Best Lawyers 2018

The law can be a complicated and stressful topic, especially when you find yourself in a courtroom, so you want the most qualified attorney at your side. With this list of top local lawyers, find the expert who can help you navigate the system.

 

Methodology for Best Lawyers®

This list is excerpted from the 2018 edition of The Best Lawyers in America©, the pre-eminent referral guide to the legal profession in the United States. Published since 1983, Best Lawyers lists attorneys in 140 specialties, representing all 50 states, who have been chosen through an exhaustive survey in which thousands of the nation’s top lawyers confidentially evaluate their professional peers. The 2018 edition of Best Lawyers is based on more than 6.7 million evaluations of lawyers by other lawyers.

The method used to compile Best Lawyers remains unchanged since the first edition was compiled more than 30 years ago. Lawyers are chosen for inclusion based solely on the vote of their peers.

Listings cannot be bought, and no purchase is required to be included. In this regard, Best Lawyers remains the gold standard of reliability and integrity in lawyer ratings.

The nomination pool for the 2018 edition consisted of all lawyers whose names appeared in the previous edition of Best Lawyers, lawyers who were nominated since the previous survey, and new nominees solicited from listed attorneys. In general, lawyers were asked to vote only on nominees in their own specialty in their own jurisdiction. Lawyers in closely related specialties were asked to vote across specialties, as were lawyers in smaller jurisdictions. Where specialties are national or international in nature, lawyers were asked to vote nationally as well as locally. Voting lawyers were also given an opportunity to offer more detailed comments on nominees. Each year, half of the voting pool receives fax or email ballots; the other half is polled by phone.

Voting lawyers were provided this general guideline for determining if a nominee should be listed among “the best”: “If you had a close friend or relative who needed a real estate lawyer (for example), and you could not handle the case yourself, to whom would you refer them?” All votes and comments were solicited with a guarantee of confidentiality — a critical factor in the viability and validity of Best Lawyers’ surveys. To ensure the rigor of the selection process, lawyers were urged to use only their highest standards when voting, and to evaluate each nominee based only on his or her individual merits. The additional comments were used to make more accurate comparisons between voting patterns and weight votes accordingly. Best Lawyers uses various methodological tools to identify and correct for anomalies in both the nomination and voting process.

Ultimately, of course, a lawyer’s inclusion is based on the subjective judgments of his or her fellow attorneys. While it is true that the lists may at times disproportionately reward visibility or popularity, the breadth of the survey, the candor of the respondents, and the sophistication of the polling methodology largely correct for any biases.

For all these reasons, Best Lawyers lists continue to represent the most reliable, accurate and useful guide to the best lawyers in the United States available anywhere.

 

Appellate Practice

James E. Meadows

Lathrop Gage

910 E. Saint Louis St., Suite 100, Springfield

417-886-2000

 

Richard L. Schnake 

The Law Firm of Neale & Newman, LLP

American National Center, Building One, 1949 E. Sunshine St., Suite 130 Springfield

417-882-9090

 

Arbitration

John C. Holstein

John C. Holstein Premier Law

850 E. Sterling Ridge Court, Springfield

417-894-3953

 

Michael J. Patton

Turner, Reid, Duncan, Loomer & Patton, PC

1355 E. Bradford Parkway, Suite A, Springfield

417-883-2102

 

Banking and Finance Law

Lee Viorel

Lowther Johnson Attorneys at Law, LLC

901 E. Saint Louis St., 20th Floor, Springfield

417-866-7777

 

Randell D. Wallace

Lathrop Gage

910 E. Saint Louis St., Suite 100, Springfield

417-886-2000

 

Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law

Kevin Checkett

Checkett & Pauly, PC

517 S. Main St., Carthage

417-358-4049

 

Dan R. Nelson 

Lathrop Gage

910 E. Saint Louis St., Suite 100, Springfield

417-886-2000

 

David Schroeder

David Schroeder Law Offices, PC

1524 E. Primrose St., Suite A, Springfield

417-890-1000

 

