New firms reshape Springfield law sector

Jones spent 27 years working as a federal prosecutor in Greene County. After being offered an early buyout from his federal post, Jones May 1 opened his own criminal defense practice, The Law Office of David C. Jones.

For Jones, the decision to start his office in Springfield was easy.

“I mostly represent individuals charged or under investigation for federal crimes, and I also handle appeals,” Jones said. “The FBI, (Internal Revenue Service), (Drug Enforcement Agency) are all located here and fan out to the 25-county region. All those prosecutions happen at the federal courthouse in Springfield, so it made sense for me to have my office in Springfield.”

While Jones’ situation may be unique, his decision to start his own firm in Springfield is not.

According to statistics from the Missouri Bar and the Census, Missouri has 19,500 practicing attorneys compared to a population of 5,842,713 – one attorney for every 300 people. Greene County has 866 lawyers, compared to a population of 254,779 – one attorney for every 288 people. Still, as the Springfield metropolitan area continues to grow, so does the need for quality legal services, and according to local attorneys, there’s still plenty of work to go around.

Finding work

Joseph Piatchek grew up in Springfield, and when he was finished with law school at University of Missouri-Columbia, he came back to find work.

He knew a lot of people around town – and when they found out he was a lawyer, they “came out of the woodwork” to enlist his services.

“Plus, my father (and my cousin are) in the financial services industry … so I immediately had a client base,” Piatchek added.

He spent some time searching for an opportunity to join a larger local firm, but he ultimately decided to strike out on his own, opening The Piatchek Law Firm LLC nearly two years ago.

“I already had clients, so I figured I might as well just keep doing what I was doing, so I just set up my own shop,” he said.

For Piatchek, business has been brisk.

“I have more than enough right now, to the point where I’ve had to tell some people that I can’t accept a new client for a period of time,” said Piatchek, who now works with one assistant and is considering hiring additional staff.

Attorney Lee Ann Walker, who in 2005 opened Ozark-based The Law Office of Lee Ann Walker after 12 years of practicing entertainment law in Branson, also has found plenty of work.

“Christian County is the fastest-growing (county) in the state,” Walker said, “It seemed like a good place to open my practice, which (focuses on) family law, estate planning and a little bit of entertainment law.”

Walker said she keeps her client list full by staying involved in the community – she’s on the boards of directors for the Ozark Chamber of Commerce and the Ozark Main Street Association, as well as the advisory board for the Nixa Community Foundation.

“All those have helped because I meet people who refer business to me,” she said. “It’s important to get out and serve the community – people get to know you and trust you and trust your advice.”

For attorney Jeffrey D. Young, a Marshfield native, coming back to the Ozarks after attending school in California and serving as an intern in Tennessee was a result of his love for southwest Missouri.

“After living in several different places and seeing the lifestyles and crime rates, there aren’t many places you’ll find that have as low a cost of living as Springfield with as many opportunities,” said Young, who was a staff attorney for the Ramsdell Law Firm before opening The Law Offices of Jeffrey D. Young PC in Springfield in 2006.

Young, who now has a second office in Marshfield, also pointed to the growth of the area – the Springfield Metropolitan Statistical Area passed 400,000 earlier this year and is growing at 2 percent a year.

“There’s your client base,” he said.

Opportunity arises

Recent expansions of larger existing firms also have brought growth to the local law market.

Kansas-City-based law firm McAnany, Van Cleave & Phillips was founded in 1901 and opened a Springfield office in October, with attorneys Robert and Patricia Musick who each have more than a decade of law experience.

“Even before we had opened a Springfield office, we had a lot of clients in the area, and as that number continued to grow, it became a lot easier to serve them with an office in Springfield,” said spokeswoman Sara Conley.

“It was a great expansion opportunity for the firm – Springfield is a rapidly growing area and it holds a lot of promise,” Conley added.

Jones, who also works in environmental, immigration and federal income taxation law, said the area offers numerous chances for new firms.

“The best thing about Springfield is it’s growing,” Jones said. “There are so many opportunities for young lawyers out of law school looking to make a mark for themselves. Plus, the older lawyers are moving toward retirement. Even in federal court, I saw more and more younger attorneys filling niches formerly filled by older attorneys.”

According to The Missouri Bar, 260 law students passed the bar exam in February, which is about average for the fall exam. The next test will be in July.