Lewis Rice LLC

Firm Details: 

Firm Chairman, St Louis: Richard B Walsh, Jr.

Managing Partner, Kansas City: Thomas M Martin

Firm Overview:  

The law firm of Lewis Rice LLC traces its history to the 1909 founding of Lewis & Rice in St. Louis and the 1948 founding of Brown, Koralchik & Fingersh in Kansas City, Missouri. The two firms merged in 1989 to form the present organization, which now maintains offices in Kansas City, St. Louis, Jefferson City, Town and Country and Washington, Missouri; Overland Park, Kansas; and Edwardsville, Illinois. With more than 150 lawyers practicing in all major legal specialty areas, Lewis Rice is a leading regional firm with a broad base of national clients. Lewis Rice’s lawyers draw upon their talents in such diverse areas as antitrust, corporate, healthcare, information technology, intellectual property, labor and employment, litigation, tax and estate planning, and real estate, among others.

Main Areas of Practice:  

Corporate/Business, Tax & Estate Planning:  

The firm’s corporate practice encompasses many disciplines, including banking, securities, corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, healthcare, bankruptcy, closely-held businesses, employee benefits, and e-commerce. The firm serves the diverse needs of public and private businesses of all sizes and in all industries. The attorneys in the firm’s tax department handle a variety of federal, state, and local matters involving tax planning and tax disputes. The firm’s estate planning attorneys advise clients regarding individual tax and estate planning, prenuptial agreements, charitable giving, and intrafamily wealth transfers.

Contacts: 

St Louis: John C Bodnar

Kansas City: Lori Gregory

Litigation & Labor: 

The firm’s litigation department represents clients in all types of commercial disputes, including claims brought under general contract law, business tort law, insurance policies, the Uniform Commercial Code, federal and state securities laws, lender liability, and class action representations. The department has extensive experience in complex litigation, which often requires in-depth review and analysis of thousands of documents, and in alternative dispute resolution techniques. The labor and employment group represents management in employment-related litigation in federal and state courts in actions involving Title VII, the ADA, the ADEA, ERISA, the FMLA, the PDA, state anti-discrimination statutes, and various state law theories, such as wrongful discharge claims and non-competition disputes.

Contacts: 

St Louis: Neal F Perryman

Kansas City: Scott A. Wissel

Real Estate: 

The firm’s real estate practice includes representation of lenders, developers, institutional investors, contractors, architects, investment advisors, mortgage bankers, brokers, and tenants. The department has extensive experience in financing, development, acquisition, joint ventures, taxation, leasing, environmental law, zoning, and work-outs, involving complex, large-scale transactions of all kinds and in nearly every state, as well as several foreign countries. A significant number of attorneys within the department have been recognized by inclusion in, for example, the American College of Real Estate Lawyers, and several leading legal publications, as well as being called upon to teach their specialty at area law schools.

Contacts:  

St Louis: Jacob W Reby

Kansas City: Paul B Torline