Baker Sterchi attorney Jack Nielsen has been appointed by the DRI Young Lawyers Committee to serve as Vice Liaison to the DRI Construction Law Committee for the 2025 term. In this role, Nielsen will facilitate collaboration and communication between the Young Lawyers Committee and the Construction Law Committee.
Nielsen’s practice includes personal injury, trucking, construction, business tort claims and product liability. He earned his law degree from the University of Kansas School of Law and is licensed to practice in Missouri and Kansas.
The DRI Young Lawyers Committee provides professional development and networking opportunities for early-career attorneys practicing in various
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Megan Sterchi Lammert Appointed Regional Chair of ALFA PLCT Practice Group
Baker Sterchi Member Megan Sterchi Lammert has been appointed Regional Chair of the ALFA International Product Liability & Complex Torts (PLCT) Practice Group. In this role, Sterchi Lammert will collaborate with the group’s steering committee members to plan and oversee regional networking events for ALFA attorneys and clients.
Sterchi Lammert defends personal injury, premises liability and product liability cases. She also co-chairs Baker Sterchi’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee. Sterchi Lammert earned her law degree from the University of Missouri School of Law and is licensed to practice in Missouri and Kansas.
Baker Sterchi is the Kansas City, Missouri and…
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Jon Benevides Appointed Co-Chair of ALFA Transportation Third-Party Events Committee
Baker Sterchi Member Jon Benevides has been appointed co-chair of the ALFA International (ALFA) Transportation Practice Group’s Third-Party Events Committee. The committee collaborates with ALFA headquarters to plan high-caliber networking events for ALFA attorneys and clients at key transportation industry conferences, including the DRI Trucking Seminar, the ABA Transportation Mega Conference and the TIDA Annual Seminar.
Based in Kansas City, Benevides represents transportation carriers and their insurers in commercial motor vehicle accident cases and advises on various other legal matters in the trucking industry. He serves on the steering committee of ALFA’s Transportation Practice Group and contributes regularly to its…
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Types of Estate Assets and When They Require Probate
Types of Estate Assets and When They Require Probate As a person lives their life they will accumulate assets throughout their life. This will be in the form of money, investments, property, and long-term money ensuring contracts like insurance policies. Read More….
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Fraud Fallout: Navigating Scams and Potential Recourse under the EFTA
ABSTRACT: With the rise in electronic payment methods and scams targeting unsuspecting account holders, 2024 has seen an uptick in EFTA-related litigation. This post examines what the case law says so far and potential rules that would upend these holdings.
As the holiday season arrives, we are reminded of the ever-growing instances of fraudulent schemes against consumers. In the past year or so, we have seen instances of litigation where impacted parties attempted to seek recourse under the Electronic Funds Transfer Act (EFTA) or the UCC when a consumer is scammed by a bad actor. Below is a review of…
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Nuclear Summer: Cook County, Illinois Juries Breaking the Bank in Toxic Tort Claims
ABSTRACT: Juries in Cook County, Illinois are awarding increasingly frequent “nuclear verdicts” for plaintiffs in toxic tort and asbestos litigation, highlighting challenges and dangers faced by businesses defending claims to verdict. We examine recent case rulings and verdicts to share insight into how the Cook County landscape is continuing to evolve to favor plaintiffs.
Continuing the trends we saw in 2023, this year Cook County, Illinois jurors awarded a pair of “nuclear” verdicts in toxic tort asbestos cases. In April 2024, a Cook County jury awarded $45 million to the estate of Theresa Garcia where the plaintiff alleged that Ms.
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Litigation Associate, St. Louis or Belleville
Our St. Louis or Belleville office has an opportunity for an associate with at least two years of experience in all phases of commercial litigation. View the job description here.
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Kara Stubbs to Serve as Faculty Member at Ross T. Roberts Trial Academy
Baker Sterchi member Kara Stubbs has been invited to serve as a faculty member of the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association (KCMBA) Ross T. Roberts Trial Academy at the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri. On December 4, she will present a session covering direct and cross-examination of lay witnesses.
