Celynda L. Brasher
Ian P. Cooper
Kate L. Nash
Margaret A. Hesse
Melanie Gurley Keeney
Michelle H. Basi
We are proud to announce that seven Tueth Keeney attorneys have been selected for inclusion to the 2018 Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers ® list. We are also pleased to announce that Adam Henningsen is a new addition to the 2018 Missouri & Kansas Rising Stars Super Lawyers list. Each year, no more than five percent of the lawyers in the state are selected by the research team at Super Lawyers to receive this honor.
Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters business, is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The annual selections are made using a patented multiphase process that includes a statewide survey of lawyers, an independent research evaluation of candidates and peer reviews by practice area. The result is a credible, comprehensive and diverse listing of exceptional attorneys.
The Super Lawyers lists are published nationwide in Super Lawyers Magazines and in leading city and regional magazines and newspapers across the country. Super Lawyers Magazines also feature editorial profiles of attorneys who embody excellence in the practice of law. For more information about Super Lawyers, visit SuperLawyers.com.
Michelle Hammond Basi initially selected to the Rising Stars list, has been included each year since 2015. She is recognized in the 2018 Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers in the primary practice area, Schools and Education. Michelle 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 has been recognized by Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers for eight consecutive years. In 2018, she is recognized in Schools and Education. Celynda is a founding shareholder of the firm, and has served on the firm’s Personnel Committee, Finance Committee, and Management Committee. 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 has served as the Chair for the Missouri Council of School Attorneys, 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.
Amy Leech Clendennen has been selected in 2018 to the Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers list, in Employment & Labor. Amy was selected to the Super Lawyers Rising Star list in 2013. Amy practices in the areas of education, higher education, litigation, and labor and employment law. Amy advises clients on issues ranging from student discipline to personnel matters to special education. She has successfully represented school districts, colleges and universities, and private employers in litigation before various administrative agencies, as well as state and federal courts. Amy is a sought-after and regular speaker at state-wide and regional educational conferences. She has been elected to three terms on the Webster Groves School District Board of Education. Amy earned a Bachelor’s degree from Truman State University, a Master’s degree from Ball State University, and a law degree from Washington University in St. Louis, all with honors.
Ian P. Cooper has been recognized by Super Lawyers since 2009. In 2018, Ian is selected in the practice area, Employment Litigation: Defense, and is also included in the 2018 top 50 St. Louis Super Lawyers list. Ian is a founding Shareholder of Tueth, Keeney, Cooper, Mohan & Jackstadt, P.C. Ian practices in the areas of employment law, higher education law, and litigation and regularly serves as lead trial and appellate counsel in significant employment lawsuits, including class actions and other complex litigation. Ian has been elected a Fellow in both the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers and in Litigation Counsel of America. He has also been named a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates.
Adam Henningsen has been recognized by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star in 2018 in Schools and Education. Adam practices primarily in the areas of education law, labor and employment law, and civil litigation. He regularly works with school districts and individual administrators on matters including labor and employment, contracting, student discipline, special education, and state and federal regulation compliance. He has successfully represented school districts, charter schools, and other employers in State and Federal Court, as well as administrative agencies including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Missouri Commission on Human Rights, the Missouri Administrative Hearing Commission, and the United States Department of Education Office for Civil Rights. Prior to joining the firm, Adam practiced school law at a firm in Kansas City, Missouri. Adam comes from a long line of public school teachers and administrators. Prior to attending law school, Adam graduated with honors from the School of Education at Mizzou and taught social studies courses at the high school level.
Margaret A. Hesse, president of the firm, is included in the 2018 Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers list in the practice area, Schools and Education. This is Margaret’s fifth year of inclusion in Super Lawyers listings. Margaret is a shareholder with the law firm of Tueth Keeney. She primarily practices in the areas of education law, employment law, and litigation and has represented school districts across both Missouri and Illinois for many years. Margaret’s experience in includes defending school districts in matters involving the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Missouri Human Rights Act, Title VII, the Safe Schools Act, Title IX, the Equal Pay Act, Section 1983, First Amendment and Sunshine Act compliance, to name a few. She consults with educators on a daily basis on a variety of issues. Margaret is committed to creating a world where school leaders are spending as little time as possible thinking about legal concerns, so they can maximize their time and attention shaping young lives.
Melanie Gurley Keeney, is included in Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers in 2018 in Immigration: Business. This marks Melanie’s fourteenth consecutive year in Super Lawyers listings. Melanie practices in the areas of employment, immigration and education law. Melanie has been rated one of the top 50 female lawyers in Missouri and Kansas. She was named a “Top Missouri Lawyer” by St. Louis Magazine and Kansas City Magazine for Immigration Law. Melanie has been distinguished as Best Lawyers St. Louis Immigration Law Lawyer of the Year in 2019, 2015, and 2012, and St. Louis Education Law Lawyer of the year in 2015. In 2016, Missouri Lawyers Weekly presented Melanie with the Women’s Justice Litigation Practitioner Award and in 2014, Washington University School of Law honored Melanie with the International Women’s Day Award for Employment Law. She has served as an adjunct professor at Washington University and is a frequent presenter on legal topics. Melanie is a founding Shareholder of the Firm and currently serves as the Chairperson of the Firm.
Kate L. Nash is recognized in 2018 by Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers in Schools and Education. This is Kate’s sixth year of inclusion in Super Lawyers listings. Kate is a shareholder of the firm and practices primarily in the areas of higher education, litigation, and labor and employment law. Kate acts as outside general counsel to numerous institutions of higher education, advising those organizations on a wide range of legal issues. In addition, Kate is frequently asked to conduct internal investigations regarding complex and sensitive matters in workplaces and at educational institutions. Kate also has extensive litigation experience litigation experience in federal and state courts and before federal and state administrative agencies. Kate is a frequent lecturer and author on employment and higher education issues and is active in the National Association of College and University Attorneys. She was an adjunct professor at Saint Louis University School of Law for numerous years, where she taught a course on non-profit organizations. Kate earned her B.A. from Cornell University and received her law degree at Washington University. Kate is a member of the Firm’s Management Committee.