Ozarks Profile

Managing member of Fitzsimmons & Banning LLC, 1545 E. Primrose, Ste. A, Springfield, a law firm representing numerous clients in all courts in the Springfield area. The firm's business emphasizes litigation in all areas. Fitzsimmons was elected associate circuit judge in November and will be sworn in to that post in January 1999. Fitzsimmons & Banning has been in business a little more than one year. Both Fitzsimmons and John Banning were previously with the law firm of Fitzsimmons, Schroeder and Nelson PC. Fitzsimmons is the managing member of Fitzsimmons & Banning. Fitzsimmons is a member of the American Bar Association, the Missouri Bar Association, the Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys, the Commercial Law League of America and the Springfield Metropolitan Bar Association.

Age: 46.

No. of years in Springfield/area: 17 years.

Education: Graduated from St. Louis University High School in 1971; received a bachelor of arts degree from Illinois College in 1975 and a master of arts degree in economics from Western Illinois University in 1971. He then received his law degree (juris doctorate) from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 1981.

Early career: After receiving his master's degree, Fitzsimmons was an instructor in economics and business administration for one semester at Illinois College in Jacksonville, Ill. He was then an administrative manager for Data Documents Inc. prior to going to law school. After law school, Fitzsimmons was an associate attorney with Love and Doran for two years. In 1983 he opened his own firm as a sole practitioner, and formed Fitzsimmons and Schroeder in 1985. In 1997, Fitzsimmons & Banning LLC was formed. He has also taught classes at night at Southwest Missouri State University in paralegal studies and political science. He has been a frequent lecturer at continuing legal education seminars. During most of 1998, his campaign for Greene County associate circuit judge dominated his daily activities. "My experience in the past as a teacher and businessman has assisted me greatly in analyzing the often complex problems that I have handled as an attorney and will decide as a judge. In my law practice, I have mostly represented individuals and have seen the effects of court decisions on the lives of real people," Fitzsimmons said.

Current projects: His main project right now is to shut down his law practice and make the transition into public service at the courthouse.

Management philosophy: "... That all people you deal with should be treated with dignity and respect. Problems will be minimized if you treat all people in a fundamentally fair manner."

Spare-time pursuits: Obedience-training his dogs, playing golf and going to the lake.

Family data: He and his wife, Karenanne, have been married 16 years. She is an attorney and ran Fitzsimmons' campaign for judge. She spent many years on the board of directors of Boys and Girls Town of Missouri and was the president of the board of Springfield Children's Home when it became Boys and Girls Town. She is also a former municipal judge for the city of Springfield.

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