Missouri Lawyers Weekly articles from September 2007

Missouri Lawyers Weekly archives from September 2007

Missouri Court Of Appeals Western District Case Summaries: September 3, 2007.
September 3, 2007... Byline: Missouri Lawyers Weekly Staff Criminal Law Rule 29.15 - Counsel - Effectiveness Where a jury submitted a question about parole eligibility during the penalty phase of a criminal trial and the court responded that "you must...

Missouri Supreme Court Case Summaries: September 3, 2007.
September 3, 2007... Byline: Missouri Lawyers Weekly Staff Elections Finance Reform - Campaign Contributions - Retroactivity Where Missouri campaign contribution limits were reestablished by a decision handed down by the state's Supreme Court, the...

United States Court Of Appeals Eighth Circuit Case Summaries: September 3, 2007.
September 3, 2007... Byline: Missouri Lawyers Weekly Staff Civil Rights Retaliation - Attorney- Client Privilege - Crime-Fraud Exception Where a plaintiff brought a civil rights action against several state agency employees and defendant asserted...

Verdicts & Settlements September 3, 2007: Jurors weep but find for defense in accident.
September 3, 2007... Byline: Heather Cole Defense verdict Some jurors came into the courtroom crying after they made their decision, but still found a bicycle helmet manufacturer and distributor not at fault for a young father's irreversible brain damage....

Verdicts & Settlements September 3, 2007: Landlord settles over fire-damaged school.
September 3, 2007... Byline: Anne C. Vitale $330,000 settlement The landlord of a fire-damaged school building has reached a $330,000 settlement in a St. Louis City case accusing the tenant school of negligently supervising students who allegedly set the...

Verdicts & Settlements September 3, 2007: Surgeon prevails in case over corrective surgery.
September 3, 2007... Byline: Anne C. Vitale Defendants' verdict A Jackson County jury returned a defense verdict in favor of a pediatric surgeon accused of malpractice for allegedly performing a non-mainstream procedure to repair a woman's sunken chest....

commentary: Judges deserve praise for unpopular decisions.(Letter to the editor)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Missouri Lawyers Weekly Staff Editor: Derk Schweiger's recent letter to the editor defending Dennis Owens ignores the substance of my critique of Owens, attacks the style and "tone" of my criticisms, and supplies a testimonial...

commentary: Daugherty only levels playing field.(Letter to the editor)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Missouri Lawyers Weekly Staff Editor: I find it hard to swallow that any defense attorney could comment with a straight face that it should be acceptable for one's race, age, sex, religion, or disability to play a "contributing...

All property may soon be subject to elective share.(Letter to the editor)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Missouri Lawyers Weekly Staff Editor: I read with interest your article a few weeks back on post-nuptial agreements ["Mine, yours and mine: Lawyers see increase in postnuptial agreements nationally," July 30]. It was more...

Commentary: Commission's panel based on judicial experience.
September 3, 2007... Byline: John DeMoor The Nonpartisan Court Plan is supposed to take the politics out of appointing Missouri Supreme Court judges. But the minute Gov. Matt Blunt received the slate of the three finalists for the current high court...

Lavender fair highlights firms' diversity efforts.(Lawyers for Equality)(Brief article)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Dolan Media Newswires Nearly two years after the organization was started, Lawyers for Equality, St. Louis'first gay bar association, is taking a look at area legal employers' policies on lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender...

Emotional distress claims valid without medical damages proof.
September 3, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter Missouri plaintiffs alleging intentional infliction of emotional distress do not have to prove medical damages, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Wednesday, Aug. 29. In arriving at its decision, the 8th...

Playtex buy sparks two weeks of furious work for St. Louis law firm.(Bryan Cave L.L.P.)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Heather Cole In late May, Energizer offered to buy Playtex Products on the condition that Playtex negotiate exclusively with the St. Louis company. Playtex insisted on talking with a prospective financial buyer as well. The...

Missouri Court of Appeals rules: Attorney voluntarily incurred legal fees.
September 3, 2007... Byline: Joy Simmons An insurance company was not in breach of its attorney malpractice policy when it denied payment for legal fees voluntarily incurred in violation of the policy's cooperation clause, the Missouri Court of Appeals...

