in and out of the courtroom

John F. Mahon, Jr.314.345.5094

Laura K. Beasley618.202.5801

In a medical malpractice/wrongful death case pending in Nodaway County, Missouri, a trial court judge sanctioned a plaintiff attorney after determining he filed false affidavits of merit. The court dismissed all four nurse defendants, barred further amendment of the petition, authorized attorney's fees, and referred plaintiff's counsel to the Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel.

Clay Crawford816.460.2831

Baker Sterchi Member Clay Crawford has been appointed co-chair of the American College of Coverage Counsel (ACCC) Extracontractual and Bad Faith Claims Litigation Committee for the 2026-2027 term.

Megan M. Coluccio206.957.9669

Rebecca D. Boatright206.957.9670

On May 7, 2026, after a three-day trial in the Circuit Court of Oregon for Multnomah County, Baker Sterchi Seattle attorneys, alongside co-counsel, obtained a directed defense verdict on behalf of a nonprofit client in Portland, Oregon.

Gregory Odom618.202.5802

Beginning in 2019, Illinois state and federal courts have issued a string of pro-plaintiff rulings in biometric privacy litigation. In 2024, the Illinois legislature amended the Biometric Information Privacy Act in an effort to curb the potentially destructive damages available to plaintiffs under the Act. A new question emerged. Do the amendments apply retroactively? Recently, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals determined that the amendments do apply to lawsuits filed before the effective date of the amendments.

Joshua M. Topel608.662.1152

Baker Sterchi welcomes Joshua Topel as an associate, based in the firm's Madison office.

Mark Budzinski920.884.2378

Christa L. Keel608.662.1162

On April 9, 2026, Baker Sterchi Wisconsin attorneys secured a unanimous defense verdict in a medical malpractice case in Brown County Circuit Court.

Max R. Mosley816.448.9396

John A. Watt816.471.2121

On April 7, 2026, Kansas Governor Kelly signed SB 398, amending the Kansas Rules of Evidence to require proponents of expert testimony to demonstrate the opinion will "more likely than not" assist the trier of fact to understand evidence before the witnesses may testify.

Thomas E. Rice816.448.9333

Missouri Lawyers Media has selected Baker Sterchi Member Tom Rice as a recipient of its 2026 ICON Award.

Heather Field Shore816.448.9329

On June 5, Baker Sterchi Member and Kansas Bar Association Construction Law Section President Heather Shore will help lead and co-present at the KBA Construction Law CLE Conference in Olathe, Kansas.

Amber M. Nations816.460.2800

Baker Sterchi welcomes Amber Nations as the firm's Director of Accounting, based in the Kansas City office.