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Katie Hollar, Lathrop & Gage
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New CEO Looks to Grow Firm, Continue Momentum of Record Year

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (June 1, 2007) – The members of Lathrop & Gage L.C. have elected a new chief executive officer and three representatives on the executive committee, Andrew Ramirez, chair of the firm’s selection committee, announced today.

Joel Voran, a 29-year veteran of the firm, will begin his three-year term as CEO effective immediately. He is eligible to serve up to two additional terms.

Bill Beck was elected to a second term on the executive committee. Allison Bergman and Bill Rudy are new additions to the group, which develops the firm’s strategic direction and policies, oversees financial matters and department managers and serves as a liaison to regional offices and operating committees. Beck, Bergman and Rudy will start their terms
July 1.

“The election of these four individuals is the culmination of weeks of collaboration and discussion with all members of the firm,” said Ramirez, a member in the firm’s Overland Park, Kan. office. “Our objective was to identify the very best candidates for these positions, and I know that we have succeeded.”

“Experience, Vision and Business Background”

Voran currently is chair of the firm’s Wealth Strategies practice group, which during his tenure has grown to be the largest trust and estates department in the region.

He has been a leader at Lathrop & Gage since its creation: As a partner at Gage & Tucker, he negotiated the 1996 merger with Lathrop & Norquist. He served on the Lathrop & Gage executive committee in 1996 and from 1998 to 2003, when he served as the firm’s chief financial officer.

A standout in his field, Voran was named to Worth magazine’s list of the nation’s top 100 trust and estates attorneys in November 2006. He is a fellow in the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America for the past three years.

Peter Brown, a trust and estates attorney who brought a 16-person team to Lathrop & Gage in April 2006, said Voran is a great choice to lead the firm.

“Joel Voran is the primary reason I joined Lathrop & Gage,” Brown said. “He has extensive experience in management, vision to guide the firm and a solid business background. He is a strong leader who is committed to client service and smart growth. Joel will continue our firm’s strategic plan, and Lathrop & Gage will thrive.”

Voran said he was “deeply honored and humbled” to be elected by his colleagues. He plans to spend his first few weeks as CEO meeting with key clients and attorneys in the firm’s Kansas City headquarters and nine regional offices.

“Lathrop & Gage is now enjoying a record year, with revenue up significantly year to date,” Voran said. “It’s an exciting time, but to keep advancing, we must focus on what has made the firm successful in the first place: a dedication to providing excellent legal advice and superior service.

“Lathrop & Gage will grow. We will increase in size and regional offices, but just as important, we will increase our diversity and practice group offerings. We have been growing with our clients since 1873, and we will continue to adapt along with them to remain the ideal solution for their legal needs.”

Proven Leadership, Fresh Perspectives

The two new additions to the executive committee, Bergman and Rudy, both have experience in firm management.

Bergman, recently honored by KCB Magazine as one of Kansas City’s 51 Most Influential Women, concentrates her practice in real estate and public law. She has served on the firm’s diversity and membership admissions committees and as a mentor to associates and summer clerks.

An intellectual property litigator, Rudy now serves as chair of the firm’s IP division. He has been partner-in-charge of the Boulder, Colo., office, which he helped create along with Lathrop & Gage’s New York office. Under his guidance, the firm’s IP group has grown tenfold in the past decade; with 46 attorneys, it is the largest IP practice among Kansas City-based law firms.

“Both Allison and Bill have proven track records in leadership positions and the respect and admiration of their peers,” Ramirez said. “They also both possess innovative new ideas and energy that will propel this firm to the next level.”

Beck first joined the executive committee in 2004. His national litigation practice consists of trials, arbitrations, administrative proceedings, mediations and negotiations to resolve high stakes and complicated disputes. He has been lead counsel for plaintiffs prosecuting environmental insurance coverage and bad faith lawsuits and claims involving more than 400 sites and the laws of more than 40 states.

In addition to Bergman, Rudy and Beck, other members of the executive committee are Ramirez, Frank Evans and Brian Fenimore.

About Lathrop & Gage:
A leading Midwest full-service law firm, Lathrop & Gage L.C. has 280 attorneys in 10 offices nationwide – from Denver, Colo. to New York, New York. In 2006, Chambers USA ranked Lathrop & Gage’s corporate, intellectual property, litigation, real estate and labor and employment practices among the best in the Midwest, noting the firm is populated with “excellent legal advisers with a strong commitment to customer service.”

For more information, visit www.lathropgage.com.