KC LEGAL association will serve gays, lesbians.(Kansas City Lesbian Gay and Allied Lawyers, Stinson Morrison Hecker)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Heather Cole Stinson Morrison Hecker didn't offer benefits to the domestic partners of employees when Lana Nedlik joined in 2001, but the firm does now. The change came about partly because Knedlik called Stinson's human...

Commentary: Best-laid plan.
September 3, 2007... Byline: Scott Lauck The Republicans were up in arms over the Nonpartisan Court Plan. The system had elevated Democrats to the bench while ignoring good Republican applicants. The system was broken, and as one Republican lawmaker declared,...

Missouri Court Of Appeals Eastern District Case Summaries: September 3, 2007.
September 3, 2007... Byline: Missouri Lawyers Weekly Staff Negligence Polio Vaccine - Product Liability - Prejudgment Interest (1) Where plaintiff sued a vaccine manufacturer for product liability and negligent manufacture after he contracted polio...

Missouri Court Of Appeals Southern District Case Summaries: September 3, 2007.
September 3, 2007... Byline: Missouri Lawyers Weekly Staff Attorneys Professional Liability Coverage - Legal Fees - 'Damages' Where an attorney sued his professional liability insurer after the insurer refused to reimburse him for $4,000 in legal fees...

Human-rights cases find shelter under 'pirate law'.(Alien Tort Statute)
September 10, 2007... Byline: Nora Lockwood Tooher A federal jury earlier this summer ruled that Alabama-based Drummond Co. was not responsible for the murders of three union leaders at its Colombian coal mine. But plaintiffs' lawyers regard it as a victory...

Painful departure of attorney David Welte from Kansas City law firm.(Polsinelli Shalton Flanigan Suelthaus)(Brief article)
September 10, 2007... Byline: Heather Cole The firm now known as Polsinelli Shalton Flanigan Suelthaus took a hit of about $3.1 million when former name partner David Welte exited early this year. That's how much Welte's client, Kansas City-based Stowers...

Verdicts & Settlements September 10, 2007: Jury sides with radiologist accused of malpractice.(Case overview)
September 10, 2007... Byline: Anne C. Vitale Defense verdict A St. Louis County jury returned a unanimous verdict in favor of a radiologist in a medical malpractice suit claiming that the doctor's negligence during placement of a renal dialysis catheter...

Verdicts & Settlements September 10, 2007: Family wins over man's suicide while hospitalized.(Midwest Division, Research Psychiatric Center, LLC)(Case overview)
September 10, 2007... Byline: Anne C. Vitale $965,000 verdict A Jackson County jury returned a $965,000 verdict favoring the family of a man who committed suicide while on suicide watch at a psychiatric hospital. "One of the things that made this case...

Commentary: Bar director defends plan against newspaper's editorial.(Keith A. Birkes)(Nonpartisan Court Plan)(The Wall Street Journal)
September 10, 2007... Byline: Keith A. Birkes The Wall Street Journal can take whatever editorial position it chooses on the merits of Missouri's Nonpartisan Court Plan, but ethical editorial practice has no place for the misstatement of facts and the creation...

Commentary: Zeal has gone out of representation.(zealous representation)
September 10, 2007... Byline: Maridee Farnquist Edwards Apparently, the zeal has gone out of legal representation - or has it? On the day that former state representative Nathan D. Cooper from Cape Girardeau pled guilty to federal charges of false...

Commentary: Every Missouri license holder is at risk.(driver's liscense)
September 10, 2007... Byline: Carl W. Ward, Jeffrey S. Eastman, Thomas E. Bauer In a precedent-setting decision, the Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District has endorsed the retroactive application of a Missouri license sanctioning statute placing every...

Missouri Supreme Court extends suspension of former American Healthcare Management president.(Charles Kaiser III )(Brief article)
September 10, 2007... Byline: Heather Cole Former American Healthcare Management president and in-house counsel Charles Kaiser III may have served his time twice for his role in a nursing home abuse and neglect scandal, but it will be more than two years before...

Missouri Lawyers in the News: September 10, 2007.(Brief article)
September 10, 2007... Byline: Missouri Lawyers Weekly Staff The Appellate Judicial Commission is accepting applications for the position of judge of the Missouri Court of Appeals Western District, to fill the vacancy created by the Aug. 1 retirement of Judge...

Verdicts & Settlements September 10, 2007: Collision results in non-operative herniated disc.(Case overview)
September 10, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter $5.25 million verdict A southeast Missouri couple won $5.25 million for the husband's injuries and the wife's loss of consortium resulting from a 2004 accident. The high-low agreement the parties agreed to...

