BAKER STERCHI - Key Persons
Amy manages our St. Louis and Illinois offices. You can contact Amy at 314.345.5004.
Job Titles:
- Director of Business Initiatives
Doug oversees special projects and business initiatives in all of our offices. You can contact Doug at 816.471.2121.
Job Titles:
- Director of Information Technology
Eric oversees IT staff and computer resources in all of our offices. You can contact Eric at 816.471.2121.
Job Titles:
- Member / St. Louis, Missouri
Jennifer Maloney's practice is focused on civil litigation defense, primarily in the areas of premises liability, product liability, personal injury and transportation. She is also experienced in toxic tort, pharmaceutical liability, complex and class action litigation, construction litigation, and nursing home litigation.
Experienced working with in-house counsel, claims adjusters, third-party administrators, business owners and risk managers, Jennifer represents a variety of clients in the construction, healthcare, insurance, manufacturing, pharmaceutical and transportation industries in federal and state courts across Missouri and Illinois. For the last several years she has defended a major trucking company in personal injury and broker liability cases.
Jennifer is a past president of the St. Clair County Illinois Bar Association. She is also an active member of the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis.
Job Titles:
- Member / St. Louis, Missouri
A former General Attorney at Union Pacific Railroad Company for nearly 12 years, John Lord has successfully litigated personal injury, fatality and property damage cases filed against numerous railroads in state and federal courts. John has served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Saint Louis University, teaching Trial Advocacy to third-year law students.
Prior to joining Union Pacific, John served as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney in St. Louis County for 14 years. He prosecuted high-profile criminal cases including homicides, narcotics cases, white-collar crime and political corruption cases. During that time, John was appointed to serve as a Special Assistant Attorney General and he taught at the Trial Advocacy School for Prosecuting Attorneys at the University of Missouri School of Law. He began his career as a Law Clerk for all of the Circuit Judges in St. Louis County, and has tried over 75 jury trials and hundreds of bench trials to completion.
Job Titles:
- Administrative Staff Member
- Executive Director
Karen oversees administration in all of our offices. You can contact Karen at 816.
Job Titles:
- Member / Belleville, Illinois
- Member of the Practices
Laura Beasley is an effective litigation attorney successfully representing individuals, institutions and corporate clients for over 18 years. She has undertaken over 40 jury trials in both state and federal courts and has represented clients at all phases of litigation, from pre-suit assessment and negotiation to ADR, trial and appellate level work.
Laura has earned the loyalty of her clients. She represents companies in the manufacturing, insurance, transportation, pharmaceutical, and medical device industries.
Laura likes to spend her time away from the office with her husband and is her children's biggest fan. She also enjoys running, yoga, golf and cooking for family and friends.
Lori oversees marketing initiatives in all of our offices. You can contact Lori at 816.471.2121.
Job Titles:
- Member / Belleville, Illinois
Meghan C. Kane focuses her practice on trials involving complex business litigation matters, including toxic torts. She is national asbestos and toxic tort counsel for a leading provider of merchandise displays, refrigeration systems, and installation services to food retailers.
Meghan has experience in pre-trial, trial and post-trial proceedings. She also has appellate experience in the Illinois Appellate Courts for the 4th and 5th Districts and the United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit.
Job Titles:
- Member / St. Louis, Missouri
Mike Hunter likes to try cases. To date he has tried over two dozen of them, almost all of those to a jury. His trials include disputes over business relationships, insurance contracts, personal injury and property damage.
His trial work has earned him the recognition of his peers. He has been invited to join various honorary trial lawyer societies, one of which invites only one half of one percent American lawyers. In addition he has been asked by his peers to speak on a variety of litigation related topics.
Mike's work has also earned him the loyalty of his clients. He currently serves as Regional Trial Counsel for a Fortune 100 heavy equipment manufacturer, and represents various clients in courts throughout the Midwest. Mike's clients include companies in the manufacturing, insurance, utility, transportation and healthcare industries. Outside of the courtroom, he has developed risk management and mitigation policies and procedures for his clients.
