A Martinsburg woman has admitted lying to a federal grand jury during an investigation of a law firm where she worked as the office manager.

U.S. Attorney William Ihlenfeld II said Wednesday that 52-year-old Nancy Burkhart pleaded guilty Monday to one perjury count.

Burkhart admitted giving false testimony to the grand jury in 2006 during a federal and state investigation of billings submitted by the firm to the state Public Defenders Service. Burkhart testified that she didn't know anything about a missing computer server, which she had helped a lawyer remove from the office.

The law firm of Cunningham, Mitchell & Rocconi welcomes two attorneys, Elizabeth "Sissy" Rankin and Roman Hankins.

Rankin returns to the firm after serving as a General Sessions and Juvenile Court judge in Montgomery County.
Hankins returns to his hometown after graduating from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville with a bachelor of business administration degree and a doctor of jurisprudence.

"We are very honored to have both Sissy and Roman join us," said Jack Mitchell, senior partner of the firm, in a news release. "Sissy's experience as a judge brings additional value to the litigation practices of our firm, and we are excited about Roman's potential after graduating UT with honors."

Larry Rocconi, another partner of the firm, sees additional opportunities for growth with the new hires. "We have been very fortunate in this economy to have an active practice and loyal clients. By getting Sissy back and bringing Roman on board, we can continue to provide existing and new clients with a high level of service in a timely fashion."

Rankin and Hankins said they share in the enthusiasm at Cunningham, Mitchell & Rocconi. "When my term as General Sessions judge ended, I knew that I wanted to come back to a strong law firm with a great reputation, both among lawyers and the community as a whole. I'm proud to be back with these gentlemen."

Ann Halan Brickley has established a general legal practice with an emphasis on civil litigation, business law, employment law and family law at 161 Cherry Street in New Canaan. The firm represents both individuals and businesses.

A graduate of New Canaan High School, Ann received her undergraduate degree from Colgate University, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and her law degree from Cornell University Law School. Following law school, she joined the Wall Street law firm of Winthrop, Stimson, Putnam & Roberts (now known as “Pillsbury”). More recently, she has practiced with two Fairfield County firms. She is admitted to practice in Connecticut and New York.

She can be reached at 203-966-6600 or ann@ahblawoffice.com.

Tully Rinckey PLLC is pleased to announce the addition of attorney J.E. Yancey Ellis as an Associate in its Washington, D.C. law office. Ellis joins Tully Rinckey PLLC after serving in the U.S. Marine Corps for over four years, including a year long deployment in Iraq. Ellis will provide representation to military servicemembers in all aspects of military criminal and administrative law.

As a former Marine Corps Judge Advocate and assistant advisor to a Commanding Officer in Iraq, Ellis earned a reputation as an aggressive, thorough, and highly admired attorney familiar with the legal complexities under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. At Tully Rinckey PLLC, Ellis will specialize in providing all members of the military with high quality legal services including officer misconduct, Non-Judicial Punishment proceedings, Article 32 investigations, desertion and AWOL instances, as well as violent crimes. He will also focus on handling administrative matters relating to the correction of military records.

While on active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps, Ellis served as both a military prosecutor and defender at Camp Pendleton in California as well as a Deputy Legal Advisor while stationed in Iraq. During his time as a military prosecutor, Ellis prosecuted over 100 Marines accused of violating federal or military law, or state law under the Federal Assimilative Crimes Act. In his role as defender, Ellis represented Marines accused under federal and military law of felony and misdemeanor crimes earning Defense Counsel of the Year for the Western United States in 2009.

Ellis earned his Juris Doctorate from George Mason University School of Law, graduating Cum Laude, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from West Virginia University, graduating Magna Cum Laude.

For more information about J.E. Yancey Ellis’ addition to Tully Rinckey PLLC or the firm’s military and national security practice, please contact Ali Skinner at (202) 787-1900 or at askinner@fedattorney.com

George M. von Stamwitz, a partner at Armstrong Teasdale and leader of the firm’s Environmental practice group, has been named the Best Lawyers’ 2011 St. Louis Environmental Lawyer of the Year. After more than a quarter of a century in publication, Best Lawyers designates “Lawyers of the Year” in high-profile legal specialties in large legal communities. Only a single lawyer in each specialty in each community is honored as the “Lawyer of the Year.” 

With more than 25 years of legal experience and 10 years of environmental risk transfer consulting, von Stamwitz has seen environmental risk in every conceivable business and regulatory context. He is also president of AT Environmental, LLC (www.atenv.com), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Armstrong Teasdale. In this role, von Stamwitz provides strategic environmental evaluations and risk transfer design services to national and international companies interested in divesting of environmental risk.

Von Stamwitz received his J.D., cum laude, from Saint Louis University School of Law in 1982 and his B.A., summa cum laude, from Tufts University in 1979.

Best Lawyers compiles its lists of outstanding attorneys by conducting exhaustive peer-review surveys in which thousands of leading lawyers confidentially evaluate their professional peers. The current, 17th edition of The Best Lawyers in America (2011) is based on more than 3.1 million detailed evaluations of lawyers by other lawyers. The lawyers being honored as “Lawyers of the Year” received particularly high ratings in our surveys by earning a high level of respect among their peers for their abilities, professionalism, and integrity.

About Armstrong Teasdale LLP: Armstrong Teasdale LLP, with nearly 250 lawyers in offices across the U.S. and China, has a demonstrable track record of delivering sophisticated legal advice and exceptional service to a dynamic client base. Whether an issue is local or global, practice area specific or industry related, Armstrong Teasdale provides each client with an invaluable combination of legal resources and practical advice in nearly every area of law. For more information, please visit www.armstrongteasdale.com.

Marc D. Goldstein has joined the law firm of Gallop, Johnson & Neuman, L.C., as an associate focusing his legal practice in the areas of Labor and Employment Law, and Government Relations.

Mr. Goldstein earned a J.D. degree from Washington University School of Law in St. Louis, and a B.A. degree in Psychology and History from New York University in New York City.

Before practicing law, Mr. Goldstein worked in Washington, D.C., with a non-governmental organization representing the commercial casino industry. While in law school, he worked as a summer intern in the Litigation and Labor Departments of Gallop, Johnson and Neuman.

Mr. Goldstein is a member of The Missouri Bar and the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis

Gallop, Johnson & Neuman, L.C., a full service law firm of 80 attorneys, has provided legal services to clients in diverse industries since its founding in 1976 and is one of the largest law firms headquartered in St. Louis. The firm also has offices in Washington, D.C. and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The firm serves public corporations; privately-held companies; entrepreneurs and start-up enterprises; individuals and families; trustees and trust beneficiaries; charities; and non-profit entities. The firm’s headquarters are located at 101 South Hanley Road, Suite 1700, in Clayton, Missouri.