Bryan Cave Lawyers Leave, Open St. Louis Office of Ogletree Deakins

ST. LOUIS – August 13, 2007 – Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. (Ogletree Deakins) announced today it has opened an office in St. Louis, Missouri  – making it the first national labor and employment law firm with a presence in the St. Louis market. Gregg M. Lemley and Tim A. Garnett opened the office as shareholders of Ogletree Deakins. They will be joined by Heidi Kuns Durr on August 20, who will also serve as a shareholder. Lemley and Garnett will co-manage the new office and expect to add more lawyers in the near future. This is Ogletree Deakins’ second office in the Show Me State. In 2005, the firm opened an office in Kansas City that has more than doubled in size from four to eleven lawyers.

Gregg M. Lemley, formerly a partner at Bryan Cave, brings twelve years of management side employment law experience to Ogletree Deakins. He represents employers in all types of employment-related litigation matters including those involving discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and employment contract disputes, and other employment, restrictive covenant and labor litigation. He also counsels employers on a wide range of employment issues including discipline and discharge, personnel policies, employee handbooks, HR compliance audits, and traditional labor matters. In addition, Mr. Lemley frequently speaks on a variety of employment law topics including harassment, discipline, termination, employee leave laws, and workplace technology.

Tim A. Garnett has exclusively represented management in labor and employment law matters for 25 years. His experience includes labor arbitrations, negotiating labor contracts, defending class action age discrimination claims, and developing labor and employment training programs – including a best-selling web-based program on workplace harassment. Before joining Ogletree Deakins, Mr. Garnett served as in-house counsel for Kinder Morgan. Prior to that, he was counsel to Bryan Cave. 

Heidi Kuns Durr, formerly an associate with Bryan Cave, brings eight years of experience to Ogletree Deakins. She practices primarily in the area of employment litigation and defends claims of race, age, disability and sex discrimination, sexual harassment, and retaliation. She earned her law degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia and is admitted to practice in the states of Missouri and Illinois.

“It’s an honor to start the St. Louis office of Ogletree Deakins with Tim Garnett,” said Lemley. “There is a growing need in St. Louis for specialized labor and employment law services. Many local corporations have operations nationwide and need resources that only a national labor and employment law firm like Ogletree Deakins can provide.  In addition, joining Ogletree Deakins brings us an incredible amount of bench strength – with nearly 400 lawyers practicing in the areas of employment, labor, benefits, workplace safety and immigration law.”

Gray Geddie, managing shareholder of Ogletree Deakins, adds: “We are excited to be the first national labor and employment law firm to establish an office in St. Louis. It is home to many employers, including many of our clients. Our presence in St. Louis enables us to better serve those clients and allows us to expand our practice in the state of Missouri.”

The St. Louis office of Ogletree Deakins is the sixth office the firm has established this year. On January 1, Ogletree Deakins opened offices in Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Offices in Memphis and Jackson were added to the firm in early July.

About Ogletree Deakins
Ogletree Deakins is the nation’s third largest labor and employment law firm, representing management in all types of employment-related legal matters. The firm has nearly 400 lawyers located in 31 offices from Miami to Los Angeles. In addition to handling labor and employment law matters, the firm has thriving practices focused on business immigration, employee benefits, and workplace safety and health law.  Ogletree Deakins represents a diverse range of clients, including more than half of the Fortune 50 corporations in the U.S.

For more information, please contact Karen Gonzales, communications manager, at 210-277-3606.