Misty A. Watson Honored at 2013 International Women’s Day Celebration

Misty A. Watson
Attorney at Law

St. Louis, Mo. – April 16, 2013 – Danna McKitrick, P.C. Attorney Misty A. Watson has been recognized by the Washington University Women’s Law Caucus as an International Women’s Day 2013 Honoree. The Women’s Law Caucus celebrated its 40th anniversary and the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day by recognizing Watson and eight others for their volunteer work in the legal community and their contributions to the advancements of women in law.

Watson was honored for her work as a volunteer lawyer at Legal Services of Eastern Missouri (LSEM).  Watson is the co-founder of the Guardianship and Older Adult Life Planning Project (GOAL Planning Project), a new project offered by LSEM in conjunction with Washington University School of Law. The GOAL Planning Project provides legal assistance for those seeking guardianship over another individual and assists individuals age 60 and above with preparing life planning documents, such as wills, living wills, or durable powers of attorney, and medical care directives. Individuals must qualify financially for assistance through LSEM.

Past honorees include: Hon. Ruth Bader Ginsburg, U.S. Supreme Court; Jean Carnahan, former U.S. Senator; Robin Carnahan, former Missouri Secretary of State; and Hon. Catherine Perry, Chief Judge, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Missouri. Continue reading »

Successful Legal Malpractice Litigation Leads to Award for Attorneys Dan Tobben and Kara Helmuth

In recognition of receiving a summary judgment and prior dismissal on claims worth $28 million, Missouri Lawyers Weekly honored Danna McKitrick, P.C. Attorneys Daniel G. Tobben and Kara D. Helmuth, along with the rest of the defense team, as “Missouri Attorneys Securing the Largest Defense Verdicts in 2012” at the 2013 Missouri Lawyers Awards.

In June 2012, Tobben and Helmuth were part of a team that successfully represented an attorney against a legal malpractice lawsuit brought by Coin Acceptors, Inc.

In Coin Acceptors Inc. (“Coinco”) v. Haverstock, Garrett & Roberts et al., Judge Robert H. Dierker Jr. granted summary judgment in favor of the lawyers and law firms on the claims related to one of the disputed patents where the attorneys involved had allegedly mishandled patent infringement litigation. The claims related to alleged malpractice concerning a different patent were previously dismissed by Judge Dierker due to the expiration of the statute of limitations.

Collectively the claims were for $28 million against the attorneys and law firms who represented Coinco in the original litigation, which began in 1990, and involved multiple Mars Inc. patents on two coin acceptor designs. Coinco ultimately lost its patent-infringement case, paying Mars a total of $27.7 million. Continue reading »

Kara Helmuth Accepted into National Association of Public Pension Attorneys

Danna McKitrick, P.C. has announced that Attorney Kara D. Helmuth has been selected for membership in the National Association of Public Pension Attorneys. NAPPA is a professional organization whose membership is limited to attorneys regularly acting on behalf of public pension plans and in their interest. Helmuth is one of only 15 attorneys in Missouri who are members of NAPPA; only six are in public practice. Three of these attorneys are members of Danna McKitrick: Helmuth, Dan Tobben and Cheryl Beebe-Snell.

A commercial and civil litigator, Helmuth practices primarily in the area of public pensions and legal malpractice. She litigates for the trustees of public pension funds or individual members. Her work includes advising and litigating for the trustees of several public pension funds in Missouri and Illinois. She is admitted to practice in Missouri and Illinois, and has argued before the Missouri Court of Appeals for the Eastern District of Missouri. Continue reading »

Three Danna McKitrick Attorneys Again Selected to Missouri Super Lawyers Lists

Attorneys Joseph R. Soraghan, Jeffrey R. Schmitt, and Sophya Qureshi Raza have been recognized as three of the top attorneys in the state of Missouri by their peers as Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers & Rising Stars 2012.

Super Lawyers named Joseph R. Soraghan to its list as one of the top attorneys in Missouri for the third year in a row. Only five percent of the lawyers in the state are honored by selection to the Super Lawyers list.

“I am very proud to be grouped again among so many lawyers I look up to, including two of my own partners. My thanks to Thompson Reuters and its Super Lawyers organization,” Soraghan said.

Soraghan’s primary practice areas include business law, securities, corporate finance, and alternative dispute resolution. He is a founding director and the secretary of the Missouri Venture Forum. In 2011, the St. Louis Small Business Monthly selected Soraghan as one of the “100 St. Louisans You Should Know.”

Missouri & Kansas Rising Stars selected Jeffrey R. Schmitt and Sophya Qureshi Raza for inclusion on its 2012 list. It is not the first time on the list for either attorney: Schmitt was selected in 2011 and Raza was selected in 2010. Rising Stars recognizes up to 2.5 percent of “the top up-and-coming attorneys in the state — those who are 40 years old or younger, or who have been practicing for 10 years or less,” according to Super Lawyers. Continue reading »

Sophya Raza Appointed to Kids In The Middle Board

Sophya Qureshi Raza, family law attorney with Danna McKitrick, has joined the Board of Directors of Kids In the Middle (KITM). KITM is a nonprofit organization that helps children, parents and families transition to their new way of life during and after divorce through counseling, education and support.