Missouri Court of Appeals: No break for McDonald's Corporation.
September 10, 2007... Byline: Stephanie Maniscalco A Jackson County woman who tripped in a McDonald's parking lot will get another chance to take a bite out of the corporation, according to a decision this week by the Missouri Court of Appeals. In Hagen v....

Annual Missouri Bar meeting to hash out controversy over judicial selection.(Nonpartisan Court Plan)
September 10, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka Major players in the ongoing controversy over Missouri's selection of judges will sit down to hash out the issues of the Nonpartisan Court Plan at The Missouri Bar's annual meeting later this month. Current and...

Should Missouri lawyers YOUTUBE?
September 10, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka Advertising has long been a touchy subject for lawyers. How can you solicit clients without appearing to be a money-hungry attorney out to make a buck off the misfortune of others? Which ads are appropriate and...

Martindale-Hubbell socks some with $50 fee.
September 10, 2007... Byline: Heather Cole Martindale-Hubbell is putting the pinch on non-subscribers as some big Missouri law firms drop their listings. The lawyer rating and directory service sent out letters last week asking for a $50 per lawyer fee to...

Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District Case Summaries: September 10, 2007.
September 10, 2007... Byline: Missouri Lawyers Weekly Staff Criminal Law Jury Deadlock - Mistrial - Double Jeopardy (1) Where defendant's first trial for child molestation ended in a mistrial, the trial court properly declared a mistrial based on juror...

Missouri Court of Appeals Southern District Case Summaries: September 10, 2007.
September 10, 2007... Byline: Missouri Lawyers Weekly Staff Appellate Practice Inadequate Brief - Points Relied On Where the brief of an appellant in a civil case included points relied on that lacked substance and legal analysis, the points failed to...

Missouri Court of Appeals Western District Case Summaries: September 10, 2007.
September 10, 2007... Byline: Missouri Lawyers Weekly Staff Insurance Wrongful Death - 'Household' - Temporary Stay Where a father whose children were killed in an accident with an uninsured driver sought coverage under the insurance policy of the uncle...

United States Court of Appeals Eighth Circuit Case Summaries: September 10, 2007.
September 10, 2007... Byline: Missouri Lawyers Weekly Staff Civil Practice Motion To Dismiss - Outside Pleadings - ERISA Case Where plaintiffs were denied benefits under their father's employee welfare benefit plan after he died from an embolism...

Verdicts & Settlements September 10, 2007: Mobile construction business recovers lost profits.( Gateway Foam Insulators vs. Jokerst Paving and Contracting )(Case overview)
September 10, 2007... Byline: Anne C. Vitale $212,970 verdict A construction business that operated out of a customized truck has recovered $212,970 in damages and lost profits in its Jefferson County suit against another driver who smashed into the truck...

Verdicts & Settlements September 10, 2007: Company prevails in liability over fatal fuel fire.(Morrison Brothers Company)(Case overview)
September 10, 2007... Byline: Anne C. Vitale Defendants' verdict A fuel tank parts manufacturer and service company notched a defendants' verdict in a Jackson County product liability suit brought by the family of a tanker-truck driver killed in a fuel...

Commentary: Attorneys can have well-balanced lives in six steps.
September 17, 2007... Byline: Michael D. Fielding Why is it so important to be a well-balanced attorney? In the long run, a well-balanced attorney can accomplish so much more and bring about much good. We all have competing demands on our time: family, work,...

Commentary: It is wrong to encourage pro se litigants.
September 17, 2007... Byline: Corinne Coley There recently has been a proposal to change OR25 and/or to adopt standard forms for use in domestic cases by pro se litigants and suggest certain conduct of judges toward pro se litigants. These suggestions include...

Commentary: Missouri Plan needs to be reformed.(non partisan court plan)(Letter to the editor)
September 17, 2007... Byline: William D. Stilley The article, "Best Laid Plan," in the Sept. 3, issue of Missouri Lawyers Weekly was one of the most thorough, informative and balanced articles you have published regarding the Missouri Plan. After reading the...

Commentary: Wrong to criticize Blunt for judicial appointment.(Matt Blunt)(Brief article)
September 17, 2007... Byline: Chip Robertson Missourians for Fair and Impartial Courts applaud the governor for upholding his duty and exercising his prerogatives under the constitution. Gov. Matt Blunt has demonstrated his allegiance to the Missouri...

