CVDL - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Paralegal / Legal Assistant
Carla is a Paralegal/Legal Assistant. She has considerable experience assisting attorneys in many of CVDL's practice areas, including litigation, probate and trust administration, estate planning, real estate, corporate and business transactions. Her responsibilities include drafting correspondence, wills, trusts, contracts, deeds, probate filings, and other documents as necessary. She is a direct point of contact for many probate and estate planning clients, and she works directly with other professionals, such as accountants, in probate and estate matters. She is also a notary.
After graduating from St. Elizabeth R-4 School in St. Elizabeth, Missouri, Carla spent one year in Washington, D.C. working for former U.S. Senator John C. Danforth. Upon her return to Missouri, she worked as a legal assistant at the Missouri Attorney General's Office before joining CVDL in 1982.
Outside of work Carla enjoys spending time with her family, watching the St. Louis Cardinals, and Kansas City Chiefs and shopping with her daughters. She currently serves on the parish council of St. Lawrence Catholic Church in St. Elizabeth, Missouri.
Dale has earned the respect of his clients, judges, and peers in the legal profession. As a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, he is recognized as being in the top one percent of the trial bar.
In 2020 he was recognized as one of Missouri's top personal injury attorneys with the Missouri Lawyers Weekly "Power 30 Personal Injury Attorneys" award, and in 2019 was honored with an ICON Award for notable and sustained success and leadership both within and beyond the field of law. He is a Missouri "Super Lawyer" and selected to "The Best Lawyers in America." Dale has consistently been awarded the AV® Preeminent™ rating from Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings, the highest rating certification for legal ability and ethical standards.
As his contribution to the betterment of the profession and to the promotion of equal justice under law, Dale has served in many leadership positions, including President of The Missouri Bar, President of the Cole County Bar, Delegate to the ABA House of Delegates, and Chair of the Missouri Judicial Performance Review Committee, to name just a few.
Dale is proud to be a "Mizzou Tiger" with both his undergraduate degree and law degree from the University of Missouri where he graduated with honors, Order of the Coif, and was Lead Articles Editor of the Missouri Law Review. He is a National Member of the Order of the Barristers and was a founding member of the Elwood L. Thomas American Inn of Court affiliated with the MU School of Law.
Always striving for a healthy work-life balance, Dale enjoys biking on the KATY Trail, hiking Missouri's beautiful state parks, and boating and fishing on the state's lakes and rivers. Dale and his wife, Ruth Ann, had three children: Heidi, Erica, and Stephen, all of whom are Missouri lawyers.
Attorney Dale C. Doerhoff is an accomplished trial lawyer and a strong and successful advocate for the interests of his clients. With a broad base of experience, he currently focuses on strategic advice and litigation solutions for complex business matters, personal injury and wrongful death, governmental issues, employment disputes, computer and data tampering, estates, and trusts.
Dana Burke is the firm's Office Manager and also a Paralegal/Legal Assistant. She has more than 35 years of administrative and legal experience.
In her role as Office Manager, she oversees day-to-day administrative functions including human resources, information systems, accounting, and records management.
In her role as a Paralegal/Legal Assistant she drafts correspondence, wills, powers of attorney, deeds, LLC documents, annual reports for corporations, reaffirmation agreements, proofs of claim and other documents as requested.
Dana has an Associate of Arts degree in Business Administration. She is active in community service and has served on the board of the Cole Chapter of the Mizzou Alumni Association, the Scholarship Committee of Zonta, and the Advisory Board for Big Brothers Big Sisters. She is a member of the Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce and assists with fundraising activities for Calvary Lutheran High School.
Attorney Eric W. McDonnell assists a broad range of clients in litigation, appellate, real estate, and business matters. He enjoys solving complex and difficult legal issues as well as trial practice. Before joining CVDL in 2021, Eric worked for two years as an attorney with the Department of Revenue, where he handled dozens of appeals. Before that, he served as an assistant public defender in Miami-Dade County, Florida, managing a caseload of approximately 200 cases at any given time from arraignment to trial.
Job Titles:
- Attorney
- Vollet Recognized As a Power 30 Attorney in Commercial & Consumer Litigation
CVDL congratulates Heidi Doerhoff Vollet for being recognized by Missouri Lawyers Weekly for the fourth year running as a top 30 Missouri attorneys in Commercial & Consumer Litigation….
Attorney Heidi Doerhoff Vollet focuses on complex business and governmental-issues litigation, class actions, and appellate matters. She has extensive experience representing plaintiffs and defendants in both federal and state court, from state governmental and political entities, large and small businesses, and law firms, to individuals who have suffered loss or were otherwise wronged or sued for wrongdoing. She advises individuals on trust and estate matters and has assisted clients in successfully resolving litigated and contentious disputes.