Raza concentrates her practice in family law matters, including pre- and post-nuptial agreements, annulments, dissolution of marriage, valuation and division of assets, paternity disputes, child support and spousal support orders, modifications of prior prior judgments, and child custody disputes.  She also helps families with legal guardianships and conservatorships for the elderly and disabled.

Raza obtained her J.D. from Washington University School of Law and her B.A. from George Washington University. Raza is a graduate of the ABA Family Law Trial Advocacy Institute and earned her Mediation Certificate from Washington University School of Social Work.

Chris Vanderbeek Publishes About Bodily Injury Limits in SIU Law Journal

“When Bodily Injury Limits Are Stacked, Jurisprudential Consistency Topples,” an article co-authored by Danna McKitrick attorney Christopher D. Vanderbeek, was published in the Southern Illinois University Law Journal.  Vanderbeek focuses his practice on defense of insurance claims.

Read the full article … SIU Law Journal

Soraghan and Schmitt Named to Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers & Rising Stars 2011 has recognized Joseph R. Soraghan and Jeffrey R. Schmitt as two of the top attorneys in the state of Missouri for 2011.

For the second year in a row, Attorney Joseph R. Soraghan has been named as one of the top attorneys in Missouri by Super Lawyers. Only 5 percent of the lawyers in the state are honored.

Attorney Jeffrey R. Schmitt has been selected for inclusion on the Missouri & Kansas Rising Stars 2011 list. It is a recognition of up to 2.5 percent of “the top up-and-coming attorneys in the state — those who are 40 years old or younger, or who have been practicing for 10 years or less,” according to Super Lawyers.

“I am honored to be recognized on the 2011 Rising Stars list by attorneys around the state of Missouri, as well as by Super Lawyers. To be honored by peers in my chosen profession is truly humbling,” Schmitt said.

Schmitt, who practices in the areas of banking, real estate, construction, pensions and retirement plans, is also the president of the Clayton Chamber of Commerce. He was recognized by The Missouri Bar Young Lawyers’ Section in 2010 as a “Young Lawyer You Should Know.”

Soraghan’s primary practice areas include business law, securities, corporate finance, and alternative dispute resolution.

“Thomson Reuters is one of the nation’s premier legal publishers. I am truly honored to be selected again by Super Lawyers, one of its publications,” he said.

Soraghan has been recognized as one of the Top St. Louis Entrepreneurial Lawyers in St. Louis by St. Louis Small Business Monthly, and received the Financial Services Champion, Region VII award from the U.S. Small Business Association. He is the founding director and secretary of the Missouri Venture Forum.

The selection for inclusion in the list is made by the research team at Super Lawyers, which is a service of the Thomson Reuters Legal division based in Eagan, MN. Each year, the research team undertakes a rigorous, multi-phase selection process that includes a statewide survey of lawyers, independent evaluation of candidates by the attorney-led research staff, a peer review of candidates by practice area, and good-standing and disciplinary checks.

Thomson Reuters is the world’s leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals. Super Lawyers is located online at www.superlawyers.com, where lawyers can be searched by practice area and location.

Joe Soraghan Named One of the St. Louisans to Know

One of Danna McKitrick’s own, Joe Soraghan, has been named in St. Louis Small Business Monthly’s “100 St. Louisans to Know to Succeed in Business – 2011″.

Soraghan’s motivation to help small businesses first stems from the fact that small businesses constitute the bulk of business in this country and are likely the developers of new ideas, processes and products to improve people’s lives.

Read more… St. Louis Small Business Monthly

Danna McKitrick Named as One of the Best Law Firms

Danna McKitrick, P.C. is honored to be named as a top law firm in the June 2011 issue of St. Louis Small Business Monthly: The Best in Business awards.

Read more… St. Louis Small Business Monthly

James Heffner Elected to Cardinal Glennon Impact Board’s Executive Committee

ATTORNEY WORKS TO BENEFIT CARDINAL GLENNON CHILDREN’S MEDICAL CENTER

St. Louis, MO –  Effective January 1, 2011, attorney James M. Heffner was elected to serve a on the three-person executive committee of Cardinal Glennon’s IMPACT Board. Heffner joined the board in May of 2010 and has been involved in a variety of projects to benefit the organization.

“Though I’m relatively new to the IMPACT board, I’ve already witnessed the depth to which IMPACT helps the Children’s Medical Center with fundraising through awareness and events, so I really wanted to become more involved,” says Heffner. “I also became a dad this year so I have a new-found appreciation for the needs of little ones and their parents. The work of Cardinal Glennon is incredibly important to the families in our community.”

As a lawyer with Danna McKitrick, Heffner concentrates on banking and finance, corporate, and real estate law. He graduated from Saint Louis University School of Law in 2005 and obtained his B.A., with honors, from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He was a graduate of Leadership Clayton in 2009. In addition to serving on the board of Cardinal Glennon IMPACT, Heffner also sits on the Webster Groves Board of Adjustment and volunteers with the Multiple Sclerosis Society.

About the Cardinal Glennon Impact Board: The IMPACT Board is a group of young professionals who volunteer to promote community awareness and to raise funds for the overall betterment of Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center. The spirit created through the special events and social functions help to foster a commitment to civic responsibility and to provide opportunity for personal growth. For more information, visit www.glennon.org.