Ellen Bruntrager is an associate attorney in the St. Louis office and represents clients in a wide range of civil litigation matters, including employment discrimination and wage and hour disputes. Prior to joining the firm, Ellen worked as an associate in a St. Louis area law firm and represented individuals in civil rights litigation. Additionally, […]
Heidi Eckert represents clients in all aspects of employment, labor, and civil rights disputes. Heidi is an active litigator who has defended claims in state and federal courts as well as before governmental agencies. She has also arbitrated and mediated numerous matters to successful resolution on behalf of her clients. Her litigation experience includes assisting […]
Andrew is an experienced trial attorney who focuses his practice on complex commercial and employment disputes, as well as emerging issues related to digital assets. He has successfully tried cases to resolution in federal and state court, in arbitration, and before administrative bodies.
Prior to joining the firm, Andrew founded the first practice group dedicated exclusively to digital assets and blockchain technology in the Midwest and has represented businesses, developers, and investors across the country in matters related to digital assets and decentralized protocols.
Andrew is an Adjunct Professor at the Washington University School of Law where he teaches Trial Practice and Procedure.
Andrew is an active member and Past President of the St. Louis Chapter of the Federal Bar Association and The Theodore McMillian American Inn of Court.
Representative Matters
As lead counsel, Andrew successfully obtained a jury verdict in a business dispute where the opposing party was found to have fraudulently induced Andrew’s client into a business deal and later tried to retain the profits from the venture. The jury returned verdicts in favor of Andrew’s client on all counts – both on the claims submitted by the client, as well as defendant’s counterclaims. As part of the judgment, the court awarded the client its attorney’s fees.
As lead counsel for the founder of a decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol, Andrew obtained the dismissal of a putative class action complaint filed in the Eastern District of New York alleging the founder and co-defendants were members of a general partnership operating an illegal lottery in violation of New York state law. The lawsuit and dismissal were covered in the Wall Street Journal.
Andrew successfully obtained a jury verdict on competing claims for declaratory judgment between former business partners where the client was alleged to have improperly revoked the membership interest of the former partner and breached their fiduciary duties. Andrew drafted the special interrogatories that were submitted to the jury. The jury’s answers to the special interrogatories resulted in the court entering judgment in favor of the client, which included its attorney’s fees.
As lead counsel, Andrew successfully arbitrated a claim between two law firms where a dispute had arisen related to their business relationship. Andrew argued the case before a three-member arbitration panel. The case ultimately settled on confidential terms.
Andrew successfully obtained summary judgment for a local college where plaintiffs alleged that the college failed to protect them against stalking and sexual harassment by a fellow student under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. The case was appealed and summary judgment in favor of the client was affirmed by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. Pearson v. Logan Univ., 937 F.3d 1119 (8th Cir. 2019).
In a case of first impression, Andrew obtained the reversal of an adverse summary judgment ruling for a client that asserted it was a third-party beneficiary to a contract and entitled to payment for its services. The Court of Appeals found that the client materially changed its position in justifiable reliance on the contract entitling it to payment for its services and reserved the trial court’s summary judgment ruling. Hilliker Corp. v. Watson Prop., LLC, 667 S.W.3d 117 (Mo. Ct. App. 2022).
Andrew successfully defended the State of Missouri when a political action committee and one of its founders brought action against the Missouri Ethics Commission and several of its members, seeking to enjoin a state enforcement proceeding. The federal district court abstained from hearing the case and the decision was affirmed by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. Geier v. Missouri Ethics Comm’n, 715 F.3d 674 (8th Cir. 2013).
Andrew obtained summary judgment where the client was alleged to have subjected the plaintiff, a laborer, to a hostile work environment and racial discrimination under Title VII when he was removed from a construction project. The client moved for summary judgment on the grounds that plaintiff failed to establish a prima facie case for disparate treatment and because there was a legitimate, non-discriminatory reason for his removal. Furthermore, the client was not plaintiff’s employer as it did not control the terms and conditions of plaintiff’s employment. The district court agreed and granted summary judgment in favor of the client.
