Baker Sterchi attorney Rachel Schafer has been named a 2025 Up & Coming honoree by Missouri Lawyers Media, joining a select group of attorneys from around the state to receive the award.

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Continue Reading Rachel Schafer Recognized with 2025 Missouri Lawyers Media Up & Coming Award

In a recent retrial following appellate remand, Baker Sterchi attorneys secured a second jury verdict in favor of a rental car company client in a breach of contract action in the Circuit Court of St. Clair County, Illinois. The dispute arose from a rental agreement naming the defendant as the sole authorized driver and requiring her cooperation if an accident occurred. During the rental period, her boyfriend, an unauthorized driver, caused an accident resulting in multiple personal injury and property damage claims. The rental car company paid these claims and sought to recover the costs from the defendant for breaching…
Continue Reading Baker Sterchi Secures Repeat Jury Win in Rental Car Contract Dispute

Washington Super Lawyers 2025 has named Baker Sterchi Members Robert Christie and Megan Coluccio to the Super Lawyers list, and attorneys John Barry and Salim Lewis to the Rising Stars list. All four attorneys are based in the firm’s Seattle office.
Christie has more than 40 years of experience defending clients in civil litigation, including police and government liability, product liability and personal injury defense. He serves on the Lawyers for Civil Justice board, is a past president of the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel, and co-chairs the firm’s Law Enforcement & Civil Rights Defense and Trial & Appellate…
Continue Reading Baker Sterchi Attorneys Recognized by Washington Super Lawyers 2025

In a premises liability case involving alleged serious bodily injuries, Baker Sterchi successfully defended a property owner wrongfully named in a $6 million lawsuit. Plaintiff claimed he was injured while attempting, unsuccessfully, to load a telehandler onto a flatbed trailer parked on a public roadway at the base of a hilly residential property owned by our client. With no clear tortfeasors, plaintiff alleged our client was negligent for not assisting with recovery of the equipment, which had been leased by a contractor, from his property.
Plaintiff claimed general negligence by our client for failing to exercise reasonable care and control…
Continue Reading Baker Sterchi Secures Recovery of Attorney Fees as a Result of Meritless Claims

ABSTRACT: Missouri Court of Appeals confirms § 538.225 RSMo. is unambiguous in allowing 90 days—not 180 days—to file an affidavit of merit, absent a timely extension for good cause.

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Continue Reading Timing is Everything: Appellate Court Confirms Section 538.225 Unambiguously Allows No More than 90 Days to File Healthcare Affidavit of Merit, Absent Timely Extension for Good Cause.

On July 31, Baker Sterchi Member Megan Stumph-Turner will present the Lawline CLE course, “Ethical Use of AI: Risks, Responsibilities, and Realities for Lawyers.” The program will provide a foundational understanding of AI technologies used in the legal profession and explore the ethical implications of their use.
Stumph-Turner is based in the firm’s Kansas City office and focuses her practice on civil litigation, including creditors’ rights, financial services, real estate, construction and commercial litigation. She serves on the steering committees for ALFA’s Business Litigation and Women’s Initiative Practice Groups and is president of the Earl E. O’Connor American Inn of…
Continue Reading Megan Stumph-Turner to Present on Ethical Use of AI

Baker Sterchi attorney Paul Venker recently spoke at two Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis (BAMSL) events, engaging with students and young professionals about the Freedom Suits Memorial.
On July 14, Venker participated in a Lunch and Learn event for high school and college students interested in law school and legal careers. He spoke to the students at Freedom Plaza and showed them the freedom suits “mini-museum” in the Law Library Association of St. Louis, offering insight on the freedom suits’ history and significance.
On July 25, Venker spoke at BAMSL’s Young Lawyers Division Summer Associate Luncheon, where he presented…
Continue Reading Paul Venker Speaks on Freedom Suits at BAMSL Events

Baker Sterchi Member Megan Sterchi Lammert, based in the Kansas City office, served as a program chair for ALFA International’s Product Liability & Complex Torts (PLCT) Practice Group Regional Seminar, held July 24 in St. Louis. Member Kehl Friesen, also located in the Kansas City office, co-presented the session, “Recent Developments in Product Liability: Are Rideshare Applications Entering the Product Liability Arena?” The session explored a March 2025 ruling that reversed a trial court’s dismissal of a wrongful death lawsuit against a rideshare company and the ruling’s potential implications for product liability law.
Sterchi Lammert focuses her practice on personal…
Continue Reading Sterchi Lammert Chairs, Friesen Presents at ALFA PLCT Regional Seminar

ABSTRACT: Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe signed HB 567 on July 10, 2025, repealing the paid sick leave and minimum wage increase provisions approved by Missouri voters under Proposition A.

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Continue Reading Kehoe Kills Proposition A's Paid Sick Leave for Missouri Workers

Baker Sterchi Member Megan Coluccio has been appointed vice chair of several sections and committees of the Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel (FDCC), including:

• Trial Tactics, Practice and Procedures Section
• Civil Rights & Public Entity Liability Section
• Membership Development Committee

In addition to her FDCC involvement, Coluccio is a member of several peer-selected defense organizations, including the American Bar Association (ABA), the Association of Defense Trial Attorneys (ADTA) and the International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC), holding leadership roles in each.
Based in the firm’s Seattle office, Coluccio focuses her practice on complex civil rights, professional negligence and municipal…
Continue Reading Megan Coluccio Appointed Vice Chair of FDCC Sections and Committees

Baker Sterchi Member Jeanne Loftis has been named to the 2025 Oregon Super Lawyers list, and attorneys Hayley Hollis and Justin Meyer have been named to the Rising Stars list. All three practice in the firm’s Portland office.
Loftis is an accomplished trial attorney whose practice focuses on complex mass tort, employment, civil rights defense, personal injury and product liability litigation. She co-chairs Baker Sterchi’s Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Practice Group. Loftis is active in several peer-selected organizations, including the American Board of Trial Advocates, Association of Defense Trial Attorneys and the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel. She earned…
Continue Reading Baker Sterchi Attorneys Recognized by Oregon Super Lawyers 2025

Baker Sterchi Member Megan Coluccio has been appointed to several leadership roles within the American Bar Association (ABA) Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section (TIPS) for the 2025–2026 term, including:

• Chair, Referral and Business Generation Task Force
• Vice-Chair, Women Trial Lawyers Committee
• Vice-Chair, Business Litigation Committee

In addition to her ABA involvement, Coluccio is a member of several peer-selected defense organizations, including the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel (FDCC), the Association of Defense Trial Attorneys (ADTA) and the International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC), holding leadership roles in both FDCC and ADTA.
Based in the firm’s Seattle office, Coluccio…
Continue Reading Megan Coluccio Takes on ABA Leadership Roles