Margaret H. Hillman

James F. Bennett has a national practice of cases that are not expected to settle before trial or appeal. He is lead trial and appellate counsel in high-profile cases, and has tried to verdict many cases involving eight- and nine-figure amounts in dispute. He has also prevailed before trial in other, similar cases and has argued appeals in eight different appellate courts around the country. Three times in recent years, he was awarded the “largest” defense or plaintiff verdict awa...

Lisa O. Stump is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Education Law, Employment Law - Management, Government Contracts, Government Relations Practice and Municipal Law. Lisa O., 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 Lisa O. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

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...

Todd Neilson is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs and Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs. Todd, 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 Todd is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Kevin Lake is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Family Law. Kevin, who practices law in St. Louis, Missouri, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Kevin is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

AJ Bruning – Attorney at Law AJ Bruning is a nationally recognized trial lawyer and founding attorney at The Bruning Law Firm in St. Louis, Missouri. For more than two decades, AJ has dedicated his career to representing individuals and families injured by negligence, workplace accidents, and unsafe products. His practice focuses on workers’ compensation , personal injury , and catastrophic injury claims , where he has built a reputation for securing meaningful results for his cli...

John Challis is the Managing Partner at Kembell Woods & Martinsen, where he advocates for individuals and businesses in a wide range of contested matters. With a focus on fiduciary litigation and administration, John is recognized for delivering outstanding results for his clients through negotiation, mediation, and litigation. ​He counsels clients on fiduciary relationships, disputed administration, will and trust contests, and asset transfer disputes, drawing on substantial trial and ap...

Stephanie A. Black is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs. Stephanie A., who practices law in St. Louis, Missouri, has been recognized since 2023. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Stephanie A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Jonathan Marks , Family Law Attorney in the St. Louis area, received his Juris Doctorate in 1997 from the University of Missouri – Columbia. Jonathan is admitted to practice in the State of Missouri, the State of Illinois, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, the United States District Court for the Central Distr...

Bob Stewart has extensive employment law/labor law trial experience in federal and state courts (jury and non-jury), as well as before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and arbitrators. Throughout his career, counseling clients on virtually all aspects of the employment relationship, successfully to avoid litigation, has also been a focus. Another significant aspect of Bob’s practice has been assisting employers in dealing with labor unions, both during collective bargaining, st...