Lee Viorel

Lowther Johnson Attorneys at Law, LLC

901 E. Saint Louis St., 20th Floor, Springfield

417-866-7777

 

Commercial Litigation

Frank M. Evans III

Lathrop Gage

910 E. Saint Louis St., Suite 100, Springfield

417-886-2000

 

Virginia L. Fry

Husch Blackwell

901 Saint Louis St., Suite 1800, Springfield

417-268-4000

 

Randy P. Scheer

Sanders Warren Russell & Scheer LLP

American National Center 2-102

1949 E. Sunshine St., Springfield

417-281-5101

 

Construction Law

Michael D. Textor

Lathrop Gage

910 E. Saint Louis St., Suite 100, Springfield

417-886-2000

 

Corporate Governance Law

David C. Agee

Husch Blackwell

901 Saint Louis St., Suite 1800, Springfield

417-268-4000

 

Corporate Law

David C. Agee

Husch Blackwell

901 Saint Louis St., Suite 1800, Springfield

417-268-4000

 

Dwayne A. Fulk

Lathrop Gage

910 E. Saint Louis St., Suite 100, Springfield

417-886-2000

 

 

Criminal Defense: General Practice

Shane Cantin 

Carver, Cantin and Mynarich LLC

901 E. Saint Louis St., Suite 1600, Springfield

417-831-6363

 

Thomas D. Carver

Carver, Cantin and Mynarich LLC

901 E. Saint Louis St., Suite 1600, Springfield

417-831-6363

 

Joseph S. Passanise

The Law Offices of Dee Wampler and Joseph Passanise

2974 E. Battlefield Road, Springfield

417-882-9300

 

Bert Twibell

Twibell Johnson

Trial Attorneys Hammons Tower, 901 E. Saint Louis St., Suite 1600, Springfield

417-862-1741

 

Dee Wampler

The Law Offices of Dee Wampler and Joseph Passanise

2974 E. Battlefield Road, Springfield

417-882-9300

 

Criminal Defense: White-Collar

Shane Cantin

Carver, Cantin and Mynarich LLC

901 E. Saint Louis St., Suite 1600, Springfield

417-831-6363

 

Thomas D. Carver

Carver, Cantin and Mynarich LLC

901 E. Saint Louis St., Suite 1600, Springfield

417-831-6363

 

Joseph S. Passanise

The Law Offices of Dee Wampler and Joseph Passanise

2974 E. Battlefield Road, Springfield

417-882-9300

 

Dee Wampler

The Law Offices of Dee Wampler and Joseph Passanise

2974 E. Battlefield Road, Springfield

417-882-9300

 

DUI/DWI Defense

Shane Cantin

Carver, Cantin and Mynarich LLC

901 E. Saint Louis St., Suite 1600, Springfield

417-831-6363

 

Joseph S. Passanise

The Law Offices of Dee Wampler and Joseph Passanise

2974 E. Battlefield Road, Springfield

417-882-9300

 

Adam Woody 

The Law Office of Adam Woody

2121 S. Eastgate Ave., Springfield

417-720-4800

 

Employment Law - Individuals

Tina G. Fowler

Baird, Lightner, Millsap, P.C.

1901 S. Ventura Ave., Suite C, Springfield

417-887-0133

 

Employment Law - Management

Jay M. Dade

Polsinelli PC

900 W. 48th Place, Suite 900, Kansas City

816-360-4196

(Editor’s Note: Jay M. Dade moved to Kansas City from Springfield but still has some clients in Springfield.)

 

Virginia L. Fry

Husch Blackwell

901 Saint Louis St., Suite 1800, Springfield

417-268-4000

 

Equipment Finance Law

David C. Agee

Husch Blackwell

901 Saint Louis St., Suite 1800, Springfield

417-268-4000

 

Family Law

Ron Baird

Baird Lightner Millsap, P.C.