Job Titles:
- Paralegal / Legal Assistant
Janie is a Paralegal/Legal Assistant with more than 25 years of experience. Since she joined CVDL in 2014, she has assisted in civil discovery, trials and trial preparation, exhibit coordination, and many motions and appellate briefs. Janie's responsibilities include preparing, coordinating, and analyzing legal documents such as pleadings, motions and affidavits, and discovery requests and responses. She manages and organizes documents, files, and databases associated with specific matters.
Janie holds a paralegal certificate and is a notary public. Before joining CVDL, she was employed for more than 15 years with the Missouri Attorney General's Office. Most of her time with the Attorney General's Office was spent working in the Division of Public Safety assisting with criminal prosecutions and sexual predator civil commitments.
Janie was raised in Rich Fountain and graduated from Fatima High School in Westphalia, Missouri. She enjoys cooking, hunting, fishing, watching Chiefs football, and spending time with her five grandkids. She is also active in Sacred Heart Parish in Rich Fountain.
Attorney Jean S. Feather practiced in the areas of estate planning and estate administration for 30 years at Goller & Feather, Attorneys & Counselors at Law. She brings to CVDL her extensive experience with trusts, wills, non-probate transfers, tax, real estate, family farms, and business entity formation, operation, and succession. Planning estates from simple to complex, Jean stays current and works with experts in the field to make the latest estate planning techniques available to you in mid-Missouri. Most importantly, she makes it understandable.
practiced in the areas of estate planning and estate administration for 30 years at Goller & Feather, Attorneys & Counselors at Law. She brings to CVDL her extensive experience with trusts, wills, non-probate transfers, tax, real estate, family farms, and business entity formation, operation, and succession. Planning estates from simple to complex, Jean stays current and works with experts in the field to make the latest estate planning techniques available to you in mid-Missouri. Most importantly, she makes it understandable.
Jean loves to answer clients' questions and talk through options. How are a will and a trust different? Should husband and wife each have a trust or would a joint trust be best? What are the pros and cons of an institutional trustee? Should your IRA be paid to a see-through trust? Do you need to take steps to avoid estate tax? Should you consider an ILIT or other irrevocable trust? How could a dynasty trust benefit your family? Do you need an LLC - or more than one? When is a beneficiary deed a good idea? Why would you give your great-aunt the power of appointment over your assets?
The answers to questions like these will save money, keep you out of probate, and make life better for your family. Planning beats reacting any day; and when it comes to your estate, planning makes a world of difference. One area where planning pays off is tax consequences. While always deferring to your tax advisor, Jean will use her experience in this area to ensure tax issues are spotted and addressed.
Some people put off estate planning because it seems depressing, but clients enjoy working with Jean. Her favorite saying is "Let's do this! Then you can relax and enjoy life!" Her favorite observation is "Blessed are those who plan, for they shall sleep like babies."
Jean and her husband, Tony, have two children and two grandchildren. Jean's hobbies are biking, hiking on her family farm, and playing with the world's most adorable grandchildren.
Education: B.J. (1979) and A.B. Political Science (1980) University of Missouri-Columbia; J.D., University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law (1990) (Journal of Dispute Resolution. Contributing author "Recent Developments: Uniform Arbitration Act, Modification of Arbitration Awards," 1989 Journal of Dispute Resolution 237). She proudly credits her long-time partner David R. Goller with being the best teacher an estate planner could ever have.
State and Community Involvement: Jean worked in the Missouri House of Representatives, Missouri Senate, Office of State Auditor, Office of Lieutenant Governor, and many campaigns. She has been a Jefferson City Breakfast Rotary member, Helias Music Boosters president, and Missouri 4-H Citizenship Workshop leader. She is a member of the Missouri Bar, the Cole County Bar, and Central Church. She does pro bono legal work for Samaritan Center clients. She received a News Tribune Readers' Choice Award for Attorney in 2009.
Attorney John D. Landwehr practices in the areas of LLC formation, commercial law, banking, real estate, and estate and succession planning. He also represents professionals in licensing matters. He enjoys solving problems so that his clients can be successful.
Attorney Shelly A. Kintzel focuses on employment law, administrative issues, appeals, and complex litigation. Her practice includes:
Helping businesses with employment issues such as defending against discrimination or wrongful termination claims, negotiating severance agreements, and enforcing non-compete agreements
Drafting employment policies and advising employers on best practices for compliance with laws such as ADAA, FMLA, FLSA, ADEA, and MHRA/Title VII
Defending attorneys and other licensed professionals against licensing board complaints or investigations