent my entire career as a trial lawyer. I started right out of law school as an assistant Circuit Attorney prosecuting felony criminal cases. When I left the prosecutor’s office I went into practice as a solo. I did some criminal defense for a brief period but I was drawn to injury cases very early on. Criminal defense did not match up with what I eventually recognized was driving me. Prosecuting plaintiff injury cases did. I realized my original prosecutor roots are really where my passion lay. I am not a criminal prosecutor anymore but I am a civil prosecutor. There is not much different. Protecting the community, stopping bad behavior, changing things for the better. Helping my injured client get recognized and acknowledged by the community for what they suffered and providing them closure.

I don’t want to do anything else and would probably quit the law if I couldn’t do this.

I used to have listed in this profile all the different awards I had received. The number of completed trials. The noteworthy cases I successfully concluded. But those are past accomplishments. Past accomplishments rarely drive anyone. What drives me is the next challenge to the safety of the community. I adopted this mission as our firm motto: Protecting the Community One Case at a Time.

Frankly, I just have a hard time with letting the big guys, the corporations and the insurance companies, get away with it. Maybe it’s because I am Irish. But maybe it’s because it’s the right thing.

Thanks for reading this.

Year Joined Firm

• 1981

Areas of Practice

• Brain Injuries
• Death Cases
• Truck Accidents
• Drowning Accidents
• Medical Malpractice
• Defective Products
• Auto Accidents
• Personal Injury Claims

• Saint Louis University School of Law, J.D. – 1978
• Saint Louis University, B.A.

Litigation Percentage

• 100 percent of practice devoted to litigation

Bar Admissions

• 1978 – Missouri
• 1981 – U.S. District Court Eastern District of Missouri
• U.S. District Court Southern District of New York
• 1992 – U.S. Court of Appeals 8th Circuit

Published Works

• Attorney Spotlight

Honors and Awards

• Super Lawyers – Only 5% of Missouri attorneys have membership.
• National Trial Lawyers Association Top 100 Lawyers – Top 100 attorneys in Missouri.
• Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum – Fewer than 1% of U.S. attorneys become members.
• American Society of Legal Advocates – Less than 1.5% of attorneys nationwide are chosen.
• American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys – 10 best attorneys in the state.
• AVVO Clients’ Choice Award – This recognition is bestowed upon attorneys who have received at least fifteen 4-star reviews.
• 2014 – Best Attorneys of America | Rue Ratings (only 100 attorneys from each state are inducted)
• Best Lawyers 2016 – This distinction is bestowed upon the most esteemed in the legal profession, and only recognizes the top 4% of attorneys in the country.

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, Member
• Missouri Bar Association, Member
• American Association of Justice, Member
• American Trial Lawyers Association, Member
• St. Louis Bar Association, Member
• Missouri Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Member
• Lawyers Association, Member
• Association of Plaintiff Interstate Trucking Lawyers of America, Member
• National Trial Lawyers Association
• Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis

Past Employment Positions

• 1978 – 1981 – St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office, Assistant Circuit Attorney