Melissa K. Smith-Groff

Jim Layton joined the firm in 2017 after serving more than 22 years in the Missouri Attorney General’s Office—nearly all of those as the State’s principal civil appellate lawyer, Solicitor General. Jim practices in both appellate and trial courts, particularly in matters involving complex legal questions, including those arising under the U.S. and Missouri constitutions, Missouri school funding and other education statutes, discrimination laws, and Missouri tax laws. He repr...

Amy Bender-Levy is a member of the Firm’s family law department and is licensed to practice in Missouri and Illinois as well as the US District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. Amy’s practice focuses on divorce, custody, modification, orders of protection, third-party custody, guardianship of adults and minors, and grandparents’ rights. Amy serves as a Guardian ad Litem representing the best interests of children in those cases in which she is appointed by the cou...

Melanie Gurley Keeney practices in the areas of education, higher education, labor and employment, and immigration law. Her experience in education law includes representing school districts and institutions of higher education regarding various personnel and student matters, including tenure, terminations, discrimination, First Amendment, discipline, special education, Title IX, sexual discrimination, § 1983 claims, Open Meetings law, OCR complaints and other issues. Melanie represents ...

Ryan Bruning – Attorney at Law Ryan Bruning is a highly respected trial attorney at The Bruning Law Firm in St. Louis, Missouri, where he focuses his practice on workers’ compensation , personal injury , and civil litigation . Known for his attention to detail and aggressive advocacy, Ryan has built a reputation for delivering strong results for injured workers and accident victims across Missouri and Illinois. Recognized by Best Lawyers in America® , Ryan has successfully rep...

Michael F. Harris received his law degree ( cum laude ) from Saint Louis University School of Law in 1983 and his undergraduate degree ( cum laude ) from Arizona State University in 1980. While in law school, Mike served as Assistant Managing Editor of the Saint Louis University Law Journal and was selected for the Order of the Woolsack. Mike is a Certified Public Accountant. Mike has been selected for inclusion in Best Lawyers in America and Missouri-Kansas Super Lawyers. In addition to labo...

Gene J. Brockland is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation and Litigation - Intellectual Property. Gene J., who practices law in St. Louis, Missouri, has been recognized since 2020. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Gene J. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Karen Milner's practice focuses on the representation and counsel of management in matters and disputes related to employment law and labor relations. Clients rely on Karen's day-to-day employment law counseling in the areas of wage and hour compliance, affirmative action planning and compliance, business immigration law, and workplace safety & health. She routinely works with in-house counsel, human resources directors and staff, and directors of labor relations to develop litigation avo...

Alexandra Kohlfeld is a family law attorney with Page Law and handles domestic relation cases and other family law matters. Alexandra has been practicing family law her entire career. The majority of her practice is within St. Louis County, the City of St. Louis and St. Charles County. She also handles cases throughout Missouri, including Lincoln, Jefferson, and Franklin counties. Alexandra is exceptional in the following practice areas: Divorces – Contested and Uncontested Paternity &n...

Andrew pairs his experience in tax and estate law with a focus on client responsiveness to help families and businesses structure plans for their valuable assets. He works with clients on an array of estate planning matters, including wealth transfer planning, asset protection planning, and closely-held business succession planning. He frequently assists clients with trust and estate administration. He often advises clients on modifying irrevocable trusts. Additionally, he represents clients ...

Litigator James G. Martin defends corporations and individuals facing high-stakes, complex business lawsuits, white collar criminal charges, and allegations of corporate governance and compliance violations. A former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri, Jim is regularly lead defense counsel in class action and civil litigation matters, including SEC fraud and healthcare fraud in False Claims Act (FCA) litigation. Corporations also call on him to lead internal investigations rel...