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Firm Hosts Midwest Region of National Black Law Students Association Retreat
Berkowitz Oliver hosted the annual Academic and Leadership Retreat of the Midwest Region of the National Black Law Students Association (MWBLSA), held October 4-6, 2019. In addition, attorneys Tony Durone , Stacey Gilman , Shazzie Naseem , John Shaw , and Jennifer Wieland were among the featured speakers at the event. Founded in 1968, the National Black Law Students Association (NBLSA) is a national organization formed to articulate and promote the needs and goals of black law students to effectuate change in the legal community. MWBLSA is the largest region of NBLSA, comprised of chapters in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, …
Read More >Berkowitz Oliver Sponsors Association of Women Lawyers Golf Tournament
On October 4, 2019, Berkowitz Oliver was a “Bottoms Up” sponsor at the I’m Not Serious About Golf Tournament to benefit the AWL Foundation. AWLF is the charitable arm of the Association of Women Lawyers of Greater Kansas City and aims to help women in law develop and advance and to improve the lives of women and girls in the Kansas City community. As a “Bottoms Up” sponsor for the third consecutive year, Berkowitz Oliver was responsible for piloting one of the tournament’s beverage carts. Attorneys Jennifer Wieland and Megan Costello drove the firm’s cart this year, and …
Read More >Two Experienced Litigators Join Berkowitz Oliver
Two attorneys have recently joined Berkowitz Oliver. Jim Humphrey joined the firm as a partner on September 3. Jim is an experienced trial attorney who comes to the firm from his previous position as a Senior Trial Attorney in the Division of Enforcement at the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. At the CFTC, Jim investigated violations of the Commodity Exchange Act and CFTC regulations, including in the areas of solicitation fraud and Ponzi schemes, virtual currency investments, foreign-exchange fraud, spoofing, manipulation, insider …
Read More >Tom Schult Named Top Missouri Attorney for 2019
Tom Schult was recently featured as the top Missouri Attorney in the Top 100 Lawyers of 2019, published by the Top 100 Registry . The Top 100 Registry is the leading publisher of professional biographies in the world. It is printed quarterly and features 100 of the most accomplished individuals in a range of professions. It features individuals from 112 countries and all 50 states.
Read More >Berkowitz Oliver Wins Class Certification Battle in Hotly Contested Sexual Harassment Case in Chicago
On August 22, 2019, Judge Robert M. Dow, Jr., of the Northern District of Illinois denied class certification in Van, et al. v. Ford Motor Company, 2019 WL 3976370. The Berkowitz Oliver team defending Ford Motor Company included Kathy Nemechek , Tim Millman , Jocelyn Villanueva , Sharon Stallbaumer , and Steve Bledsoe . A previous class action against Ford Motor Company had been brought in 1998 by the same plaintiffs’ counsel and was certified.
Read More >Morris Named Lawyer of the Year for Bet-the-Company Litigation; Five Other Attorneys Named by Best Lawyers in America
Six Berkowitz Oliver attorneys have been named to The Best Lawyers in America© for 2020. In addition, Jeff Morris was named the Best Lawyers® 2020 Bet-the-Company Litigation “Lawyer of the Year” for Kansas City, Missouri. The honored Berkowitz Oliver attorneys for 2020 are: Christina Wahl , for Criminal Defense: White Collar; Jeff Morris , for Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Criminal Defense: General, and Criminal Defense: White-Collar; Shazzie Naseem , for Commercial Litigation and Criminal Defense: White-Collar; David Oliver , for Commercial Litigation and Product Liability Litigation-Defendants; Tom Schult , for Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, …
Read More >Bledsoe Presents on Salary Negotiation in Legal Field
Partner Steve Bledsoe recently participated in a panel discussion regarding salary negotiation in the legal field. The panel followed a “Work Smart” presentation created by the American Association of University Women (AAUW), and co-sponsored by the Association for Women Lawyers of Kansas City and the Women’s Foundation. The workshop at KCMBA headquarters was designed to teach women how to determine their market worth and empower them to advocate for fair and equal pay. The AAUW aims to train ten million women, across multiple fields, in salary negotiation by the year 2022. …
Read More >Christina Wahl Publishes Article on Grand Jury Abuse
Partner Christina Wahl has an article published in the May 2019 issue of the Journal of the Kansas Bar . Her article discusses the recent decisions of State v. Turner and State v. Henry & Sons Construction Company, Inc., in which the indictments were dismissed for grand jury abuse. Ms. Wahl worked extensively on both cases. These cases provide critical guidance to prosecutors for conducting a fair grand jury proceeding, and for defense counsel analyzing whether there has been grand jury abuse. The article is located at …
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