Two Husch Blackwell partners have been named among the 2014 Benchmark Litigation Top 250 Women in Litigation: Cynthia L. Cordes of Kansas City and Christine F. Miller of St. Louis, Mo. Cordes and Miller are two of only five women selected in the state of Missouri, with Husch Blackwell being the only firm with more than one Missouri honoree. The list recognizes leading female trial lawyers from across the country determined by factors including peer review and career history.
Cordes is a nationally recognized former federal prosecutor and leader in complex criminal litigation. During her years with the U.S. Department of Justice, Cynthia spearheaded and led a multiagency task force of more than 20 federal and state law enforcement agencies and 60 non-profits. Today, Cordes represents those who find themselves under criminal and civil investigation by the federal and state governments and leads internal investigations and government compliance for companies. She was selected as 2014 Lawyer of the Year by Missouri Lawyers Weekly, Influential Woman by Kansas City Business Magazine, and the 2013 Crime Victims’ Rights Act Champion by the U.S. Department of Justice. Cordes is a member of the firm’s Technology, Manufacturing & Transportation team and also leads the firm’s Human Trafficking Pro Bono Legal Clinic. She previously prosecuted the most human trafficking cases of any Assistant U.S. Attorney in the country, which involved some of the most complex and contested prosecutions on behalf of the Department.
Miller is an accomplished trial lawyer and persuasive negotiator, having tried and won more than 50 jury trials in state and federal courts across the country. She is a member of the Technology, Manufacturing & Transportation industry group and has resolved lawsuits that sought tens of millions of dollars involving manufactured products. Miller is known for communicating complex evidence in ways that achieve maximum trial advantage for her clients – whether negotiating a resolution before trial begins, shutting down a case in its earliest stages or conveying a convincing defense in the courtroom. Among her many accolades, Miller has been named a Benchmark Litigation Local Litigation Star every year since 2010, and has been regarded among the Top 250 Women in Litigation since the honor commenced in 2012. St. Louis Magazine named Miller a Best Lawyer in 2013, and in 2010 she received the Trial Practitioner Award from Missouri Lawyers Weekly. Miller is also a member of the firm’s executive and partner boards and chair of the firm’s diversity council.
Benchmark Litigation identifies the leading U.S. trial attorneys and firms at the local and national levels. Focused exclusively on the U.S. litigation market, the publication’s rankings and editorials are the result of extensive interviews with private practice lawyers and in-house counsel.
Husch Blackwell’s Litigation team has the experience and skills to steer clients through the litigation process and achieve victory in or out of court, exploring creative options to resolve disputes in an efficient and cost-effective manner. The team of more than 300 trial and appellate attorneys have secured verdicts and judgments worth hundreds of millions of dollars for firm clients. They represent several Fortune 100 companies on a nationwide basis and frequently act as lead trial counsel in high-stakes cases where the outcome is crucial to clients’ business.