MESSER STRICKLER - Key Persons
Mr. Marees is an experienced litigator, having successfully tried more than thirty cases to jury verdict. He practices across a number of the Firm's groups, and actively represents attorneys, law firms, financial institutions, and other companies in financial services and commercial litigation matters. He also assists his clients with contractual disputes, with a focus on representing restaurants, trucking companies, construction companies, and other small businesses in enforcing their interests. Mr. Marees also has experience representing commercial landlords in real estate disputes.
Joseph S. Messer provides comprehensive legal representation to businesses of all sizes. He leads the Firm's commercial transactions and real estate practice groups, providing his clients with the benefit of his substantial experience in complex transactional matters. He also brings to his practice decades of experience in litigation complex and high-stakes commercial matters, providing his clients with a depth of knowledge few firms can offer.
Joseph Messer and Nicole Strickler founded Messer Strickler, Ltd. in Chicago, Illinois as a boutique law firm dedicated to meeting the transactional and litigation needs of business in the Midwest and across the country. Driven by a belief that hard work, an entrepreneurial spirit, and a client-focused approach delivers top-notch results for a reasonable cost, the Firm has experienced steady growth since its inception, providing consistent representation to its clients and a dynamic work environment to its team members. In 2018, Lauren Burnette joined the Firm as a partner and opened its Jacksonville, Florida office, expanding the Firm's practice footprint into the Southeast and the mid-Atlantic. The Firm has since added additional offices in Sacramento, California and Kansas City, Kansas, and its attorneys are licensed in more than 30 state and federal courts across the country.
Katherine M. Olson leads the Firm's Kansas City, Kansas office, bringing the benefits of MSB's expertise to businesses throughout the Midwest. Ms. Olson's practice focuses on business and commercial litigation, with an emphasis on defendant claims under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Lauren M. Burnette devotes her practice to representing companies on all levels of the financial services industry. Every day, her clients face new challenges-with constantly evolving laws, regulations, industry practices and judicial interpretations, Ms. Burnette embraces the challenge of helping her clients stay ahead of the curve. With more than 15 years' experience in civil litigation and financial services compliance, Ms. Burnette gives each client the personal attention and dedication they deserve, regardless of whether they face a small claim lawsuit or a complex nationwide class action.
In addition to her litigation practice, Ms. Burnette provides her clients with a range of compliance and business management services in order to reduce their litigation risk profile. She offers services ranging from risk assessment and remediation, external auditing assistance, employee training, preparation and review of policy documents, and litigation management and oversight. She helps her clients navigate the difficulties of state and federal regulatory investigations and enforcement matters, and provides the guidance needed to reduce both the impact of such events and the likelihood of future investigations. She is a frequent presenter at industry events, and a regular contributor to a number of financial services and industry publications.
Luke K. Chamberlain focuses his practice on commercial transactions and intellectual property litigation. As the former Editor-In-Chief for the John Marshall Law School Review of Intellectual Property Law, Mr. Chamberlain's interest in the evolving field of intellectual property law keeps MSB on the cutting edge of issues affecting the Firm's clients.
Mr. Chamberlain also supports the Firm's commercial and financial services groups, where his acumen for intellectual property lends itself to the Firm's representation of fintech companies and the businesses who service such companies. He plays an instrumental role in record development and e-discovery issues.
Maureen B. Walsh adds to the Firm's depth of experience by contributing her years of experience litigating all facets of consumer financial services disputes. Having previously stood in many of her clients' shoes, Ms. Walsh provides diligent and individualized representation to the attorneys, law firms, and the financial institutions they represent.
Ms. Walsh previously served as in-house counsel for a Fotune-500 title insurance company, with a focus on real property, escrow and mortgage-related issues, as well as business interruption claims arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. She has extensive state and federal court litigation experience, having represented business entities of all sizes in complex commercial litigation in federal and state courts throughout the Southeast. Ms. Walsh is uniquely adept at providing granular analysis of complex issues, and her attention to detail ensures that the Firm's clients receive comprehensive and personalized advice for every lawsuit and in every compliance-related inquiry.
With his experience as a former Assistant State Attorney for the Fourth Judicial Circuit of Florida, John M. Marees, II provides a specialized approach to his representation of the Firm's corporate clients. His experience as a prosecutor makes him uniquely qualified to protect his clients' contractual rights, and he devotes much of his practice to commercial litigation, judgment enforcement, and creditors' rights matters.
Ms. Strickler is well-recognized in all sectors of the consumer financial services industry, having successfully represented her clients in individual and class action litigation in courts across the country. In addition to her litigation practice, she maintains a robust compliance practice, providing guidance to clients seeking her advice regarding the constantly changing regulatory landscape. Her deep knowledge of the financial services industry means that she is well-equipped to provide insight and guidance on all types of issues, from day-to-day inquiries to significant operational and legal challenges.
Stephanie A. Strickler focuses her practice on business and commercial litigation. Using her former experience as a staff writer and comment editor for the University of Dayton School of Law, Ms. Strickler services the Firm's corporate clients with her focus on detail and her commitment to providing comprehensive solutions for every client's needs.