Andrew favorably resolved alleged False Claims Act (FCA) violations against a testing laboratory. After meeting with the United States Attorney’s Office and Missouri Medicaid Audit & Compliance, the client’s license was restated and the FCA violations were resolved pre-suit.
Kelley Farrell is a member in the St. Louis office, concentrating her practice in real estate, employment, trust and estates and commercial litigation.
Kelley’s extensive real estate practice includes representing condemning authorities, developers, and property owners in eminent domain cases involving total and partial takings of commercial, residential, and industrial properties, landlord-tenant actions, and neighboring property disputes.
Her employment practice focuses on the defense of employment disputes in federal courts, state courts and administrative agencies. She also advises many retail, manufacturing, bank and service-oriented clients on a wide variety of issues, including hiring, wrongful termination, sexual harassment, discrimination laws, wage and hour laws, employee leave rights and workers’ compensation, among others. Her most recent jury trial victory was representing a large insurance company accused of race discrimination and retaliation in Jackson County in August 2023. After six days of trial, the jury rendered unanimous defense verdicts in favor of Kelley’s client.
Kelley has also litigated a wide variety of matters in the trust and estate area, including trust and will contests, claims for tortious interference with inheritance or expectancies, trust and will constructions, trust reformations and actions against Trustees for breach of fiduciary duties. In 2015, Kelley was a key member of the BBD trial team that secured a defense judgment in a multi-million dollar trust case in the Circuit Court of St. Louis County. That win was identified by Missouri Lawyer’s Weekly as one of the top five defense verdicts of that year.
Kelley’s commercial litigation experience includes serving as trial counsel in lawsuits for Fortune 500 companies and other corporations, privately held companies and individuals. Kelley prosecutes and defends a variety of commercial, business torts, contract and insurance-related litigation.
Kelley received her Bachelor of Arts degree magna cum laude from the University of Missouri in 1991. She earned her law degree from Washington University School of Law in St. Louis in 1994, where she was a member of the Order of the Coif. Kelley currently serves as Adjunct Professor for Trial Practice for Washington University School of Law (2011-present). She is also a Master Member in the Theodore McMillian Inn of Court, the St. Louis Chapter of the American Inns of Court.
Bridget Nave is a member in the St. Louis office who represents individuals in a wide range of estate planning techniques. She also represents business entities and individuals in taxation and general corporate matters. Bridget’s estate planning practice includes sophisticated estate planning techniques such as grantor retained annuity trusts, insurance trusts, intentionally defective grantor trusts, asset protection planning and joint spousal trusts. Bridget’s taxation practice includes representation of individuals and entities before the Internal Revenue Service as well as tax-exempt entity formation and classification, and tax planning in business and individual transactions. Bridget’s practice also includes general corporate representation, handling day-to-day legal matters for business clients, such as negotiating and drafting agreements, entity formation matters, and corporate governance issues.
Prior to joining the firm in June 2007, Bridget spent over 5 years as an estate planning and taxation lawyer with a large Clayton law firm after obtaining her LLM in taxation from Washington University School of Law.
Bridget is active in charitable and religious activities in the St. Louis area, including Sts. Joachim and Ann Catholic Church and School.
Kevin Fleming is a member in the St. Louis office, representing corporate entities, public governmental bodies, and private individuals in a wide range of sophisticated and complex transactions and general representation.
Kevin’s private entity practice includes representing private entities and individuals in real estate, financing, and general corporate matters, including handling day-to-day legal matters for corporate clients such as negotiating contracts and advising on entity formation and corporate governance issues.
Kevin’s public entity practice includes representing governmental bodies in project finance and real estate development transactions. As counsel to the St. Louis Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority, Kevin worked for over 18 months between 2014 and 2016 handling every aspect of the $1.1 billion riverfront stadium complex proposed to the National Football League in an effort to retain an NFL team in St. Louis. Kevin has served as outside counsel to the St. Louis County Port Authority in connection with the development and financing of new recreational sports facilities to be located in St. Louis County.
