2023 40 Under 40: Syd Tippie

The caseload for attorney Syd Tippie is significant – around 250 felony cases at any given time – and he says he doesn’t take his responsibility lightly. Tippie recognizes his work has a substantial impact on members of the community.

As senior assistant prosecutor with the Greene County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, where he’s worked since 2017, Tippie, 31, says by the time he turned 30 he already had successfully tried roughly 40 cases, some involving murder and robbery.

His interest in serving the public extends outside the office, including volunteering on the Missouri Bar’s Young Lawyers’ Section, as well as being a member of the Springfield Little Theatre’s Associate Board of Directors.

Best productivity hack? Learn to say no.

What did you learn the hard way? Do not waste your time seeking the approval of people that you will never appease.

Best piece of advice you’ve ever received? No task is beneath you. Don’t put yourself above anyone or anything; work hard in silence and let success make the noise.

Your most treasured possession? A newspaper clipping from the early 1990s depicting my late grandmother accepting a Purple Heart on behalf of her husband, David Ludlow. My grandfather was one of the 270 victims of the Pan Am Flight 103 Lockerbie bombing.

What historical figure do you identify with most?  Teddy Roosevelt.