In work and at home, attorney Laura Greene is an advocate for women. One of nine new partners at Husch Blackwell LLP in 2014, Greene has honed her courtroom litigation skills on the state and federal level through both bench and jury trials.
Working for clients from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies, the industry is taking note of Greene. In 2010, Missouri Lawyers Weekly recognized her for achieving one of Missouri’s Top 10 defense verdicts, and in 2013, she was named a Rising Star by Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers.
But it’s Greene’s pro bono work that really separates her from the pack. While practicing in Boston, she represented the Battered Women’s Project, which helped women obtain orders of protection, divorces and custody decrees. After moving to Springfield in 2006, Greene continued her pro bono work serving on the board for nonprofit Adoption for Families and currently through Legal Services of Southern Missouri and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Greene’s efforts don’t stop at the courtroom door. In October 2013, she founded Springfield Women of Influence, a networking group for a variety of industries.
“Relationships formed almost immediately and new clients, projects and plans followed,” she says. “The group encourages each woman to set a specific goal, whether personal or professional, and find accountability through the smaller goal-achievement groups.”
Since 2012, Greene has served on the board of the Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks and in 2013 became a committee member of the Go Red for Women luncheon with the American Heart Association, for which she will join the executive committee in 2014.
American Heart Association Corporate Events Director Lauren Thiel says under Greene’s leadership as chairwomen, participation in the Circle of Red program skyrocketed. “Since Laura became Circle of Red chair in 2013, membership has had a 350 percent increase, which helped raise an additional $350,000,” she says. “The positive outcomes are a reflection of the time and energy Laura has focused on the Go Red for Women event … (she) has gone out of her way to bring on new volunteers, members and donors.”
Licensed to practice law in Massachusetts, Illinois and Missouri, Greene continues to improve her skills through mentoring new associates.
“I worked closely with the hiring chair to revamp the Springfield office’s Summer Associate Program and developed a customized mentoring program to address the specific needs,” she says. “I work with my mentees to provide career guidance, introduction to the Springfield community and work-life balance.”
Greene maintains her work-life balance through service at Schweitzer United Methodist Church and as an active member of Hickory Hills Country Club.[[In-content Ad]]
