Stinson Morrison Hecker and Leonard, Street and Deinard Announce Merger

Kansas City, Mo./Minneapolis—Stinson Morrison Hecker and Leonard, Street and Deinard, two of the leading full-service law firms in the Midwest, today announced that they will merge to become one of the largest law firms in the U.S.

This combination will create an even stronger real estate practice. And, it will also build upon such other key areas as corporate finance; banking and financial services; energy, environmental, mining and natural resources; and litigation.

On the real estate front:

• Stinson Morrison Hecker’s experience covers all types of real estate transactions. Their client roster includes buyers, sellers, developers, governmental entities, landlords, tenants and users of real estate.  Their involvement in such industry organizations as the American College of Real Estate Lawyers, the International Council of Shopping Centers, American Land Title Association Lender’s Counsel Group and Corporate Real Estate Network enhances their expertise and cutting-edge practice.
• Leonard, Street and Deinard’s Real Estate law practice provides services for all types of real estate transactions and litigation, including commercial real estate, banking and lending, land use and litigation, housing and public finance.  Their attorneys have extensive experience in all traditional real estate practice areas, such as property acquisition, financing, leasing, due diligence review and entitlements. They often act as local counsel, providing services to lenders and borrowers across the nation. They have experience in a variety of areas, such as brownfield redevelopments, condemnation, sports arenas, hotel projects, hydroelectric and co-generation projects, wireless communication networks, real estate investment trusts (REITs) and tenant-in-common exchanges.

The combination is a natural extension of a long-standing relationship between both firms. Their managing partners have collaborated as part of a Midwest peer group for more than a decade. As a result, they recognized that they share similar strategies, objectives, management structures and cultures. This combination is a response to their clients’ needs and demonstrates their strong commitment to serving our respective clients and communities.

The combined firm will operate as Stinson Leonard Street LLP beginning Jan. 1, 2014. Mark Hinderks and Lowell Stortz will serve as co-managing partners and Allison Murdock will be the deputy managing partner.  With more than 525 attorneys and offices in 14 cities, the new firm is expected to become one of the largest 75 law firms in the U.S., according to the National Law Journal’s 2012-2013 rankings.