Newman Comley & Ruth P.C.

What is a Guardian ad Litem? Check out NCR's April blog post to find out more information about Guardian ad Litems and why one might be appointed during your child custody dispute.

Check out our latest blog post about proposed COVID-19 tort legislation in Missouri.

After 40 years in the practice of law, Stephen G. Newman, one of the founding shareholders of Newman, Comley & Ruth P.C., has retired from the firm. We thank Steve for his excellent, professional, and dedicated service to our clients and to the community. Steve leaves behind a legacy that is an honor to our firm and the legal profession as a whole. Thank you, Steve, and congratulations on your retirement!

Attorney Steve Newman volunteered for the Jefferson City Project Homeless Connect on October 17, 2019. Jefferson City Homeless Connect is a one day event based on a national service model to reduce as many barriers as possible to help the homeless or near homeless. The purpose of the project is to help the homeless or near homeless become more self-sufficient. Steve helped prepare for the one day event by packing over 200 buddy packs. It was his job near the end of an assembly line of volunteers to place two wash cloths in a bag that held body wash, shampoo, hair conditioner, body lotion, laundry detergent and socks.

Steve Newman attended the Annual Estate, Trust and Elder Law Institute on September 5-6, 2019 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Institute was sponsored by the Missouri Bar. The two day event featured plenary and breakout sessions on timely topics including, but not limited to, legislative and case law updates, qualified retirement benefits, the psychology of probate, electronic wills, and trust protectors.

Today, Steve Newman presented at the Annual Law Update sponsored by the Missouri Bar. Steve led a 50- minute program on probate and trust law at the Stoney Creek Inn in Columbia, Missouri. He discussed 2018 and 2019 legislative changes and Missouri appellate probate and trust law cases.

In April, Attorney Ed Clausen made front page news with his giant Coca-Cola bottle full of coins that he had been collecting for several years to donate to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Jefferson City. Yesterday, a Big and Little pairing came by the office to pick up the bottle and take it to the bank. The bottle was heavier than before thanks to generous donations from people that had seen the article in the News Tribune and wanted to help out. In total, $405.77 was donated. With his empty bottle back, Ed will start collecting his spare change to be donated again a few years down the road.

NCR shareholder and employment law attorney, Cathy Martin, gave a presentation on creating enforceable arbitration, non-compete, and confidentiality agreements to employers attending the Missouri Employment Conference today via Zoom. Employers learned key points on how to draft these agreements to protect their businesses and how to enforce them.

First, we at Newman, Comley and Ruth want to thank our clients for their patience over these last several weeks as our physical office was closed and we moved to working remotely. Second, we are excited to announce that we will be reopening our physical office beginning Monday, May 11th. In order to ensure the safety of our staff and clients, we will continue to encourage client meetings via video and telephone conference. For those that do visit our office, our attorneys... and staff will be practicing social distancing, will not be shaking hands, and may be wearing face masks. In addition, visitors to the office may notice physical changes, such as limited seating in the waiting area and conference rooms and additional protection between our receptionist and the front door. We will also be regularly disinfecting surfaces throughout the office, including in the waiting area and conference rooms. These changes are for everyone's safety. We look forward to seeing each of you again in the near future.

We at Newman, Comley and Ruth, P.C. remain available to serve you. We are monitoring the COVID-19 situation closely and in the interests of safety for our staff, our clients, and our community, we have made the important decision to close our physical office effective at the end of the day Wednesday, March 18, 2020. Despite our absence from our physical office, our attorneys and staff remain available, ready and able to help you with your legal needs during this time. Our m...ainline phone will be answered, and calls and messages will be directed to staff and attorneys working from their homes. Attorneys will make appropriate arrangements to confer with clients remotely, via telephone or video conference. While our absence from the office may result in small delays in response time, we are committed to minimizing these as much as practical. For those seeking legal services, our staff will continue to field your calls and will direct your matter to the appropriate attorney for review and consideration. As with everyone, we do not know how long this crisis will last, and cannot predict when our physical office will reopen. While we will maintain the high level of work product our clients have come to appreciate over our more than 26 years of existence, we ask that you bear with us in these uncharted times. We wish each of you health and safety in the days and weeks to come.

Newman, Comley and Ruth P.C. is pleased to announce that one of its 2019 trial victories was featured in the Top Wins in 2019 list published annually by Missouri Lawyers Weekly. The trial team, NCR attorneys Michael Berry and John Brooks, were recognized for their defense verdict on behalf of Linn County, Missouri at the conclusion of a jury trial in October. Missouri Lawyers Weekly’s list highlights the largest plaintiff and defense wins during the past year.

Cathy Martin, attorney and shareholder, at Newman, Comley & Ruth P.C., gave a presentation on Keeping Your Law Practice on Track: Fees on December 6, 2019 for the Missouri Bar.