Greensfelder Elevates All-Female Class of Attorneys to Officer for 2020
Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, P.C., is pleased to announce that the firm’s attorneys Courtney A. Adair, Cassie L. Barr, Jody B. Forsee, and Heather M. Mehta have been elevated to Officer, effective Feb. 1.
Adair works from the firm’s Chicago office. Barr, Forsee, and Mehta are based in Greensfelder’s St. Louis office.
“We are extremely proud to welcome Courtney, Cassie, Jody, and Heather as new Officers,” Greensfelder President and Chief Executive Officer Kevin T. McLaughlin said. “Each of our new Officers has distinguished herself as an integral member of Greensfelder and has made key contributions to the business success of our clients. We are delighted that all four of our newly elevated Officers are women. This embodies Greensfelder’s ongoing commitment to the promotion and placement of women and minority lawyers into leadership roles at the firm.”
A member of the firm’s Litigation practice group, Ms. Adair represents clients in commercial and employment litigation disputes. She has handled matters in various state and federal courts, with involvement in all phases of litigation. Her work has included non-compete agreements and other contractual disputes, as well as consumer fraud and deceptive practice claims, insurance coverage disputes, and trade secret misappropriation claims. Ms. Adair received her J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts (magna cum laude) from Tufts University.
A member of the firm’s Business Services practice group, Barr counsels clients on corporate and tax law matters. In the area of corporate law, she focuses on mergers and acquisitions. Her experience includes counseling middle market companies in a broad range of industries, including health care, technology, construction, manufacturing, and distribution. In the area of tax law, she counsels clients on corporate and business tax planning. With a background as an international tax associate for a big four professional services firm, she also has experience in tax controversy matters. Barr received her J.D. from Saint Louis University School of Law. She also holds a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science (cum laude) both from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
A member of the firm’s Trusts & Estates practice group, Forsee focuses her practice on all aspects of estate planning and trust administration. Her work includes advanced estate planning documents used by clients for wealth management. She also addresses income, estate and gift tax issues relevant to her clients’ estate planning and probate needs. A considerable portion of her practice focuses on working with family offices that handle assets and planning for multi-generational families. In addition, she helps family-owned businesses coordinate corporate matters such as business succession planning and creating and administering business entities such as limited liability companies and partnerships. Forsee received her J.D. from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and her Bachelor of Science from Missouri Western State University.
A member of the firm’s Employee Benefits practice group, Mehta works on issues employers face when administering benefit plans. Her clients include large and small businesses, as well as tax-exempt organizations such as religiously affiliated hospitals. She also helps employers with ERISA and Internal Revenue Code compliance and frequently assists religious employers with benefits questions. Her benefits litigation experience includes individual benefit claims and ERISA class actions. She has defended plan sponsors in lawsuits involving “church plans,” forum selection clauses, and ERISA preemption. Mehta received her J.D. (magna cum laude) from Washington University School of Law. She also holds a Master of Science (with distinction) from Mercy College and a Bachelor of Arts (summa cum laude) from Wake Forest University.
At Greensfelder, nearly 30 percent of the firm’s Officers are women, and female attorneys currently make up 60 percent of the firm’s associates. Although these numbers surpass national averages for law firms, Greensfelder is committed to further increase the number of women attorneys at the firm. Greensfelder offers numerous programs that support the progress of women and help create a sense of community at the firm. These programs range from job-focused training to networking opportunities and social events. In addition, the firm offers alternative work arrangements, assistance for working parents, and multiple other programs and initiatives that support a diverse workforce. These initiatives reflect Greensfelder’s decision to embrace equity as a core value and strategic growth priority, with a focus on groups that have been historically underrepresented in law firms, including women.
Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, P.C., founded in 1895, is a full-service law firm with offices in St. Louis, Chicago and Belleville, Ill. Greensfelder offers comprehensive legal solutions for clients locally, nationally and internationally. Areas of practice include business services; communications and media; construction; educational, religious and tax-exempt organizations; employee benefits; employment and labor; energy; franchising and distribution; health care; intellectual property; litigation; real estate; securities and financial services; and trusts and estates. Find out more at www.greensfelder.com.
