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Robert Grant Pennell

Robert Grant Pennell

Straight-Up, Straight-Forward Business Legal Advice is how gets BUSINESS Done!
  • Business Law, Employment Law, Communications & Internet Law
  • Missouri
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Biography

Although not born in Saint Louis, I’ve lived here for forty years, and consider myself a Saint Louisan. I’m a graduate of Washington University–Olin School of Business, and Saint Louis University – School of Law. And in case you, too, are a Saint Louisan, I graduated from Parkway Central Senior High School.

Unlike most of my contemporaries, I did not go directly to law school upon graduating from college. I spent five years as an Engineer Planner at McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing), managing multimillion-dollar engineering development programs for the United States military and its allies. Complying with the demanding requirements of government requests for proposals and contractual reporting more than prepared me for the rigors of the law. It helped me to hone the business sense to not merely identify potential problems/roadblocks, but to actually craft effective solutions, which is precisely how BUSINESS gets done.

I began my legal career as a trial attorney at sizable firms, including one of the oldest insurance defense firms in Saint Louis, as well as the local office of a large international firm out of Chicago. While there, I engaged in every aspect of litigation, from Pre-Trial Discovery and Dispositive Motion practice up to and including First Chair Jury Trials and Appellate Argument before the Missouri and Federal Courts of Appeal.

While initially a litigator, I have spent most of my twenty-five plus years practicing law representing businesses, large and small. Due to my business background, I deliberately transitioned to representing businesses, particularly in regard to employment and contractual matters. In so doing, I’ve assisted businesses from small start-ups to large regional enterprises and Fortune 500 companies including.

Through Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Rating™ my fellow lawyers have assigned me a 5.0 out of 5.0 AV Preeminent Rating – the highest rating available. After all, that is how BUSINESS gets done!

