Yates, Mauck develops practice of detailed craftsmen

by Kris Ann Hegle

SBJ Contributing Writer

In 1971, Carl E. Yates and William L. Mauck left the law firm where they worked and decided to strike out on their own. Although they had known each other since law school, they each had a different legal background.

Yates had experience working with clients in the banking industry. Mauck had served in the U.S. Navy's Judge Advocate General Corps prior to returning to civilian practice. He remained in the Navy Reserve, and by the time he retired in 1994 he was senior military judge.

As a team, they complemented each other well, and together they founded the law firm of Yates & Mauck Inc. At the time, about 270 attorneys were practicing in Springfield, Mauck said, and most of them were World War II veterans.

According to Mauck, law schools were filled to capacity in the early 1970s, and he and Yates believed their experience would give them a competitive edge and enable them to ride the crest of the wave of lawyers who would enter the marketplace in the future.

As with many of Springfield's older law firms, Yates & Mauck has expanded over the years to include many other attorneys, and today the firm is known as Yates, Mauck, Bohrer, Elliff, Croessmann & Wieland PC. The name change, however, only reflects one aspect of how this Springfield law firm has grown.

Mauck said the firm has been careful to add partners and associates who could expand or enhance the service given to clients, and the firm has built up a reputation for structuring com-plex financing in the areas of tax, securities law, education, housing, health care, insurance, banking, real estate, public power, trans-portation and utilities.

"Most of the cases we handle are complex and unusual," Mauck said. "As a result the lawyers who work here have developed a craftsman's men-tality."

In addition to Yates and Mauck, attorneys Joseph Bohrer, Carson W. Elliff, J. David Croessmann, David L. Wieland, JoAnne Spears Jackson, Rae L. Nickell and Jason Coatney now work at the firm, and are assisted by three paralegals, three legal assistants, two investigators and an office manager. In addition, James W. Starnes, with more than 30 years of experience in corporate law, serves as of counsel.

The firm's practice is divided between transactional and litigation law. In the area of transactional law, the firm provides bond counsel, credit enhancers' counsel, issuers' counsel, underwriters' counsel, special tax counsel, bank counsel, corporate, real estate and estate-planning services.

Yates, Mauck, Bohrer, Elliff, Croessmann & Wieland PC also serve as counsel on taxable and tax-exempt financing for governmental entities, such as cities, counties and districts, on general obligation bonds, revenue bonds and lease-financing transactions. The firm serves as special counsel for the city of Springfield and handles many of the city's municipal financing and funding needs.

In addition, many other local and city governments in southwest Missouri rely on the firm to provide them with bond counsel, and both Yates and Elliff are recognized for their expertise in this area. The firm also is known for its expertise in handling mergers and acquisitions, taxation, real estate, and in organizing banks and bank holding companies.

In the area of litigation, the firm provides counsel for a wide range of insurance companies, including liability, property, casualty and title insurance companies. The firm's attorneys have experience working on all forms of civil litigation and in mediation and arbitration. Mauck is certified for mediation and arbitration by both the American Health Lawyers Association and the American Arbitrators Association.

Although the firm has an extensive law library, most of the attorneys access their own legal material via computer. Having an attorney research a case by computer results in a better product and a more rapid response, Mauck said.

While research can be time-consuming, attorneys at the firm still find time to get involved in community organizations. Many of the attorneys have served on state and local advisory boards and councils, and several are very politically active.

Indeed, the phrase "office politics" takes on a whole new meaning at the firm. Currently, Mauck serves as the chairman of the Greene County Republican Committee while Yates frequently lends his support to Democratic candidates.

In the future, Yates, Mauck, Bohrer, Elliff, Croessmann & Wieland PC will continue to bring on more new attorneys and expand its existing office space.

"We take care of the client and let everything else take care of itself," Mauck said.