The Honorable Jack R. Grate Jr., ’76, retired on October 1, 2019, from the Jackson County (Mo.) Circuit Court. For 15 years he has presided over cases in Division 17 at the Eastern Jackson County Courthouse in Indepedence. Gov. Bob Holden appointed him in 2004. In Judge looks back on ‘a great 43 years’, Grate reflects on his…

Paula Marie Young, LLM ’03, wrote five chapters in the new book Qatar: Political, Exconomic, and Social Issues, published by Nova Science Publishers. Young is a clinical professor of law in the College of Law at Qatar University. The chapters she wrote apply dispute resolution theory to the blockade of Qatar by four neighboring countries – Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain,…

W. Dudley McCarter, ’75, a founding member of Behr, McCarter, & Potter, P.C., has been appointed by Governor Mike Parson to the Missouri Coordinating Board of Higher Education and Workforce Development. Dudley is a past-president of both The Missouri Bar and the St. Louis County Bar Association. He is a past chair of the Children’s Trust Fund of Missouri and…

Gray, Ritter & Graham, P.C. attorney Jack Downing, ’17, has been named a 2019 recipient of a Missouri Lawyers Weekly “Up and Coming” Award. The award recognizes legal professionals 40 or younger, or within the first 10 years of practice, who demonstrate a level of professional accomplishment, skill and leadership beyond their years; and demonstrate an extraordinary commitment to the…

Douglas R. Nickell, ’80, was recently selected by his peers for inclusion in the 2020 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America. Nickell is senior counsel with Carnahan, Evans, Cantwell & Brown, P.C., in Springfield, Mo., and focuses his practice in the areas of estate and wealth transfer planning and estate and trust administration. Since it was first published in…

Garland T. Stephens, ’90, a patent litigation partner in the Houston office of international law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, has earned recognition as a 2019 Texas Super Lawyer. Texas Super Lawyers rates lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The selection process is based on independent…

The St. Louis County Circuit Court has appointed attorney Megan Julian, ’02, to serve a four-year term as its first full-time treatment court commissioner. The position is the first of its kind in St. Louis County, and was made possible through legislation signed earlier this year by Gov. Mike Parson. Gov. Parson is a long-time supporter of treatment courts and…

Geoffrey W. Jolley, ’02, has been named the new executive director of Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Kansas City. A long-time legislative and community leader, Jolley will lead LISC’s local staff, partnerships and community investment efforts, which to date have fueled nearly $1 billion in development activity focused on affordable housing, economic development, health, community safety and jobs. Nationwide, LISC has invested…

Matthew Kolb, ’06, was appointed executive vice president and system chief operating officer for Carle health system in Urbana, Illinois. Kolb has been with Carle since 2014, when he joined as vice president of operations. Kolb has developed and expanded several of Carle’s specialty institutes and advanced Carle-owned Health Alliance Medical Plans’ provider network. He most recently served as the…