Mark H. Levison

Mr. Levison’s practice includes complex commercial litigation and the counseling of clients in areas of intellectual property and general litigation. Further, he oversees the firm’s St. Louis practice in governmental relations and administrative affairs, with a concentration in economic development incentives, real estate and zoning.

He was a member of the Missouri Legislature’s subcommittee on the privatization of government services. In Washington D.C., Mr. Levison served on the staffs of the United States Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives. He is currently the General Counsel of the Urban League of St. Louis.

As a trial lawyer, he has helped set legal precedent in several distinct areas. Mr. Levison is a recognized leader of the organized bar, being one of only two lawyers in the history of The Missouri Bar to serve as President of both the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis and the Trial Lawyers Association of St. Louis and to serve as a member of The Missouri Board of Governors. He is a nationally syndicated columnist and is a frequent CLE speaker on topics ranging from Ethics to Real Estate to Professionalism.

Representative transactions in which Mr. Levison has been involved include:

• Represented Pinnacle Entertainment in its successful attempt to win RFP’s to build casinos in both St. Louis City and St. Louis County.
• Served as special counsel to the St. Louis Development Corporation in negotiating development rights for the Arena/Highlands site.
• Represented a client utilizing tax incremental financing and various other economic incentives in developing the first commercial office building constructed in East St. Louis in over three decades.

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• Represented Washington University in real estate development and land use issues arising from its campus expansion into multiple municipal jurisdictions.
• Represented Trizec Hahn in its purchase of the Met Square Building (over $100 million) in respect to tax incentive issues.

Representative examples of the litigation in which Mark has been involved include:

• Represented a national metals recycling corporation in the prosecution of an antitrust claim filed against one of the nation’s largest telecommunications companies. Obtained a verdict in excess of $100 million, which at the time, was one of the largest verdicts in the nation.
• Defended a regional manufacturer in an antitrust action brought by a multi-national corporation. The claim asserted that the client was attempting to monopolize the market and further impinge upon the copyrights of the multi-national corporation. As a result of the representation, Mark’s client, the defendant, recovered more than $2 million in cash and benefits.
• Represented an entertainment promoter and venue owner in its defense of an antitrust action brought by another promoter. Secured dismissal prior to trial on a motion for summary judgment.

Court Memberships

• Missouri
• Missouri Supreme Court
• U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri

Honors

• President’s Outstanding Service Award, Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis
• Martindale-Hubbell® “AV” Rating

Professional Affiliations

• Missouri General Assembly, Appointed to Subcommittee on Competition and Privatization
• Governor, Missouri Bar Board of Governors
• Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, Past President
• Lawyers Association of St. Louis (Trial Bar), Past President
• St. Louis Bar Foundation, Past Vice President
• Missouri Interest on Lawyer Trust Fund Accounts (IOLTA), Past Vice President
• American Bar Association
• The Mound City Bar
• Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, Board of Directors and General Counsel
• Payback, Inc. Board of Directors and Past President
• St. Louis Internship Program, Board of Directors and Past President

Publications

• Founder, The Levison Group, syndicator of legal analysis and satire column
• Author, “The Bill of Rights as Adjunct to Natural Law,” Det. C.L.Rev.
• Author of various columns including Old Thoughts, Laughing Matters and Under Analysis
• Editor-in-Chief, St. Louis Lawyer