Ogletree Deakins Continues Aggressive Expansion, Opens Offices in St. Louis and Detroit Markets

ATLANTA – August 20, 2007 – Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. (Ogletree Deakins), one of the nation’s largest labor and employment law firms, announced today the firm has recently opened an office in St. Louis, Missouri and plans to expand into Bloomfield Hills, Michigan on September 1 – further enhancing the firm’s presence on a national scale. Ogletree Deakins now has 32 locations across the United States strategically positioned to help employers with their legal needs, and is the only national labor and employment law firm with a presence in these two key markets.

Gregg M. Lemley, Tim A. Garnett, and Heidi Kuns Durr opened the St. Louis office as shareholders of Ogletree Deakins, and collectively have 45 years of experience representing employers on labor and employment law matters. Lemley and Durr were formerly with Bryan Cave. Most recently, Garnett served as in-house counsel for Kinder Morgan, and previously practiced law at Bryan Cave. Lemley and Garnett will co-manage the new office and expect additional lawyers to join the firm in the near future.

In Michigan, Ogletree Deakins joins forces with Cattel, Tuyn & Rudzewicz, a Bloomfield Hills law firm, to establish an office in the Detroit market. Thomas A. Cattel and Richard M. Tuyn, founding partners of Cattel, Tuyn & Rudzewicz, will open the firm’s Bloomfield Hills office and will be joined by fellow shareholders Sharon Rae Gross, Vicki J. Patterson, and Michelle J. LeBeau. Cattel will manage the new office which will also include associates Debra A. Colby, Martin C. Brook and Eric A. Mahler. Together they bring over 130 years of legal experience to Ogletree Deakins and represent many of Detroit’s top employers in employment-related litigation.   

“We are excited to be the first national labor and employment law firm to establish offices in the St. Louis and Detroit markets. We believe there is a real need in these cities for the national capabilities and resources that only a firm like Ogletree Deakins can provide,” said Gray Geddie, managing shareholder of Ogletree Deakins. “With the addition of these offices, we are now able to expand our practice in the state of Missouri and better serve our many clients in Michigan.”

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 32 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.