David P. Ellington

Debbie Champion is a founding partner in the firm Rynearson, Suess, Schnurbusch and Champion. Ms. Champion actively practices in Missouri and Southern Illinois state and federal courts. She has argued before the Missouri Supreme Court and the Eastern, Western and Southern District Missouri Courts of Appeals, and the Illinois Court of Appeals. She has also argued in the federal court of the United States District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Missouri, and the Eighth Circuit a...

John Simmons founded the firm in 1999 with seven employees and a focus on asbestos litigation. Under his leadership, the firm has expanded to more than 250 employees, including more than 80 attorneys, spread between five offices in Alton, St. Louis, New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. John has overseen some of the biggest verdicts and settlements in the history of asbestos litigation. The firm’s first trial involved a roofer and former Shell Oil employee diagnosed with mesothelioma...

Stephen L. Beimdiek is a proven litigator with more than 32 years of trial experience. He engages in all aspects of civil litigation and has successfully tried approximately 50 cases to verdict before state and federal courts. Mr. Beimdiek’s trial background includes claims involving business/commercial disputes, contracts, personal injury, construction, real estate transactions, medical malpractice, industrial accidents, premises liability, products liability and consumer warranty. He ...

Shaun Lieser developed an interest in practicing law at an early age, but his commitment to serving others became deeply personal after the sudden loss of his mother in 2007. That experience shaped the direction of his career and ultimately led to the founding of Lieser Law Firm LLC . Since that time, Shaun has focused his legal practice on representing individuals and families who have suffered serious injuries or loss due to the wrongful conduct of others. Raised in a hard-working union fam...

John Barnerd is a Partner at Simmons Hanly Conroy. He joined the firm in 2002 as mesothelioma and asbestos attorney, and today is a member of the firm’s management committee. He previously served for two years as an Assistant State’s Attorney for Madison County, Ill. John earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Illinois College and graduated with his J.D. from Saint Louis University School of Law. In 2010, Chicago Lawyers Magazine recognized him as a top 40 Under 40 ...

Bharat Varadachari is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants. Bharat, who practices law in St. Louis, Missouri, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Bharat is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Matthew J. Madsen’s practice includes the representation of affluent private clients in the structure and implementation of complex estate and wealth transfer planning strategies, estate and trust administration and litigation, and audits of gift and estate tax returns. Mr. Madsen advises private clients on their charitable giving strategies, ranging from charitable pledge agreements, donor-advised funds, supporting organizations to private foundations. Mr. Madsen similarly advises tax-...

Justin L. Assouad is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants. Justin L., who practices law in St. Louis, Missouri, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Justin L. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Brian Cooke is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs and Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs. Brian, who practices law in Alton, Illinois, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Brian is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

In his over 30 years of practice, Alan Freed has established himself as one of Missouri's pre-eminent practitioners of mediation and collaborative divorce , and as a leading appellate attorney. Mr. Freed was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers in 2009 and is listed in Missouri/Kansas Super Lawyers. Best Lawyers named him Attorney of the Year for Collaborative Law: Family Law in St. Louis in 2013 and for Family Law Mediation for 2015. A mediator since 1985, Mr. Free...