Commentary: Help for your practice is as close as the Web.(practice of law)(Website list)
September 17, 2007... Byline: Donna M. Fisher Success in the legal profession, as in any other profession, depends on having current, relevant and accurate information. But not every bit of information you need will be found in your law library. A...

Defining Missouri Supreme Court Justice Breckenridge.(Patricia Breckenridge)
September 17, 2007... Byline: Scott Lauck In an oft-repeated anecdote, Gov. John Ashcroft is said to have dismissed the controversy surrounding his Supreme Court appointment of Edward "Chip" Robertson, his then-33-year-old former chief of staff, by pointing to...

Federalists hire Swift Boat PR firm to sink Missouri Plan.(Federalists Society hire Creative Response Concepts Public Relations)
September 17, 2007... Byline: Heather Cole Opponents of Missouri's Nonpartisan Court Plan are pushing a public relations campaign with the aid of the Virginia firm famous for advising the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. CRC Public Relations is representing...

$3.6 million judgment against Charles Polk upheld by Mo. appeals court.(Missouri)
September 17, 2007... Byline: Heather Cole An appeals court decision to uphold the appeal of a $3.6 million judgment against a former lawyer convicted of fraud took five months to reach and then arrived with little fanfare. Charles Polk and plaintiff James...

Paternity doesn't matter in child support case, Missouri Supreme Court told.
September 17, 2007... Byline: Chris Blank A man sentenced to 28 days in the Buchanan County Jail for failing to pay child support for his wife's child asked the Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday, Sept. 11 to toss out the conviction. David Salazar married...

Branson ENT clinic wins appeal in medical malpractice case.(Branson Ear, Nose & Throat)
September 17, 2007... Byline: Tom Herrmann Branson Ear, Nose & Throat won an appeal in a medical malpractice case from Christian County, but the battle over surgical injuries continues. Roger Hickman, a music minister, won a jury verdict of $299,644 for...

Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District Case Summaries: September 17, 2007.
September 17, 2007... Byline: Missouri Lawyers Weekly Staff Civil Practice Standing - Sovereign Immunity - Sheltered Workshop Funding Where the operator of a sheltered workshop sought injunctive relief and a declaratory judgment that it was improperly...

Missouri Court of Appeals Southern District Case Summaries: September 17, 2007.
September 17, 2007... Byline: Missouri Lawyers Weekly Staff Administrative School Weapon Policy - Toy Guns - Suspension Where a high school student brought to school plastic air guns, one of which resembled a real gun, and shot at another student on one...

Missouri Court of Appeals Western District Case Summaries: September 17, 2007.
September 17, 2007... Byline: Missouri Lawyers Weekly Staff Civil Practice Jurisdiction - Condemnation Case - Ripeness Where plaintiffs claimed that a city engaged in an unlawful taking of their property without just compensation before formal...

Missouri Supreme Court Case Summaries: September 17, 2007.(Brief article)
September 17, 2007... Byline: Missouri Lawyers Weekly Staff Civil Practice Venue - Negligence - Small County Where plaintiffs who brought medical malpractice and wrongful death actions against doctors and healthcare organizations in Audrain County...

United States Court of Appeals Eighth Circuit Case Summaries: September 17, 2007.(Case note)
September 17, 2007... Byline: Missouri Lawyers Weekly Staff Criminal Law Witness Tampering - Sufficiency Of Evidence - Witnesses Where a defendant pleaded guilty to witness tampering and was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm, the...

Verdicts & Settlements September 17, 2007: Jury awards $178,500 to painter who fell off ladder.(Barry Beckstein)
September 17, 2007... Byline: Anne C. Vitale $350,000 verdict A Jackson County jury awarded $350,000 to a 293-pound man who fell off a ladder while painting a home. The jury found the homeowner 51 percent at fault for the man's accident because the...

Verdicts & Settlements September 17, 2007: Plaintiff's videotape works against her.(Rosa Marie Ambrose)(Case overview)
September 17, 2007... Byline: Anne C. Vitale Defendant's verdict An obstetrician used a plaintiff's own videotape of delivery room activities to help convince a St. Louis County jury that he did not commit medical malpractice while delivering the...

