Former Lathrop & Gage CEO back in the saddle at Kansas City boutique

Tom Stewart, the long-time CEO of Lathrop & Gage who departed the firm under sudden circumstances last year, is re-entering the Kansas City legal scene.

Stewart will join the boutique litigation firm Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice on July 1, according to a firm representative. Since leaving Lathrop & Gage, Stewart has been working as a consultant for CBIZ in Leawood, Kan.

"I had been talking with Baker Sterchi for some time and they just stayed after me and stayed after me," Stewart said. "They made me an offer I couldn't refuse."

Stewart will work as a general litigator for the firm. Stewart will continue working for CBIZ as an independent contractor.

After 18 years of leading the Lathrop & Gage, Stewart left in May 2007 amid allegations of workplace misconduct, according to a description of a board meeting in an internal Lathrop & Gage e-mail string. The e-mail was obtained last year by a reporter for Missouri Lawyers Weekly, The Daily Record's sister publication.

Stewart said he looks forward to getting back to litigation.

"Probably six months or a year ago, I wasn't psychologically ready to return, but now I feel ready to go," he said. "I'm really looking forward to this."

David Preston, who also formally worked at Lathrop & Gage and also as general counsel for Russell Stover, will also join Baker Sterchi.

During Stewart's tenure at Lathrop & Gage, the firm doubled in size and is now ranked eighth in the state in terms of revenue.

Copyright 2008 Dolan Media Newswires
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.