Practice Areas
    Business Law
    Business Contracts, Business Dissolution, Business Finance, Business Formation, Business Litigation, Mergers & Acquisitions, Partnership & Shareholder Disputes
    Employment Law
    Employment Contracts, Overtime & Unpaid Wages
    Communications & Internet Law
    Internet Law, Telecommunications Law
Additional Practice Area
  • Unemployment Claims & Appeals
Video Conferencing
  • Zoom
Fees
  • Free Consultation
    Note that a free consultation is merely an opportunity to discuss your issue to determine if this firm can be of assistance.
  • Credit Cards Accepted
  • Rates, Retainers and Additional Information
    I prefer to charge on a flat fee basis whenever feasible to provide some level of certainty over what your financial obligations will be.
Jurisdictions Admitted to Practice
Missouri
The Missouri Bar
ID Number: 43014
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Professional Experience
Owner
Law Offices of Robert Grant Pennell, LLC
- Current
Focusing on assisting small business owners start and develop their businesses.
General Counsel
DCSC, Inc.
- Current
Senior Associate
Steven Schumaier & Associates, PC
-
Senior Associate
Landau, Omahana & Kopka, Ltd.
-
Associate
Moser & Marsalek, PC
-
Antitrust Faculty Research Assistant
St. Louis University School Of Law
-
Judicial Intern
U.S. District Court - Southern District Illinois
-
Engineering Planner
McDonnell Douglas Corporation
-
Education
Saint Louis University School of Law
J.D. (1993) | Business Associations, Tax, Antitrust
Saint Louis University School of Law Logo
Washington University in St. Louis
B.S.B.A. (1985) | Business Administration, Accounting, Finance & Operations
Washington University in St. Louis Logo
Awards
AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5.0 Peer Review Rated
Martindale-Hubbell
Peer rated for the highest level of professional excellence.
AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5.0 Peer Review Rated
Martindale-Hubbell
Peer rated for the highest level of professional excellence.
Pro Bono Award
American Bar Association
Best Business Attorneys
St. Louis Small Business Monthly
Pro Bono Award
American Bar Association
AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5.0 Peer Review Rated
Martindale-Hubbell
Peer rated for the highest level of professional excellence.
Best Business Attorneys
St. Louis Small Business Monthly
Pro Bono Award
American Bar Association
AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5.0 Peer Review Rated
Martindale-Hubbell
Peer rated for the highest level of professional excellence.
Inducted to Membership
Association for Legal Excellence
Pro Bono Award
American Bar Association
AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5.0 Peer Review Rated
Martindale-Hubbell
Peer rated for the highest level of professional excellence.
Best Business Attorneys
St. Louis Small Business Monthly
AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5.0 Peer Review Rated
Martindale-Hubbell
Peer rated for the highest level of professional excellence.
AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5.0 Peer Review Rated
Martindale-Hubbell
Peer rated for the highest level of professional excellence.
AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5.0 Peer Review Rated
Martindale-Hubbell
Peer rated for the highest level of professional excellence.
AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5.0 Peer Review Rated
Martindale-Hubbell
Peer rated for the highest level of professional excellence.
AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5.0 Peer Review Rated
Martindale-Hubbell
Peer rated for the highest level of professional excellence.
AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5.0 Peer Review Rated
Martindale-Hubbell
Peer rated for the highest level of professional excellence.
AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5.0 Peer Review Rated
Martindale-Hubbell
Peer rated for the highest level of professional excellence.
AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5.0 Peer Review Rated
Martindale-Hubbell
Peer rated for the highest level of professional excellence.
AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5.0 Peer Review Rated
Martindale-Hubbell
Peer rated for the highest level of professional excellence.
AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5.0 Peer Review Rated
Martindale-Hubbell
Peer rated for the highest level of professional excellence.
AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5.0 Peer Review Rated
Martindale-Hubbell
Peer rated for the highest level of professional excellence.
AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5.0 Peer Review Rated
Martindale-Hubbell
Peer rated for the highest level of professional excellence.
AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5.0 Peer Review Rated
Martindale-Hubbell
Peer rated for the highest level of professional excellence.
AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5.0 Peer Review Rated
Martindale-Hubbell
Peer rated for the highest level of professional excellence.
AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5.0 Peer Review Rated
Martindale-Hubbell
Peer rated for the highest level of professional excellence.
AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5.0 Peer Review Rated
Martindale-Hubbell
Peer rated for the highest level of professional excellence.
Defense Trial Academy Graduate
International Association of Defense Counsel
Professional Associations
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Missouri
Board Member
- Current
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Service Corps of Retired & Working Executives (SCORE)
Auxiliary Member
- Current
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American Bar Association, Business Law Section
Member
- Current
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American Bar Association, Business Law Section, LLCs, Partnerships and Unincorporated Business Entities Committee
Member
- Current
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Missouri Bar, Solo and Small Firm Planning Committee
Member
- Current
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Missouri Bar, Solo and Small Firm Committee
Member
- Current
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The Missouri Bar
Attorney Member
- Current
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American Bar Association
Attorney Member
- Current
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Speaking Engagements
Legal Entity Selection, and Licensing & Taxes (Monthly), Starting and Managing the Small Business Workshop (Monthly)
Service Corps of Retired & Working Executives (SCORE)
Employee Performance, Discipline, and Discharge, Missouri Human Resource Law: What You Need to Know Now
National Business Institute
Legal Entity Selection, Licensing & Taxes, and Accounting & Finance (Monthly), Starting and Managing the Small Business Workshop (Monthly)
Service Corps of Retired & Working Executives (SCORE)
Controlling Unemployment Compensation Costs, Mini Law School for HR Professionals
National Business Institute
Legal Entity Selection, Licensing & Taxes, and Accounting & Finance (Monthly), Starting and Managing the Small Business Workshop (Monthly)
Service Corps of Retired & Working Executives (SCORE)
Controlling Unemployment Compensation Costs, Human Resource Law from A to Z
National Business Institute
Business Law Update, Annual Law Update
Missouri Bar Association
Legal Entity Selection, Licensing & Taxes, and Accounting & Finance (Monthly), Starting and Managing the Small Business Workshop (Monthly)
Service Corps of Retired & Working Executives (SCORE)
Advising the Growing Small Business Owner, Solo and Small Firm Conference
Missouri Bar Association
Legal Entity Selection, Licensing & Taxes, and Accounting & Finance (Monthly), Starting and Managing the Small Business Workshop (Monthly)
Service Corps of Retired & Working Executives (SCORE)
Legal Entity Selection, Licensing & Taxes, and Accounting & Finance (Monthly), Starting and Managing the Small Business Workshop (Monthly)
Service Corps of Retired & Working Executives (SCORE)
Business Smart Toolkit - Module 1: Ready, Saint Louis
U.S. Small Business Administration
Look Out Claimants – Beware Significant Statutory Changes to Unemployment!, Solo and Small Firm Conference, Lake of the Ozarks
Missouri Bar, Solo and Small Firm Committee
Legal Structures Selection, Boots to Business: Reboot Training for Veterans, Fenton
U.S. Small Business Administration
Legal Entity Selection, Licensing & Taxes, and Accounting & Finance (Monthly), Starting and Managing the Small Business Workshop (Monthly)
Service Corps of Retired & Working Executives (SCORE)
Advising the Small Business Client, Solo and Small Firm Conference, Branson
Missouri Bar, Solo and Small Firm Committee
Representing Clients in Employment Hearings, Solo and Small Firm Conference, Branson
Missouri Bar, Solo and Small Firm Committee
How to Run for Office from Those Who’ve Learned from the School of Hard Knocks, Solo and Small Firm Conference, Lake of the Ozarks
Missouri Bar, Solo and Small Firm Committee
Websites & Blogs
Website
Legal Answers
25 Questions Answered
Q. Can an employer use different job titles for the same job in order to pay different wages to individual employees?
A: Missouri is an at-will employment state, and the employer can pay folks however it chooses without regard to job titles. It can also discriminate against employees on any basis it sees fit EXCEPT on the basis of an employee being a member of a protected class. The protected classes are race, sex, age (40+), religion, national origin, and disability.
Q. Is it illegal for a job to fake offer you a position? And string you along for weeks and then "rescind it" for no reason
A: While that is unprofessional, it isn't illegal. Since the job is almost certainly at-will employment, the employer could discharge you immediately after being hired without any reason with no liability. As a result, there is no basis for a claim. There could be an exception if you were able to prove “detrimental reliance,” but it is unlikely you would be able to do so on those facts.
Q. What are the legal repercussions of “paying” off a loan to get into another loan?
A: You have the cart in front of the horse. You need to be asking “what are the legal repercussions of knowingly writing a bad check.” The answer is it is a crime, and you can be pursued criminally by the prosecuting attorney or civilly by the lender to whom you wrote the check knowing it would bounce. In Missouri you can be required to pay twice the check amount if pursued civilly, subject to some limits.

You also need to understand that returning the vehicle doesn’t eliminate your obligation to pay off the loan. The lender will simply sell the vehicle at auction where it will receive a lower amount than it might otherwise be worth. The lender will then apply the proceeds of the sale first to any expenses incurred in getting the vehicle ready for sale and sold. Then whatever is left will be applied to your outstanding loan balance, with you being obligated to pay the remaining amount of the loan balance. ... Read More
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Contact & Map
PO Box 726
Manchester, MO 63011
Telephone: (314) 863-1555
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