Job Titles:
- of Counsel
- of Counsel / St. Louis, Missouri
The Honorable Michael David is a former Circuit Judge of the 22nd Judicial Circuit in Missouri with more than forty years of experience. Judge David offers mediation services spanning all areas of dispute. This work is an extension of his years of courtroom experience, as well as his interest in promoting the benefits of alternative dispute resolution. He also offers litigation consultation services.
Prior to his appointment to the bench, Judge David tried numerous jury trials during his time as an assistant public defender and, later, while in private practice. At the same time he was practicing with his firm, he also served as a member of the Missouri House of Representatives. While in the House, Judge David served on various committees and chaired the House Committee on Municipal Corporations. In 1989, during his fourth term in office, he was appointed by the Governor to be an Associate Circuit Judge, and then a Circuit Judge less than four years later. Judge David presided over many of the Circuit's lengthy and more complex cases and served as the Circuit's Presiding Judge from 2003-2004 after serving as the President of Missouri's Circuit Judge's Association (2000-2001).
Since re-entering private practice, the breadth and depth of Judge David's experience has given him a unique perspective in his current work as a mediator, arbitrator, special master and trial consultant.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate / St. Louis, Missouri
Rebecca Guntli focuses her practice in litigation with an emphasis in insurance defense in product liability, premises liability, personal injury claims, and coverage cases. She has experience representing clients at all stages of litigation, including pre-trial strategy, motion practice, written discovery, depositions, and trial.
Rebecca previously practiced at civil litigation firms in St. Louis where she focused on insurance defense, and clerked with one of the top plaintiff's firm known for its medical malpractice work.
While attending law school, Rebecca exhibited the same level of dedication and excellence that she brings to her cases today. She was a recipient of the Dagen Public Interest Fellowship, inducted into the Alpha Sigma Nu Jesuit Honor Society, and served as a teaching assistant for her Legal Research and Writing professor. Rebecca also obtained her health law concentration while attending law school and was a lead editor for the Saint Louis University Journal of Health Law & Policy.
Job Titles:
- Senior Counsel
- Senior Counsel / St. Louis, Missouri
Steve Sanders' practice has included trying cases, arguing appeals and supervising litigation in diverse courts from Vermont to California, and has included arguments before the Seventh, Eighth and Ninth U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals and the Appellate and Supreme Courts of Missouri and Illinois. Over the course of his career, he has tried more than 60 cases to verdict, with some lasting several months. Among these trials was the successful defense of a major U.S. brokerage company against fraud and conspiracy charges in federal court, the successful defense of a well-known food products franchise in a breach of contract action, the successful defense of many product liability cases on behalf of auto manufacturers, equipment manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies, the successful defense of a top life insurance company in federal court based upon the insured's misrepresentation of his medical condition, and serving as special counsel to a leading company in mass asbestos litigation. He has also obtained, on the eve of trial, summary judgment on behalf of a major financial institution in the first case alleging redlining against the institution.
Steve practices principally in the areas of business and product liability litigation. In addition to the state and federal courts of both Missouri and Illinois, he regularly handled cases throughout the Midwest in his role as Regional Trial Counsel for a Fortune 100 manufacturer. He has previously served as National Coordinating and Trial Counsel for a Fortune 100 company in welding fumes litigation and in truck engine litigation, consistently earning high rankings from the company's litigation department for responsiveness, economic efficiency, and value for the dollar.
In addition to his litigation practice, Steve is also a certified mediator, having studied mediation methods through the University of Missouri School of Law at Kansas City. He brings his extensive background managing and trying cases, and arguing appeals across the country to the St. Louis area and the Midwest as a mediator for a variety of matters, from personal injury and product liability to commercial litigation.
For over 35 years, Steve has been chosen by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® in Commercial Litigation, Personal Injury Litigation and Product Liability Litigation. He also received the honor of being selected "Lawyer of the Year" for Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants in 2013 and Product Liability Litigation -Defendants in 2014 for the St. Louis metropolitan area. Additionally, he has been chosen for inclusion in Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers in the areas of Personal Injury Defense, Product Liability Defense, and Commercial Litigation for over 10 years.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate / Kansas City, Missouri
Teresa Hurla's practice is focused on civil defense litigation, with an emphasis in the areas of products liability and personal injury.
