Starting in fall 2024, Baker Sterchi Members Nicholas Ruble and Gregorio Silva will each mentor a first-year law student through the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity’s (LCLD) “Success in Law School” Mentoring Program. Over the next three years, they will meet with their mentees every two weeks to provide guidance throughout law school and beyond.
The LCLD program supports talented first-year law students from diverse backgrounds, helping them maximize their potential. Participation is open to attorneys from any LCLD member organization. LCLD, which includes over 400 chief legal officers and law firm managing partners, including Baker Sterchi Managing Member Scott…
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Washington Super Lawyers 2024 has named Members Robert Christie and Megan Coluccio to its list of Super Lawyers and attorney John Barry to its list of Rising Stars. Christie and Barry are recognized in civil litigation defense and Coluccio in civil rights. All three practice in the firm’s Seattle office.
Christie is an experienced trial lawyer whose practice focuses on civil defense litigation. He serves on the Lawyers for Civil Justice Board of Directors and co-chairs the firm’s Law Enforcement & Civil Rights Defense practice group. He received his law degree from Seattle University School of Law and is admitted…
Continue Reading Baker Sterchi Attorneys Recognized by Washington Super Lawyers 2024

On September 20, Baker Sterchi Members Laura Beasley and Greg Odom will present at the Illinois Defense Counsel (IDC) ABCs of Class Action Litigation Seminar in St. Louis, Missouri.
Beasley will co-present “Navigating the PFAS Landscape: Science, Applications, and Legalities” which will explore the history, chemical properties, environmental persistence and health effects of PFAS, as well as their industrial uses, regulatory landscape and the EPA’s action plans. Odom’s presentation, titled “From BIPA to GIPA: Another Four-Letter Word in Illinois Class Action Litigation,” will focus on GIPA’s key provisions, the troubling similarities between GIPA and BIPA, GIPA litigation trends and considerations…
Continue Reading Laura Beasley and Greg Odom to Present at IDC Class Action Seminar

On September 13, Baker Sterchi Member Megan Stumph-Turner will serve as a panelist at the ALFA International (ALFA) Business Litigation Practice Group Seminar in Park City, Utah. The session, “I Am Not a Robot: The Ethical Use of AI in Litigation” will discuss the rise of AI applications for use in business litigation, and how to use those programs in conformity with a lawyer’s responsibilities under the Rules of Professional Conduct.
Stumph-Turner is based in Baker Sterchi’s Kansas City office, where she focuses on civil litigation in areas such as creditors’ rights, financial services, real estate, construction and commercial litigation.
Continue Reading Megan Stumph-Turner to Serve as Panelist at ALFA Business Litigation Seminar

Stewart Bogart has joined Baker Sterchi’s Kansas City office as a senior attorney. He has extensive experience representing both large and small businesses in the construction, trucking, finance and insurance industries.
Bogart earned his law degree from the University of Kansas School of Law and holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Oregon. He is admitted to practice in Missouri and Kansas.
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Baker Sterchi welcomes Bradley Harris as a senior attorney in the firm’s Kansas City office. His practice focuses on personal injury defense, premises liability and product liability.
Harris obtained his law degree from the University of Maryland Carey School of Law and holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado. He is licensed to practice in Missouri and Kansas.
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Our Seattle office has an opportunity for a highly motivated and skilled administrative services coordinator. View the job description here.
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Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice is sponsoring two exhibits at the Law Library Association of St. Louis: “Slavery in St. Louis” and “The Freedom Suits.”
“Slavery in St. Louis,” a traveling exhibit created by the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site, will be on display from Sept. 3-Oct. 1. It explores the growth of slavery in St. Louis through primary sources, historical artifacts and accounts of enslaved individuals, set against the backdrop of 18th and 19th century politics, economics and history.
“The Freedom Suits,” curated by the Missouri State Archives-St. Louis, runs from Sept. 3 to Dec. 3 and features…
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On August 22, Baker Sterchi Member Megan Stumph-Turner participated as a panelist at the ALFA International (ALFA) Women’s Initiative Practice Group Regional Seminar in Dallas, Texas. She spoke during the session, “Qualities for Going from Sous Chef to Head Chef: Leveraging Your Leadership Style,” which explored how different leadership styles can inspire, lead, discipline, transform and promote positive change within organizations.
Stumph-Turner is based in Baker Sterchi’s Kansas City office, where she focuses on civil litigation in areas such as creditors’ rights, financial services, real estate, construction and commercial litigation. She serves on the Steering Committee for ALFA’s Women’s Initiative…
Continue Reading Megan Stumph-Turner Speaks at ALFA Women's Initiative Regional Seminar

Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice in Kansas City has received a platinum certification from Healthy KC, a regional health and wellness initiative led by the KC Chamber and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City. Based on the World Health Organization’s Healthy Workplaces Framework, the Workplace Wellness Certification takes a holistic approach to employee wellbeing, with certifications ranging from honorable mention to platinum.
The certification comes from an application review conducted by the Healthy KC Workplace Wellness Action Team, which recognizes organizations for their innovation and excellence in promoting a culture of health in the workplace. Awards are based…
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ABSTRACT: The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals recently upheld a US District Court for the Western District of Missouri’s decision denying coverage for bodily injuries stemming from HPV transmitted during sexual activity in an insured vehicle.

On August 2, 2024, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals, in a highly anticipated decision upheld a US District Court for the Western District of Missouri’s decision denying coverage for bodily injuries stemming from HPV transmitted during sexual activity in an insured vehicle.
The Plaintiff was a Missouri woman identified in court documents as M.O., who claimed she had unprotected sex with her partner…
Continue Reading Hard Stop: 8th Circuit Upholds Finding Car Sex Related Injury Not Covered Under Driver's Insurance Policy.

ABSTRACT: The Court of Appeals for the Eastern District of Missouri recently overturned a jury’s $7.7 million verdict in a products liability suit. The appellate court held that the trial court’s decision to not grant a requested mistrial prejudiced the outcome of the trial.

In Wilkinson v. Stanley Fastening Systems, L.P., the Eastern District of Missouri Court of Appeals addressed an appeal by Defendant Stanley Fastening Systems, L.P. (“Stanley”) following a jury verdict Plaintiff Andrew Wilkinson’s (“Wilkinson”) favor on his products liability claim. Wilkinson was injured when a pneumatic stapler manufactured by Stanley fired a staple and struck him in…
Continue Reading Eastern District Missouri Court of Appeals Overturns $7.7 Million Verdict