Celynda L. Brasher
Ian P. Cooper
Kate L. Nash
Margaret A. Hesse
Melanie Gurley Keeney
Michelle H. BasiTueth Keeney is pleased to announce that seven of its attorneys have been selected to the 2017 Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers list. Ian P. Cooper has been selected in the primary practice area of Employment Litigation: Defense. Michelle H. Basi, Celynda L. Brasher, Margaret A. Hesse and Katherine L. Nash have been selected in Schools and Education. Melanie Gurley Keeney, and Mollie Hennessee are listed in the primary practice area of Immigration, Mollie as a “Rising Star.”
The Super Lawyers lists are published nationwide in Super Lawyers Magazines and in leading city and regional magazines and newspapers across the country. Each year, no more than 5 percent, of the lawyers in the state, are selected by the research team at Super Lawyers to receive this honor. No more than 2.5 percent are selected for “Rising Stars.” Selecting the attorneys involves an in-depth, measurable process. Peer nominations by seasoned attorneys followed by detailed evaluations are matched against third-party research. Each candidate is evaluated on 12 indicators of peer recognition and professional achievement. Selections are made on a state-by-state basis annually.
Michelle Hammond Basi practices in the areas of school law, special education, school litigation, and labor and employment law. Michelle represents school districts throughout Missouri with respect to employment and termination matters, special education, Section 504, student discipline and student rights, civil rights, and church/state issues. Michelle has successfully represented school districts in student and employment matters before various federal and state courts and administrative agencies, including the EEOC, Missouri Commission on Human Rights, and the Office for Civil Rights. She is also a regular speaker at statewide and regional school law conferences.
Celynda L. Brasher is a founding shareholder of the firm. She practices in the areas of education, litigation, and labor and employment law. Celynda represents numerous school districts throughout Missouri. She regularly advises boards of education and administrators on matters involving employee hiring, evaluation, remediation, and termination; student rights and discipline; special education; school finance; civil rights; contracts; the Missouri Open Meetings Act; church/state issues; and an assortment of other constitutional matters. Celynda also represents public, private, and non-profit employers in discrimination defense, collective bargaining, union organization, unemployment compensation, wage/hour compliance, and terminations, as well as a variety of other employment law areas. Celynda has extensive litigation experience in federal and state courts and before federal and state administrative agencies. Celynda is a frequent speaker and author on school law and private employment topics. She is a co-author of the Missouri Bar School Law CLE Deskbook, and has written a number of articles for legal, educational, and school nursing publications. Celynda is a former tenured teacher and a registered nurse. Celynda has a B.A. in History from Drury University. She also has a B.S. from Saint Louis University School of Nursing. Celynda earned her J.D., cum laude, Order of the Woolsack, from Saint Louis University School of Law. Celynda was also Managing Editor of the St. Louis University Law Journal.
Ian P. Cooper serves clients in employment, higher education, commercial, and tort matters. Ian regularly serves as lead counsel in significant cases, including class actions and other complex litigation. Ian has tried numerous jury and bench trials in Missouri and Illinois, and has argued cases before the Missouri Supreme Court, the Illinois Supreme Court, the Missouri and Illinois Courts of Appeal, and the United States Courts of Appeal for the Seventh and Eighth Circuits. Ian has also briefed important employment issues before the Supreme Court of the United States. Ian also frequently counsels clients on a wide range of higher education and employment issues, including compliance, training, and litigation avoidance. Ian is a frequent speaker at national and regional conferences in the areas of employment law, higher education, and litigation.
Mollie E. Hennessee practices primarily in the areas of immigration, labor and employment, school, and higher education law. Mollie represents colleges and universities and private employers in employment and immigration matters. She also represents school districts throughout Missouri with respect to employment and termination matters, student discipline and student rights, and civil rights. Prior to joining the Firm, Mollie worked for the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement as an Assistant Chief Counsel. While in law school, Mollie served as an intern for the Honorable Catherine D. Perry of the United States District Court in Eastern Missouri.
Margaret A. Hesse primarily practices in the areas of education law, employment law, and litigation. She has represented school districts in employment matters, including Title VII, the Safe Schools Act, Title IX, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and the Equal Pay Act. She has represented employers in labor matters before the United States Department of Labor/Wage and Hour Division, the Illinois Commission on Human Rights and the Illinois Educational Labor Relations board. Margaret has also represented employers in workers”™ compensation matters before the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations and has handled numerous appeals before the Labor and Industrial Relations Commission and the Missouri Court of Appeals. Margaret also has practiced in the fields of medical malpractice and legal malpractice.
Melanie Gurley Keeney, a founding Shareholder of Tueth, Keeney, Cooper, Mohan & Jackstadt, P.C., practices in the areas of Employment, Immigration, and Education law. Melanie represents institutions of higher education, corporations and individuals in immigration law matters, including obtaining nonimmigrant and immigrant visas and handling employer sanctions issues, I-9 compliance, E-Verify issues, consular processing and naturalization. She frequently speaks on immigration, labor and education issues. Her experience in education law includes representing numerous Missouri school districts and institutions of higher education regarding a wide range of personnel and student matters. Melanie also specializes in First Amendment issues, ranging from free speech to religion in the schools, and she regularly advises school districts on these issues. She is also a popular speaker on the local and national level. Melanie has extensive experience litigating both federal and state cases. Melanie is a past board member of the National School Board Association’s Council of School Attorneys and is past Chairman of the Missouri Council of School Attorneys.
Katherine L. Nash practices primarily in the areas of education, non-profit, litigation, labor and employment law. Kate has extensive experience representing and advising private and public employers in all areas of employment law. She practices primarily in Missouri and Illinois state and federal courts. She has also represented clients in matters before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Missouri Human Rights Commission and the Illinois Department of Human Rights.