Meet Craig Heidemann

Craig was born in 1969 in St. Louis, Missouri and is a top-rated Springfield personal injury lawyer. He was educated in the Hazelwood School District and the University of Tulsa and has a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science.  He graduated Cum Laude in 1991.

 

Craig attended the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law and received a Juris Doctorate degree in 1994. While at the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law, he was a member of the Journal of Dispute Resolution and published two case notes. He was admitted to the Missouri Bar in 1994 and the Illinois Bar in 1995. Currently, he is admitted to practice before the United States District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Missouri as well as the Southern District of Illinois.  He is also admitted before the Supreme Court of the United States of America and hopes to argue there one day.

 

After graduating from law school, Heidemann entered private practice as an associate with the St. Louis, Missouri firm of Coburn & Croft from 1994 to 1995. From April, 1995 to August, 1996 he worked at the Supreme Court of Missouri as law clerk to then Chief Justice John C. Holstein. Heidemann returned the practice of litigation in August, 1996 with the law firm of Douglas, Haun, & Heidemann, P.C. in Bolivar, Missouri. On January 1, 2001, Mr. Heidemann joined the firm as a shareholder.

 

Craig’s commitment to public service is substantial.  He has served as past-president of Legal Services of Southern Missouri, past-president of Springfield Victory Mission, and past-president of the Missouri Chapter of the Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership.

 

Craig is married to his wife of 30 years and has two girls ages 19 and 22, the youngest studying at the University of Florida and the eldest at the University of Oklahoma School of Law.  Craig’s is an avid firearms enthusiast, competitive shooter, holding a federal firearms license.  He is also an Eagle Scout, licensed commercial pilot, advanced ground instructor, nationally recognized photographer and speaker, licensed ham radio operator, former adjunct professor at Southwest Baptist University , and certified advanced open water SCUBA diver. 

What is your general philosophy on fighting unemployment claims versus allowing them?”

Fight unemployment claims strategically, not reflexively. My default position is to contest claims where the facts clearly support it: a voluntary quit without good cause, a termination for documented misconduct, or a claimant misrepresenting separation terms. If the record supports denial, file the response, attend the hearing, and make the case. Where the facts are murky or the employee has a sympathetic story, weigh the cost of fighting against the rate exposure. A contested claim that goes against you can trigger an audit and rate increase that far outpaces any short-term savings. Know when to let it go.

How can business owners protect trade secrets and customer relationships?

Businesses can protect their IP and customer data by acting before the problem starts. Spending $500 on prevention is better than spending $50,000 cleaning up a preventable dispute. Start with strong access controls: if employees are storing company data on personal laptops or forwarding it to Gmail, a business loses control.