Verdicts & Settlements September 17, 2007: Bystander settles case after suffering leg injuries.(Case overview)
September 17, 2007... Byline: Kyle Lewis $750,000 settlement A bystander injured in an automobile accident in a private driveway settled his personal-injury claim for $750,000. Allison Komis was intoxicated and asked to leave a party at her boyfriend's...

Verdicts & Settlements September 17, 2007: Beneficiaries recover $1.1 million in trust dispute.(Elizabeth Ann and Earl Thomas Moulder Jr.)
September 17, 2007... Byline: Anne C. Vitale $1.1 million verdict The remainder beneficiaries of an irrevocable trust have won a $1.1 million verdict in their Greene County trust dispute with Bank of America, the trustee. The plaintiffs claimed that...

Labor law appears to be large Missouri firms' forte.(Bryan Cave and Lathrop & Gage)(Brief article)
September 17, 2007... Byline: Heather Cole Labor law appears to be large Missouri firms' forte. In Corporate Counsel's September listing of the Fortune 250's most-used law firms, Missouri firms names cropped up most frequently - 12 times out of 22 - for...

Thanks, buddy: Former general counsel to Mo. governor appointed to Public Service Commission.(governor Matt Blunt appoints attorney Terry Jarrett)(Brief article)
September 17, 2007... Byline: Missouri Lawyer Staff Reporter Attorney Terry Jarrett didn't get the nod from the Appellate Judicial Commission to be a panelist for the Missouri Supreme Court, but the former general counsel to Gov. Matt Blunt wasn't forgotten. ...

Washington University law students airing dirty laundry.(law students "Cynthia" and "Scott" argue about gender roles on school email list)
September 17, 2007... Byline: Heather Cole In the e-mail era, it's only too easy for an internal scandal to get a public airing. Matters a little more mundane also can reach a broad audience, as evidenced by the Sept. 6 publishing of an e-mail tiff between...

Missouri Lawyers in the News: September 17, 2007.
September 17, 2007... Byline: Missouri Lawyers Weekly Staff The University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law and the Edward Smith/Bryan Cave Lecture will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Charles Evan Whittaker's appointment...

Missouri Bar expects $1.5M budget shortfall.
September 24, 2007... Byline: Kelly Wiese The Missouri Bar says it's looking at a $1.5 million budget shortfall for 2007, and attorney fees could rise for the first time in 14 years to help it balance the books. When accounting for the various elements that...

Courts step in on patent reform.
September 24, 2007... Byline: Correy E. Stephenson Dolan Media Newswires While patent legislation stalls in Congress, the courts and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office are making changes on their own. In an opinion expected to have a significant impact on...

Missouri's mid-sized firms raise salary to attract top grads.
September 24, 2007... Byline: Heather Cole There's a category between the haves and the have-nots when it comes to starting salaries -- the keeping-ups. Those are the firms such as King Hershey in Kansas City and Carmody MacDonald in St. Louis. They're not...

Missouri law schools' last year's class has found work.
September 24, 2007... Byline: Kelly Wiese Aspiring young lawyers, take heart. Missouri law schools report that about nine in 10 of their recent graduates found jobs, and the majority went to work in private practice. Missouri Lawyers Weekly gathered updated...

Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District Case Summaries: September 24, 2007.(Case overview)
September 24, 2007... Byline: Missouri Lawyers Weekly Staff Administrative Conditional Use Permit - Denial - Findings Of Fact Where a county council denied plaintiff's application for a conditional use permit, the trial court erred in affirming the...

Missouri Court of Appeals Southern District Case Summaries: September 24, 2007.(Case overview)
September 24, 2007... Byline: Missouri Lawyers Weekly Staff Civil Practice New Trial Order - Additional Evidence - Perjury Where a trial court granted a new trial in a real estate dispute in order to hear additional testimony regarding perjury of a...

Missouri Court of Appeals Western District Case Summaries: September 24, 2007.(Case overview)
September 24, 2007... Byline: Missouri Lawyers Weekly Staff Criminal Law Drug Distribution - Sufficiency Of Evidence - Morphine Where a defendant was arrested in possession of 11 to 13 morphine pills in a car with two other alleged drug users, the state...

United States Court of Appeals Eighth Circuit Case Summaries: September 24, 2007.(Case overview)
September 24, 2007... Byline: Missouri Lawyers Weekly Staff Arbitration ERISA - Health Plan Changes - Expired Union Agreements Where an employer sought a declaration that its unilateral modifications to a retiree health plan did not violate master...