1901 S. Ventura Ave., Suite C, Springfield

417-887-0133

 

Lisa Ghan Blumenstock 

Lisa Ghan Blumenstock, Attorney at Law, LLC

1903 E. Battlefield Road, Springfield

417-863-6400

 

Shane Cantin

Carver, Cantin and Mynarich LLC

901 E. Saint Louis St., Suite 1600, Springfield

417-831-6363

 

Mark J. Millsap 

Baird Lightner Millsap, PC

1901 S. Ventura Ave., Suite C, Springfield

417-887-0133

 

John S. Pratt

Pratt & Grisham, LLC

3432 S. Culpepper Court, Suite A, Springfield

417-883-8200

 

F. Richard Van Pelt

Van Pelt & Van Pelt, PC

1524 E. Primrose St., Suite A, Springfield

417-886-9080

 

Roy E. Williams, Jr.

Henry & Williams PC

1207 Porter Wagoner Blvd., West Plains

417-256-8133

 

Family Law Mediation

Lisa Ghan Blumenstock

Lisa Ghan Blumenstock, Attorney at Law

1903 E. Battlefield Road, Springfield

417-863-6400

 

Insurance Law

Jeff Bauer

Strong-Garner-Bauer PC

415 E. Chestnut Expressway, Springfield

417-887-4300

 

Steve Garner

Strong-Garner-Bauer PC

415 E. Chestnut Expressway, Springfield

417-887-4300

 

Brian Malkmus

Malkmus Law Firm LLC

305 Park Central West, Springfield

417-447-5000

 

Michael J. Patton

Turner, Reid, Duncan, Loomer & Patton, PC

1355 E. Bradford Parkway, Suite A, Springfield

417-883-2102

 

John Wooddell

Bruer Wooddell & Harrell, PC

2838 S. Ingram Mill Road, Springfield

417-887-2740

 

Labor Law - Management

Jay M. Dade

Polsinelli PC

900 W. 48th Place, Suite 900, Kansas City

816-360-4196

(Editor’s Note: Jay M. Dade moved to Kansas City from Springfield but still has some clients in Springfield.)

 

Land Use and Zoning Law

Randell D. Wallace

Lathrop Gage

910 E. Saint Louis St., Suite 100, Springfield

417-886-2000

 

Legal Malpractice Law - Defendants

Kent O. Hyde

Hyde, Love & Overby, LLP

1121 S. Glenstone Ave., Springfield

417-831-4046

 

Litigation - Banking and Finance

Lee Viorel

Lowther Johnson Attorneys at Law, LLC

901 E. Saint Louis St., 20th Floor, Springfield

417-866-7777

 

Litigation - Bankruptcy

J. Kevin Checkett

Checkett & Pauly, P.C.

517 S. Main St., Carthage

417-358-4049

 

Lee Viorel

Lowther Johnson Attorneys at Law, LLC

901 E. Saint Louis St., 20th Floor, Springfield

417-866-7777

 

Litigation - Construction

Michael D. Textor

Lathrop Gage

910 E. Saint Louis St., Suite 100, Springfield

417-886-2000

 

Litigation - Health Care

Joseph Reid

Lathrop Gage

910 E. Saint Louis St., Suite 100, Springfield

417-886-2000

 

Litigation - Labor and Employment

Jay M. Dade

Polsinelli PC

900 W. 48th Place, Suite 900, Kansas City

816-360-4196

(Editor’s Note: Jay M. Dade moved to Kansas City from Springfield but still has some clients in Springfield.)

 

Virginia L. Fry

Husch Blackwell

901 Saint Louis St., Suite 1800, Springfield

417-268-4000

 

Litigation - Real Estate

James E. Meadows

Lathrop Gage

910 E. Saint Louis St., Suite 100, Springfield

417-886-2000

 

Litigation - Securities

Joseph D. “Chip” Sheppard III  

Carnahan, Evans, Cantwell & Brown

2805 S. Ingram Mill Road, Springfield

417-447-4400

 

Media Law

Bryan O. Wade

Husch Blackwell

901 Saint Louis St., Suite 1800, Springfield

417-268-4000

 

