For more information, contact:
Katie Hollar, (816) 460-5631

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (July 23, 2007) – Bill Migneron has joined Lathrop & Gage L.C. as the firm’s first chief operating officer, CEO Joel Voran announced today.

As COO, Migneron will oversee the day-to-day management of finances, business operations, staff and facilities. He also will serve as a business adviser, assisting the CEO and executive committee with the development and execution of the firm’s strategic plan. The top administrative post at Lathrop & Gage previously was held by Curt Boswell, who served as executive director for 18 years. Boswell retired in December 2006.

Voran described Migneron as “a consummate professional” with exceptional knowledge of law firm management.

“Bill has proven leadership and management skills that will make him an invaluable resource to Lathrop & Gage as we continue our strategic growth,” Voran said. “He is a top talent whose ideas and insight into firm operations will help us provide an even higher level of client service.”

For the past two years, Migneron has served as executive director of Minneapolis-based Gray Plant Mooty, where he was responsible for directing and managing the overall business operations of the 160-attorney firm.

Prior to joining Gray Plant Mooty, he was with Kansas City’s Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP, where he worked for 18 years in a number of administrative roles, most recently serving as chief information officer. At Shook, Migneron coordinated the space design and site selection of the firm’s new 500,000-square-foot headquarters and planned and opened offices in England, Switzerland and three domestic locations.

“I have always admired Lathrop & Gage and its strengths in management, leadership and vision,” Migneron said. “I am eager to draw upon my experience to streamline operations and build upon the firm’s tradition of client service.”

A fixture in the legal community, Migneron has served in a variety of leadership positions with the international Association of Legal Administrators (ALA), including president, executive committee member and at-large director. He also is a past president and former board member of the ALA’s Greater Kansas City chapter.

About Lathrop & Gage:
A full-service law firm, Lathrop & Gage L.C. has 280 attorneys in 10 offices nationwide – from Denver, Colo. to New York, New York. In 2007, Chambers USA ranked Lathrop & Gage’s corporate, environmental, intellectual property, litigation, real estate and labor and employment practices among the best in the Midwest, noting the firm’s “exceptionally strong” attorneys who “treat you like you are their most important client.”

For more information, visit www.lathropgage.com.