Six Husch Blackwell partners start Springfield office for KC firm
Geoff Pickle
Posted online
Six local Husch Blackwell LLP partners have left the firm to launch a Springfield office for another Kansas City-based law firm.
Charles Cowherd, Mike Nichols, Gary Powell, Jason Smith, Richard Walters and Shawn Whitney are building the Queen City presence of Spencer Fane Britt & Browne LLP. The office is scheduled to open June 16 in temporary space at 3259 E. Ridgeview St. The partners' last day at Husch Blackwell is today.
Walters, who will serve as managing partner of Spencer Fane's Springfield office, said the split with Husch Blackwell is amicable.
"First and foremost, we will miss the relationships we've formed over the years with our colleagues at Husch Blackwell. We've enjoyed working together, and we are each better off, both professionally and personally, for having those relationships," Walters said.
"Spencer Fane has enjoyed a long tradition of providing broad legal services in Missouri and throughout the Midwest, and their ideals and strategy towards the future aligned with our goals on both a local and national basis," he added. "That's what drew us to Spencer Fane."
The six partners have over 100 years of combined experience practicing law, and most have spent the majority of their careers with Husch Blackwell, Walters said.
The moves mark Spencer Fane's efforts to open new offices in Springfield and Colorado Springs, Colo., and grow its foothold in its four operating states: Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado. The company currently employs some 140 attorneys across six offices.
Spencer Fane, which has represented Springfield-area clients, will focus on law areas including real estate, such as urban development; construction and housing; financial services; education; and litigation in the Queen City.
In all, the Springfield office would employ approximately 17, including three paralegals, Walters said. He added the partners are in early negotiations for a permanent office at an undisclosed location that would require some buildout.[[In-content Ad]]
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