Verdicts & Settlements September 24, 2007: Boat passengers settle case over collision on lake.(Case overview)
September 24, 2007... Byline: Anne C. Vitale Type of Action: Boat collision Type of Injuries: Femoral hip fracture, concussion, multiple abrasions (for Mark DeGrande); left patella fracture (for Melissa DeGrande) Court/Case Number/Date: Jackson County...

Verdicts & Settlements September 24, 2007: Truck driver receives $475,000 settlement for accident.(Larry Isaacs)(Case overview)
September 24, 2007... Byline: Tom Herrmann Type of Action: Personal Injury Type of Injuries: Left shoulder injury, groin strain Court/Case Number/Date: Circuit Court of Webster County/05WE-CC00046/Aug. 17, 2007 Caption: Larry Isaacs v. Diane Dudik...

Verdicts & Settlements September 24, 2007: Jury awards railroad worker $1.3 million for injuries.(Case overview)
September 24, 2007... Byline: Kyle Lewis Type of Action: Federal Employers Liability Act Type of Injuries: Cervical disc herniation, fusion; low back pain Court/Case Number/Date: Circuit Court of St. Louis/22052-09733/Aug 31, 2007 Caption: Charles...

Verdicts & Settlements September 24, 2007: Norfolk Southern settles wrongful death lawsuit.(Case overview)
September 24, 2007... Byline: Heather Cole Type of action: Wrongful death Court/Case Number/Date: St. Louis City Circuit Court/052-8522/June. 12, 2007 Caption: Westlake, et. al v. Norfolk Southern Railway Company, et. al Judge, Jury or ADR: Jury...

Missouri Lawyers in the News: September 24, 2007.
September 24, 2007... Byline: Missouri Lawyer Staff Reporter Penalty box Belleville attorney back to practicing law in Illinois after a two-month suspension of her license, but it will be Feb. 14 before she can apply to practice law in Missouri again. Pennock...

Springfield judge Sweeney to retire.(Judge J. Miles Sweeney)(Brief article)
September 24, 2007... Byline: Missouri Lawyers Weekly Staff Gov. Matt Blunt on Thursday, Sept. 20, appointed attorney Bob Lawson Jr. to fill a vacancy on the 31st Judicial Circuit in Greene County -- a vacancy not everyone knew was coming. Lawson will...

Hearsay.(appointments)(Brief article)
September 24, 2007... Byline: Missouri Lawyers Weekly Staff The law firm of Mariea & Sigmund announced Jonathan C. Browning is a partner with their firm. Lathrop & Gage announced Kurt U. Schaefer joined the firm's Jefferson City office as a member in the...

Law student, court employee assaulted in St. Louis park.(Timothy Hodits and Matt Murphy)
September 24, 2007... Byline: Heather Cole Law student Timothy Hodits had just run past police stables on a July morning jog in St. Louis' Forest Park when he saw a group of about eight high-school aged boys at the top of an upcoming hill. "There was a girl...

Kansas City-based Blackwell Sanders changes its courting style.
September 24, 2007... Byline: Heather Cole Blackwell Sanders' latest trip toward the aisle marks a shift in the firm's geographic merger tactics. The Kansas City-based firm and St. Louis-based Husch & Eppenberger announced Sept. 17 that they are talking...

Rules tightened on CPA experts.(certified public accountant)
September 24, 2007... Byline: Heather Cole An accountant who audits a business cannot testify as an expert witness in individual lawsuits involving the business, and neither can anyone at the accountant's firm. The addition to the American Institute of...

When income goes missing, lawyers start searching.
September 24, 2007... Byline: Heather Cole Blue Springs divorce attorney Jack Cochran warns his clients about SIDS. That's not the SIDS that might first come to mind: That's SIDS as in sudden income deficiency syndrome. It's what sometimes happens to the...

First steps for attorneys striking out on their own.
September 24, 2007... Byline: Bridget Heos Hanging a shingle is a dream for many attorneys, but it is also a gamble. Here's how some young attorneys struck out on their own or with a colleague -- without going broke. 1. Get the door; it's opportunity ...

Bar passage rates jump in Missouri.
September 24, 2007... Byline: Kelly Wiese and John DeMoor More than 90 percent of graduates at each of Missouri's law schools passed the July 2007 bar, according to data obtained by Missouri Lawyers Weekly. The overall pass rate for all applicants this year...