Greensfelder Launches Office in St. Louis Cortex Innovation Community
Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, P.C. announced the launch of its office in the Cortex Innovation Community, which the firm described as “a thriving innovation hub and technology district integrated into the historic Central West End and Forest Park Southeast neighborhoods of St. Louis.”
In a release, the firm said more than 20 Greensfelder attorneys from diverse practice groups staff the office on a rotational basis, with at least two lawyers on site each weekday. The attorneys provide legal services and general business counsel to entrepreneurs and start-up businesses that are part of the Cortex community. Greensfelder also plans to provide educational resources, including seminars, for community participants.
“The success of the St. Louis start-up community, of which Cortex is an integral part, is important to all players in the community, including law firms,” said Mark E. Stallion, a Greensfelder Officer and intellectual property attorney who leads the firm’s Cortex team. “The question is, are you going to sit on the sidelines and watch this development from a distance, or are you going to be a key contributor to the effort? Our desire at Greensfelder is to be a major part of Cortex as growth continues.”
Situated in the Cortex 4220 building, the Greensfelder Cortex team includes attorneys, both officers and associates, with significant experience advising businesses and entrepreneurs on the legal matters essential to their success and growth. They practice in areas that include employment law, intellectual property, litigation and business services, and serve diverse industries that range from technology and financial services to health care to media and retail, among others.
“One of the most common first mistakes of successful start-up companies is failure to get the right legal advice up front. We strive to educate this community in that regard, while also offering innovative and scalable fee structures that make it very palatable for start-ups to take advantage of our services,” Stallion added. “Our goal is to build constructive, long-term relationships with these entrepreneurs and start-ups to help make sure the community succeeds.”
Stallion said Greensfelder’s integration into the Cortex community also benefits the firm’s other clients, including large corporations and companies of all sizes, that already have existing relationships with businesses in Cortex or that may benefit from exploring new collaborative relationships.
Stallion added that Greensfelder’s Cortex team is purposefully diverse in terms of age, gender, ethnicity and race.
“We feel it is important that the makeup of our Greensfelder team on site reflects the rich diversity and inclusion that is distinctly prevalent both throughout the Cortex community and at our firm,” Stallion said.
In addition to Stallion, Greensfelder’s Cortex attorneys (and their practice areas) include the following:
– Cassie L. Barr (Business Services)
– Lauren A. Daming (Employment & Labor)
– John C. Drake (Litigation)
– Gino P. Gusmano (Litigation)
– Lauren B. Harris (Employment & Labor)
– Andrew M. Hartnett (Litigation)
– Clark Hedger (Litigation)
– Rachel M. Hirshberg (Business Services)
– Jennifer M. Horrom (Health Care)
– Audrie R. Howard (Employment & Labor)
– Karen M. Johnson (Intellectual Property)
– Carson Maricle (Business Services)
– Andrew M. Mitchell (Trusts & Estates)
– Erika N. Reynolds (Litigation)
– Juliane M. Rodriguez (Litigation)
– Debbie J. Sluys (Business Services)
– Zackary G. Smith (Litigation)
– Patrick J. Sweeney (Business Services)
– Camille P. Toney (Employment & Labor)
– Mary Ann L. Wymore (Intellectual Property /Litigation)
Cortex houses more than 250 technology-related start-up programs and established businesses and is considered the Midwest’s premier innovation hub of bioscience and technology research, development and commercialization. The community is surrounded by nationally ranked universities and medical centers and numerous cultural attractions and recreational amenities. The master plan for Cortex includes $2.3 billion in construction, more than 4.5 million square feet of mixed-use development, and 15,000 permanent, technology-related jobs. The community also connects to a new MetroLink light-rail station, which opened this summer.