Mediation

John C. Holstein

John C. Holstein Premier Law

850 E. Sterling Ridge Court, Springfield

417-894-3953

 

Michael J. Patton

Turner, Reid, Duncan, Loomer & Patton, PC

1355 E. Bradford Parkway, Suite A, Springfield

417-883-2102

 

Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants

Monte P. Clithero

Taylor, Stafford, Clithero & Harris, LLP

3315 E. Ridgeview St., Suite 1000, Springfield

417-887-2020

 

Kent O. Hyde

Hyde, Love & Overby, LLP

1121 S. Glenstone Ave., Springfield

417-831-4046

 

Brian Malkmus

Malkmus Law Firm LLC

305 Park Central West, Springfield

417-447-5000

 

Joseph Reid

Lathrop Gage

910 E. Saint Louis St., Suite 100, Springfield

417-886-2000

 

Randy P. Scheer

Sanders Warren Russell & Scheer

American National Center 2-102, 1949 E. Sunshine St., Springfield

417-281-5101

 

Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs

Neil Chanter

Strong-Garner-Bauer PC

415 E. Chestnut Expressway, Springfield

417-887-4300

 

Steve Garner

Strong-Garner-Bauer PC

415 E. Chestnut Expressway, Springfield

417-887-4300

 

 

H. Lynn Henry

Henry & Williams, PC

1207 Porter Wagoner Blvd., West Plains

417-256-8133

 

Roger Johnson

Johnson, Vorhees & Martucci

510 W. Sixth St., Joplin

417-206-0100

 

Craig Oliver

The Law Offices of PalmerOliver, PC

431 S. Jefferson Ave., Suite 120, Springfield

417-865-3234

 

Mortgage Banking Foreclosure Law

Lee Viorel

Lowther Johnson Attorneys at Law, LLC

901 E. Saint Louis St., 20th Floor, Springfield

417-866-7777

 

Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants

Monte P. Clithero

Taylor, Stafford, Clithero & Harris, LLP

3315 E. Ridgeview St., Suite 1000, Springfield

417-887-2020

 

Rodney E. Loomer

Turner, Reid, Duncan, Loomer & Patton, PC

1355 E. Bradford Parkway, Suite A, Springfield

417-883-2102

 

Cara R. Rose

Wallace Saunders Attorneys At Law

844 E. Primrose St., Springfield

417-866-2300

 

Randy P. Scheer

Sanders Warren Russell & Scheer

American National Center 2-102, 1949 E. Sunshine St., Springfield

417-281-5101

 

Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs

Jeff Bauer

Strong-Garner-Bauer PC

415 E. Chestnut Expressway, Springfield

417-887-4300

 

Neil Chanter

Strong-Garner-Bauer PC

415 E. Chestnut Expressway, Springfield

417-887-4300

 

Steve Garner

Strong-Garner-Bauer PC

415 E. Chestnut Expressway, Springfield

417-887-4300

 

Steven D. Harrell

Bruer Wooddell & Harrell, PC

2838 S. Ingram Mill Road, Springfield

417-887-2740

 

H. Lynn Henry

Henry & Williams, PC

1207 Porter Wagoner Blvd., West Plains

417-256-8133

 

Ed Hershewe

The Hershewe Law Firm PC

431 S. Virginia Ave., Joplin

417-782-3790

 

Roger Johnson

Johnson, Vorhees & Martucci

510 W. Sixth St., Joplin

417-206-0100

 

Kurt Larson

Larson Law

3331 E. Ridgeview St., Springfield

417-890-6677

 

John R. Lightner

Baird Lightner Millsap, PC

1901 S. Ventura Ave., Suite C, Springfield

417-887-0133

 

Craig Oliver

The Law Offices of PalmerOliver, PC

431 S. Jefferson Ave., Suite 120, Springfield

417-865-3234

 

Robert M. N. Palmer

The Law Offices of PalmerOliver, PC

431 S. Jefferson Ave., Suite 120, Springfield

417-865-3234

 

Fred Spigarelli

The Spigarelli Law Firm

515 N. Broadway St., Pittsburg, Kansas

620-231-1290

(Editor’s Note: Fred Spigarelli was voted onto this list by his peers, but does not currently have any clients in 417-land.)

