Armstrong Teasdale proudly announces that seven attorneys and 13 staff members from Martin Leigh have joined the firm’s Kansas City and St. Louis offices. Additions from Martin Leigh, a law firm serving national and regional banking, mortgage, business and title company clients, include Partners Thomas Fritzlen, Beverly Weber, Amy Ryan and Gregory Todd, and Of Counsel Melinda Maune, Aaron Othmer and Pamela Putnam.
“We are honored to welcome this strong group of talented attorneys and staff to our team,” said Managing Partner David Braswell. “They have a solid track record of excellence with national and local clients and will be great contributors to our firm. I am confident that our platform will strengthen their long tradition of delivering high-quality outcomes to their clients. Together, we are well positioned to achieve greater success in our expanding markets as we move forward with our growth strategy.”
This group joins more than 560 attorneys and staff nationwide and their addition will further enhance Armstrong Teasdale’s established practices in the areas of creditors’ rights, real estate, commercial and business litigation, default remedies, bankruptcy, banking, title insurance, collections and replevins, personal injury, construction law and probate litigation.
“We are pleased to join the nationwide ranks of Armstrong Teasdale,” said Thomas Fritzlen, former Martin Leigh Shareholder. “The opportunity to increase our firm’s presence across the country and provide greater depth of service to our clients is very exciting.”
“We’ve known Armstrong Teasdale and its people for some time,” said Beverly Weber, former Martin Leigh Shareholder. “The expansive service offerings they provide, along with our shared values of integrity and commitment to quality, will provide our clients with the breadth of service they need, while maintaining the team they have trusted throughout the years.” Both Fritzlen and Weber join Armstrong Teasdale as partners.
Fritzlen represents some of the largest financial institutions in the country and has substantial experience in general civil and complex litigation involving commercial transactions, banking, creditors’ rights, real estate and construction. He has taken and defended hundreds of depositions, acted as lead trial counsel in numerous bench and jury trials in state and federal courts, successfully resolved numerous matters through mediation, and has won arbitration awards in construction and creditors’ rights matters.
Weber has nearly 20 years of experience. A tenacious litigation attorney, she is committed to the success of her clients and handles contentious matters, primarily in Missouri, Kansas and Illinois, at both the trial and appellate levels in state and federal court. Her matters often involve banking, real estate, consumer lending, creditors’ rights, insurance defense, probate litigation and business law. Further, Weber has extensive experience handling commercial loan transactions from origination through default and into litigation.
Ryan has more than 20 years of experience handling real estate litigation and creditors’ rights matters. She has worked on several major federal litigation cases involving complex title insurance coverage as well as a multimillion-dollar action for fraud and replevin of farm equipment and crops. Ryan’s practice often involves real estate, consumer lending, creditors’ rights and business law. She is based in St. Louis.
Todd focuses on real estate and creditors’ rights matters in both Missouri and Kansas. He is particularly skilled in matters involving foreclosure law and resolution of real estate title defects. Todd represents banks, mortgage servicers and individuals, and they rely on his knowledge of the complexities and nuances related to this area of the law. He also has significant experience in drafting both commercial and residential loan documents, as well as handling commercial real estate transactions.
Maune represents clients in a wide variety of matters related to bankruptcy and creditors’ rights. Committed to helping clients achieve the best possible outcome, she provides counsel to mortgage lenders and automotive creditors, as well as in the defense of student loan debt dischargeability cases. Maune is an active member of the local bankruptcy bar, and currently sits on the local rules committee for the Bankruptcy Court of the Eastern District of Missouri. She previously volunteered on the Southern District of Illinois Chapter 13 Model Plan Committee and was a founding member of the Bankruptcy Association of Southern Illinois.
Othmer represents clients in a wide variety of industries providing counsel on matters related to creditors’ rights and financial restructuring. In addition, he has experience in both civil and criminal litigation, and served as a public defender in Pittsburg, Kansas.
Putnam represents clients in all aspects of financial restructuring and bankruptcy matters. She has represented debtors seeking relief in Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy cases. Putnam has also represented creditors in various bankruptcy issues in Chapter 7, 11, 12 and 13 cases, including motions for relief from stay, plan reviews and objections, claim filing, valuation hearings and stay violations. Her more than 10 years of experience also include representations in the areas of eviction, estate planning and criminal defense.