As a former Division I student-athlete, Teresa's work ethic, discipline, and competitive spirit translate well to law. She values relationships and enjoys strategizing to help clients find solutions to complex legal issues.
Teresa received her Juris Doctor from Washburn University School of Law where she competed as a member of the Texas Young Lawyers Association trial team and the school's voir dire competition team. She also served as a structured study group leader for first semester students.
In her free time, Teresa enjoys running, traveling, attending sporting events, and spending time outside with her husband and their dog, Halpert.
Job Titles:
- Senior Counsel
- Fellow of the Litigation Counsel
Ted Williams has spent his entire professional life as a trial attorney. His trial experience includes the defense of railroad, aviation, medical malpractice, product liability, personal injury, toxic tort and admiralty cases. He began the practice of law in 1974 as a Prosecutor in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Over the years, he has tried over 200 jury trials.
Ted received national recognition as lead trial counsel in the successful defense of Kimberly-Clark Corporation in that company's first toxic shock syndrome trial (Stanley v. Kimberly-Clark Corporation), for a defense verdict in the first product liability case tried nationwide on the issue of seat restraint devices in underground mining vehicles (Poston v. S & S Corporation, a division of Ingersoll-Rand) and for a defense verdict in the first case tried by the railroad industry regarding the alleged development of carpal tunnel syndrome in locomotive engineers (Pryor v National Railroad Passenger Corporation). He also successfully defended Wabash National Corporation in patent claims regarding the company's innovative trailer wall design called DuraPlate (Fruehauf de Mexico v. Wabash National Corporation). Additionally, over the years, many of his trials have been listed among the top defense verdicts in the State of Missouri by Missouri Lawyers Weekly.
While his trial practice has primarily been in high-exposure jury cases in Missouri and Illinois, to include Madison and St. Clair Counties, he regularly defends corporations and insurance companies throughout the Midwest. This includes cases from Colorado and Oklahoma to Indiana and from Minnesota to Arkansas.
In a number of instances, Ted has been asked to enter his appearance as lead trial counsel on cases already pending in our jurisdictions. Most recently, this has occurred in Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Kentucky. He also serves as National Counsel on railroad litigation for a Fortune 100 corporation, as Regional Counsel for a number of major corporations with responsibility for litigated matters throughout the Midwest, and as outside litigation counsel for shortline railroads in Kansas and Oklahoma. Ted has also represented the Canadian Province of Ontario.
Ted is a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, has been elected to the rank of Advocate in the American Board of Trial Advocates and has also been elected to membership in the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel as well as the International Association of Defense Counsel. Since 1994, Ted has been listed in two categories in The Best Lawyers in America® (Railroad Law and Personal Injury Litigation) and in Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers. He has also been included in Super Lawyers Business Edition, a national recognition of top attorneys in business-related fields, for his civil litigation work.
Ted Williams was commissioned in 1969 through the Army ROTC Program at Purdue University. He served three years on active duty as a Line Officer, ultimately commanding an Armored Cavalry Troop of the 9thCavalry. While in the Reserves, he commanded an Infantry Company, as well as the Combat Support Company of an Infantry Battalion. He also served in various staff positions, both as an Operations and as an Intelligence Officer at Battalion and Brigade level. He left the service as a Captain in 1980. In 1990 he applied for a Commission in the Judge Advocate General Corps. Ted's most recent assignment was as Chief of Criminal Law for the United States Army Air Defense Artillery Center at Ft. Bliss, Texas. In 2007 he retired from the Army with the Rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
Ted's military education includes the Armor Officer Basic Course at Fort Knox, Kentucky; Ranger and Airborne training at Fort Benning, Georgia; The Judge Advocate General Corps Officer Advance Course at Charlottesville, Virginia; and the United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
He has been inducted into the Purdue University ROTC Hall of Fame which honors those graduates who have distinguished themselves through service to the nation, their community and as outstanding leaders in business, government or other professional fields.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director of Public Relations / Memberships & Activities