SmithAmundsen Adds Seven Lateral Attorneys to St. Louis Office

ST. LOUIS, April 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The law firm of SmithAmundsen continues aggressive growth in Missouri today adding seven lateral attorneys to its St. Louis office, including partners Gene Brockland, Lynn Goessling, Carrie Keller, Meredith Murphy and Daniel Peters, and associates Brian Wacker and Justin Welply. The entire group joins from the St. Louis firm of Herzog Crebs. This significant expansion of the St. Louis office firmly cements the firm's position as a business law firm to watch in Missouri.  

The firm has handpicked these exceptional local attorneys to join SmithAmundsen's supportive and inclusive culture, client service focus and collaborative environment. The firm's attorneys put the client first with a commitment to work as a business partner rather than just a service provider.

"SmithAmundsen's way of doing business is refreshing in the legal marketplace," said Gene Brockland, a senior attorney joining the firm. "SmithAmundsen provides a uniquely entrepreneurial culture where we feel our group will thrive and have the space to innovate and serve clients in a more flexible and personalized way."

These seven experienced attorneys join our established office including real estate and land use attorneys Brad Goss, Lisa Johnson and Elizabeth Lum, tax attorneys Joe Demko and Robert Jackson, business and development attorneys Robert Droney, John Finger and James Sanders, labor and employment attorneys Amanda Biondolino and Patrick Sanders, insurance coverage attorney Patrick Bousquet, and litigators Heather Bub, Daniel Coffman, Dean Henke, Zachary McMichael, Jeffrey Muskopf, Jessica Powers and Jack Walsh.

Gene Brockland, partner, represents everyone from artists to manufacturers. He guides his clients through a variety of legal issues including, employment, contractual, products liability, and copyright and trademark matters. Gene is on the board of Solid Lines Productions, a small nonprofit whose mission is to foster community dialogue through theatre about socially-relevant issues. He also serves on the advisory board of the National Museum of American illustration in Newport, RI, whose mission is to exhibit, and educate the public about, American Illustration art.

Lynn Goessling, partner, devotes her practice to real estate and general business law. She represents and counsels clients in a wide range of real estate transactions, including acquisitions and dispositions of real property, complex title issues, all aspects of land development, financing, projects involving municipal development assistance/incentives, easements and leasing. She also counsels clients with regard to general business and corporate matters, including business entity formation, business/asset acquisitions and dispositions, business loans and loan restructuring, shareholder/partner transactions and employment matters.  Lynn is the current president of Commercial Real Estate Women ? St. Louis (CREW) and a serves on the Mary Queen of Peace Parish Board of Education.

Carrie Keller, partner, guides business owners, investors and privately held and start-up entities on all aspects of business legal matters including issues concerning organizational and development planning, corporate governance, asset and equity acquisitions and sales, tax planning, and the negotiation and documentation of business transactions. She represents clients in real estate purchases, sales, leasing and 1031 exchanges. She handles trademark and servicemark registration, maintenance, licensing and enforcement. She also assists with financing, including borrowing, lending, and private equity.

Meredith Murphy, partner, helps clients develop estate plans, navigate probate court, litigate fiduciary matters, and represents clients in matters related to taxation law and real estate. She works with clients on post-death trust and probate administration, including administering trusts, filing estate tax returns, opening and administering probate estates, and estate and trust accountings. Meredith represents clients in adversarial litigation involving will contests, trust contests, fiduciaries, beneficiaries, probates, elder abuse, conservatorships, and other disputes. She also prepares estate and gift tax returns as a part of trust administration, and also appears before the IRS when assisting non-profit organizations with obtaining and maintaining tax exempt status.  Meredith serves as a member of the board of trustees of Loyola Academy, and is also an active member of the St. Louis-Jefferson chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Daniel Peters, partner, assists clients in the construction, real estate and banking industries in both transactional and litigation matters. His experience includes handling transactional matters such as, asset and equity purchases, sale documentation, due diligence and closing, and lending and security. Daniel also handles litigation matters, including construction disputes and employment issues.  

Brian Wacker, associate, handles a variety of litigation matters, including fiduciary, commercial and employment. Many of his clients are facing pre-litigation risk management and fiduciary relations. Outside the office Brian volunteers with Boys Hope Girls Hope, an organization that helps disadvantaged kids succeed academically. He is also vice president of the board of directors for the Cornerstone Center for Early Learning.    

Justin Welply, associate, represents clients in a wide variety of industries including, real estate, construction, financial services, trust and estate, and employment. Many of his clients are facing breach of contract, errors and omissions, breach of fiduciary duty, and nonpayment issues. Outside the office Justin is on the advisory board of Our Little Haven, a nonprofit organization that provides early intervention therapeutic care for children and families with complex needs.

ABOUT SMITHAMUNDSEN: SmithAmundsen is a law firm comprised of more than 180 attorneys practicing from offices in Chicago, St. Charles, Rockford and Woodstock, IL; Indianapolis, IN; St. Louis, MO; and Milwaukee, WI. The firm handles the transactional, labor and employment and litigation needs of companies across the U.S.  For more information, visit: www.salawus.com.  Connect with @SmithAmundsen on Twitter or on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/smithamundsen-llc.

SOURCE SmithAmundsen LLC