 

Product Liability Litigation - Defendants

Kent O. Hyde 

Hyde, Love & Overby, LLP

1121 S. Glenstone Ave., Springfield

417-831-4046

 

Rodney E. Loomer

Turner, Reid, Duncan, Loomer & Patton, PC

1355 E. Bradford Parkway, Suite A, Springfield

417-883-2102

 

Brian Malkmus

Malkmus Law Firm LLC

305 Park Central West, Springfield

417-447-5000

 

Michael J. Patton

Turner, Reid, Duncan, Loomer & Patton, PC

1355 E. Bradford Parkway, Suite A, Springfield

417-883-2102

 

Joseph Reid

Lathrop Gage

910 E. Saint Louis St., Suite 100, Springfield

417-886-2000

 

Randy P. Scheer

Sanders Warren Russell & Scheer

American National Center 2-102, 1949 E. Sunshine St., Springfield

417-281-5101

 

Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs

Jeff Bauer

Strong-Garner-Bauer PC

415 E. Chestnut Expressway, Springfield

417-887-4300

 

Neil Chanter

Strong-Garner-Bauer PC

415 E. Chestnut Expressway, Springfield

417-887-4300

 

Steve Garner

Strong-Garner-Bauer PC

415 E. Chestnut Expressway, Springfield

417-887-4300

 

Steven D. Harrell

Bruer Wooddell & Harrell, PC

2838 S. Ingram Mill Road, Springfield

417-887-2740

 

Roger Johnson

Johnson, Vorhees & Martucci

510 W. Sixth St., Joplin

417-206-0100

 

Robert M. N. Palmer

The Law Offices of PalmerOliver, PC

431 S. Jefferson Ave., Suite 120, Springfield

417-865-3234

 

Real Estate Law

Brett W. Roubal

Baird Lightner Millsap, P.C.

1901 S. Ventura Ave., Suite C, Springfield

417-887-0133

 

Michael D. Textor

Lathrop Gage

910 E. Saint Louis St., Suite 100, Springfield

417-886-2000

 

Randell D. Wallace

Lathrop Gage

910 E. Saint Louis St., Suite 100, Springfield

417-886-2000

 

Trusts and Estates

Fred L. Hall

Hall Ansley PC

3275 E. Ridgeview St., Springfield

417-890-8700

 

J. Richard Owensby

The Law Firm of Neale & Newman, LLP

American National Center, Building One, 1949 E. Sunshine St., Suite 130, Springfield

417-882-9090

 

Thomas D. Peebles, Jr.

Carnahan, Evans, Cantwell & Brown

2805 S. Ingram Mill Road, Springfield

417-447-4400

 

Gary A. Powell

Spencer Fane LLP

2144 E. Republic Road, Suite B300, Springfield

417-888-1000

 

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Credit

The Best Lawyers in America© is published by Woodward/White Inc., Aiken, S.C. and can be ordered directly from the publisher. For information call 803-648-0300; write 237 Park Ave., SW, Suite 101, Aiken, S.C. 29801; email info@bestlawyers.com; or visit bestlawyers.com.

An online subscription to Best Lawyers® is available at bestlawyers.com.

 

Disclaimer and Copyright

Woodward/White Inc. has used its best efforts in assembling material for this list but does not warrant that the information contained herein is complete or accurate, and does not assume, and hereby disclaims, any liability to any person for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions herein whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause. All listed attorneys have been verified as being members in good standing with their respective state bar associations as of July 1, 2015, where that information is publicly available.

Consumers should contact their state bar association for verification and additional information prior to securing legal services of any attorney.

Copyright 2015 by Woodward/White Inc., Aiken, S.C. All rights reserved. This list, or parts thereof, must not be reproduced in any form without permission. No commercial use of this list may be made without permission of Woodward/White Inc. No fees may be charged, directly or indirectly, for the use of this list without permission.

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