John C. Bodnar, Jaime R. Mendez Elected Members of Lewis Rice Management Committee
November 9, 2020Lewis Rice is pleased to announce that John C. Bodnar and Jaime R. Mendez have been elected to serve as members of the Firm’s Management Committee. Both are former longtime members of the Firm’s Recruiting Committee, and Bodnar has served as Chairman of Lewis Rice’s Associate Development Committee.
"Both John and Jaime have demonstrated exceptional leadership at the firm, and they each bring something unique to the Committee," said Rick Walsh, Firm Chairman. "We look forward to the fresh ideas and perspectives John and Jaime will contribute."
Bodnar joined Lewis Rice in 1996 and practices in the Firm’s Corporate Department. He represents public companies, large private companies, and middle market private companies located across the country and in varied industries in the areas of mergers and acquisitions and general corporate law. In his mergers and acquisitions practice, Bodnar provides counsel in all forms of transactions, from multibillion-dollar public deals to middle market private company transactions.
"John and I have worked side-by-side on a number of large-scale deals over the years," said John Riffle, Corporate Department Chairman and Management Committee member. "I know firsthand John’s ability to successfully manage extremely complex transactions from start to finish. We will value the business savvy and pragmatism he will bring to the Committee."
Mendez also came to Lewis Rice in 1996 and practices in the Firm’s Estate Planning Department. He advises individuals who require sophisticated estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer tax planning. He also advises individual and corporate fiduciaries in connection with estate and trust administration, and devotes a significant portion of his practice to representing individuals with estate and gift tax audits.
"Jaime is an exceptional estate planning attorney and has a well-earned reputation as a leader in this area of the law," said Estate Planning & Probate Department Co-Chair Marian V. "Bo" Mehan and longtime Management Committee member. "The nature of our practice area is very personal, and Jaime is incredibly good at relating to people and building relationships. His ability to connect personally has certainly contributed to his success as an attorney, and it has also made him a terrific mentor and leader at Lewis Rice. He’ll make great contributions to the Firm serving as a member of the Management Committee."
About Lewis Rice
Throughout the Firm's history, Lewis Rice attorneys have made excellence the foundation of their practice. Founded in 1909, more than a century of service gives the Firm the experience, resources and tools to serve their clients' dynamic needs. A diverse team of more than 160 attorneys provides counsel and solutions for the challenges facing local, regional and national businesses, as well as individuals and families. Lewis Rice maintains offices in downtown St. Louis, suburban Town & Country, and Jefferson City, Missouri and Edwardsville, Illinois. The Firm also has offices in downtown Kansas City, Missouri and suburban Overland Park, Kansas.