Husch Blackwell Sanders LLP welcomes associates Melanie P. Rheinecker and Laura B. Staley to the firm’s Downtown St. Louis office. Rheinecker joins the firm’s Business Services Division and will focus her practice on commercial transactions, securities and corporate finance, and mergers and acquisitions. Staley will practice in the Labor & Employment practice area, which is part of the firm’s Litigation Division.
Rheinecker began her legal career at Bryan Cave LLP (2004-2008), where she drafted and participated in negotiations of merger and acquisition agreements, securities offering registration statements, private equity placement documents, operating agreements and commercial contracts. Rheinecker earned her J.D. (2004) from the University of Miami School of Law, magna cum laude. While attending law school, she served as editor-in-chief of the University of Miami Inter-American Law Review. She received her B.A. from Northwestern University (1999).
Prior to joining Blackwell Sanders, Staley was an associate at McMahon Berger (2004-2008). Her practice was dedicated to representing employers in all aspects of employment law, including charges of discrimination filed with the EEOC and state agencies, as well as litigation claims under Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family Medical Leave Act, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. She also represented employers before the NLRB with respect to various labor issues. From 2002 to 2004, she was an associate at Evans & Dixon, L.L.C., where she represented employers and insurers in workers’ compensation litigation. Staley earned her J.D. (2002) from the University of Missouri School of Law. She earned her B.A. with Departmental Honors from the University of Missouri (1999).