Stubbs has extensive product liability experience, particularly in defending pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers. She serves as co-chair of Baker Sterchi’s Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Practice Group and frequently authors papers and speaks at national conferences on topics relevant to these industries. She is a past chair…
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Patrick Franken Joins Baker Sterchi in Kansas City
Patrick Franken has joined Baker Sterchi’s Kansas City office as an associate. His practice focuses on business, construction, and surety and fidelity law.
Prior to joining the firm, he spent five years as an Assistant District Attorney in the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office, where he worked in the Drug and Gun Units, handling non-fatal shooting cases and conducting nearly 30 jury trials.
Franken earned his law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School and holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Admitted to practice in Wisconsin, his Missouri law license is pending.
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What Is Constructive Possession in Illinois Drug Cases?
When people think about drug possession, they usually imagine someone carrying an illegal substance in their bag or pocket. In Illinois, however, drug possession charges are not limited to cases where a drug is found on a person. Law enforcement can also arrest someone for constructive drug possession, which is a much broader form of the crime. Illinois treats any kind of illegal drug possession harshly with heavy fines and lengthy prison terms. If you or someone you know is facing drug possession charges, reach out to an Illinois criminal defense attorney who will investigate your case and start…
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Missouri Court of Appeals Finds a Trial Court Abused Its Discretion by Admitting Evidence of a Prior, Unrelated Street Race.
ABSTRACT: The Missouri Court of Appeals held that while a defendant’s speed at the time of a motor vehicle accident is, of course, relevant to a showing of negligence, the trial court’s admission of evidence of the defendant’s participation in an unrelated street race was erroneous and prejudicial.
In Childers v. Williams, the Eastern District of the Missouri Court of Appeals had occasion to review the standard for the admissibility of evidence of pre-accident speeding in a vehicle collision case. The Court applied existing Missouri precedent, that “evidence of a driver’s speed is relevant to a collision if it relates…
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Healthcare Unionization: Navigating the New Labor Landscape
ABSTRACT: As unionization efforts grow among healthcare professionals, including physicians, employers must stay informed about evolving labor laws and NLRB developments. Proactive engagement, such as reviewing restrictive covenants, can help maintain a stable workforce.
As we have already reported, NLRB may as well stand for “No Longer Relegated to the Backburner.” Unions and the National Labor Relations Board are active all across the country and in all types of industries. The healthcare industry is no exception. These changes go beyond impacting the nursing staff or environmental services staff; they are affecting physicians as well. Recently, the National Labor Relations Board…
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Philip Sumner to Serve as Panelist at CLM Focus Conference
On Dec. 4, Baker Sterchi Member Philip Sumner will serve as a panelist at the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (CLM) Focus Conference in New York City. The session, “Assessing Reform Efforts on Time-Limited Demands in Key Bad Faith Jurisdictions,” will cover strategies for leveraging statutory defenses in time-limited demand cases and identifying potential pitfalls and loopholes that could challenge insurers.
Sumner’s practice focuses on the defensing insurers and their insureds in a variety of matters, including construction defects, product liability, personal injury and premises liability. He is a member of CLM’s Construction Claims Committee and also serves on the…
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Technical Training and Support Specialist, Kansas City
Our Kansas City office has an opportunity for a highly motivated and skilled technical training and support specialist with at least five years of technology support experience. View the job description here.
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Can I Disclaim My Interest in a Gift or My Inheritance of an Estate?
Can I Disclaim My Interest in a Gift or My Inheritance of an Estate? When a person dies, they usually express in their will or in their trust who they want their assets to go to. Usually, these distributions go Read More….
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The Times They Are a-Changin': Madison County Revises Standing Order for Asbestos Lawsuits
ABSTRACT: In 1995, the Circuit Court of Madison County entered a Standing Case Management Order governing all asbestos lawsuits filed in that County. The court has amended the Order on a few occasions, most notably in 2011 and 2016. On September 5, 2024, the court revised several portions of the Order. In this blog post, we discuss the most significant changes to the Order.
On November 17, 1995, the Circuit Court of Madison County issued a Standing Case Management Order for All Asbestos Personal Injury Cases. The Order purportedly intended to address the backlog of asbestos lawsuit filings in Madison…
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