Best Lawyers in Missouri, United States for Commercial Litigation
James C. Hetlage is an experienced employment attorney, litigator, and municipal attorney. He represents government and private-sector employers before state and federal administrative agencies, trial courts and appellate courts. Mr. Hetlage is experienced in resolving employment discrimination claims and other labor and employment disputes in court and through mediation and arbitration. He has addressed the impact of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter for employers, and has...
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...
Michael J. Payne is a partner at Frankel, Rubin, Klein, Payne & Pudlowski, P.C. and focuses his practice on estate planning, fiduciary litigation and civil litigation. He counsels individuals, couples, families and small business owners in creating an estate plan that is specifically tailored to their individualized needs. His passion for estate planning is evident in his approach of collaborating with clients to solve their most important personal, legal and business planning decisions. ...
Robert F. Epperson Jr., a founding member of Dowd Bennett LLP, handles complex commercial litigation, internal investigations and appeals. Representing domestic and multinational corporations, as well as high net worth individuals, Robert focuses on civil litigation and appeals in an array of industries such as agriculture, real estate, financial services and insurance. He also conducts internal investigations and counsels clients in connection with investigations undertaken by the U.S. Depar...
Vincent D. Reese focuses his practice on labor, employment, and education law, in addition to commercial litigation. Vince has successfully litigated employment discrimination claims based on race, sex, age, disability, religion, national origin, and pregnancy in Missouri and Illinois State Courts as well as many federal district courts around the country. Vince has extensive experience in representing his clients’ interests with respect to investigations conducted by the U.S. Equal Emp...
Gary A. Growe is a 1977 graduate of the George Washington University National Law Center. He has spent his entire professional career devoted to civil litigation and civil trial work. He has handled a wide variety of civil cases, including commercial litigation (including breach of contract cases, franchise litigation, securities litigation, anti-trust litigation and security transaction litigation), personal injury litigation (covering product liability, medical negligence, automobile litiga...
John Comerford handles all phases of complex, high-exposure business litigation, employment discrimination defense and corporate internal investigations. He represents and counsels Fortune 500 companies, senior-level executives and government employees. John is a first chair trial lawyer. He tries cases to verdict in state and federal courts and through any appeals. His clients include major electronic equipment suppliers, healthcare providers, large retailers, energy companies, and business ...
Rachel Shenker is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area of Commercial Litigation. Rachel practices law in Clayton, Missouri Best Lawyers has recognized Rachel Shenker since 2024. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which Rachel Shenker is held by other lawyers.
Kevin Carnie Jr. has earned a reputation for taking on some of the most high-profile cases in the region, securing nearly half a billion dollars in verdicts and settlements for his clients. Carnie focuses on catastrophic personal injury and product liability cases. His product liability cases range from accidents involving cranes, vehicles, construction equipment, heavy machinery, factory equipment, and medical devices. His personal injury practice includes medical malpractice, auto accidents...
Chip Sheppard is a shareholder in the Litigation/Dispute Resolution and Transactional Practice Groups of Carnahan Evans PC. He concentrates his practice in the areas of medical marijuana, hemp, licensing, business, real estate, employment, acquisitions, banking, contracts, municipal, planning and zoning, securities and intellectual property transactions, litigation and dispute resolution. A substantial portion of Mr. Sheppard’s practice is focused in Missouri’s newest industries: ...
Ian Cooper serves clients in employment, higher education, commercial, and tort matters. Ian regularly serves as lead counsel in significant cases, including class actions and other complex litigation and has tried numerous jury and bench trials in Missouri and Illinois. He has argued cases before the Missouri Supreme Court, the Illinois Supreme Court, the Missouri and Illinois Courts of Appeal, and the United States Courts of Appeal for the Seventh and Eighth Circuits and has briefed importa...
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...
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.