Kevin’s real estate practice includes purchase and sale transactions, commercial leasing, various types of public financings, construction and development matters, and real estate secured lending. Kevin has a robust multifamily residential development practice, including representing buyers, sellers and developers of apartment complexes in multiple states.
Kevin’s banking and commercial finance practice includes representing both borrowers and lenders in negotiating credit facilities and debt issuances, as well as handling work-outs and various types of debt restructuring and debt-related litigation disputes.
Prior to joining the firm in December 2008, Kevin spent over 5 years practicing real estate, commercial finance, and bankruptcy law with a large St. Louis law firm and 2 years practicing corporate and securities law in Menlo Park and San Francisco, California. In addition to his law degree, Kevin received an MBA from Northwestern University.
Kevin is active in a variety of civic, charitable, and religious activities in the St. Louis area, including the Dartmouth Alumni Club of St. Louis (in which he serves as Co-District Enrollment Director), the Kellogg Alumni Club of St. Louis, the St. Louis Sports Commission, Special Olympics Missouri, and Central Presbyterian Church.
Originally from Moberly, Missouri, Kevin lives in St. Louis with his wife and three young children.
Robert Brandt’s practice focuses in the areas of business law, mergers and acquisitions, private securities offerings, commercial practice, technology licensing, banking and finance, real estate, franchising and employment. Rob serves as outside general counsel for several mid-size, privately held businesses and outside corporate counsel to several public companies, in industries such as manufacturing, technology, real estate development, construction, medical supply distribution, equipment leasing, pharmaceuticals, software development, internet marketing, health and dental care, insurance, physician practice groups, banking and mortgage lending.
Prior to becoming an attorney, Rob held various positions within the business management and finance organizations at The Boeing Company over a ten year period. He was a member of the St. Louis University Public Law Review and an Articles Editor.
Rob counsels corporate clients that are in all phases of the business life cycle: from start-up companies to mature companies to companies that are in the process of winding up and liquidating their assets. Rob has extensive experience in: entity selection, structuring and formation of businesses, mergers and acquisitions, private securities offerings, corporate restructurings, private equity and debt financing, business succession planning, franchising, commercial practice, international compliance coordination, intellectual property licensing, real estate development, sale and leaseback transactions, employment and dispute resolution.
Rob is the recipient of Academic Excellence Awards in Corporations and Business Entities, Secured Transactions and Consumer Lending. Rob is a Member of the Leadership Counsel for The Donald Danforth Plant & Science Center and a youth soccer coach.
Robert Blitz is a founding member of the firm. His practice focuses on the areas of trials and appeals. Bob’s continued success across the nation has earned him his reputation as a well-known and respected member of the trial bar. He has had great success in both defending and prosecuting business and commercial disputes, with his verdict and settlement numbers exceeding $300,000,000, including breaches of contracts, real estate, securities, first amendment, entertainment, employment and other business-related cases.
Bob has also successfully represented clients, individual and corporate, in construction, restrictive covenants, and Title VII cases and contract, discrimination, trade secrets, business torts, land use, entertainment, and other complex civil business litigation. He has represented more than 100 cases, which he has tried to verdict or judgment and many more in which favorable settlements were received for clients.
Bob holds many awards including Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers in St. Louis, Attorney of the Year by Lawyers Weekly and Largest Verdicts and Settlements in the State of Missouri.
Chris Bauman is a member of the St. Louis Office who joined the firm in 2003 after serving as Deputy Chief Legal Counsel and Interim Chief Legal Counsel in the office of Missouri Governor Bob Holden. Chris has represented a number of closely-held businesses and local businesses in connection with their complex commercial litigation, including lender disputes, construction matters, and litigation concerning operational control of business entities.
Chris’s practice is centered on trials and appeals, including litigation and appeals concerning securities class actions, tax increment financing and other public financing mechanisms, employment covenants, wrongful death, and a wide variety of contractual disputes.
Chris has acted as first chair in several cases tried to judgment as well as numerous evidentiary hearings on temporary restraining orders and preliminary injunctions. He has also argued appeals before the Missouri Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals, Eastern and Western Districts.