Robert Grant Pennell
Straight-Up, Straight-Forward Business Legal Advice is how gets BUSINESS Done!
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!
- 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
- Unemployment Claims & Appeals
- Zoom
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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
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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.
- Missouri
- The Missouri Bar
- ID Number: 43014
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- 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
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- Senior Associate
- Landau, Omahana & Kopka, Ltd.
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- Associate
- Moser & Marsalek, PC
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- Antitrust Faculty Research Assistant
- St. Louis University School Of Law
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- Judicial Intern
- U.S. District Court - Southern District Illinois
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- Engineering Planner
- McDonnell Douglas Corporation
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- Saint Louis University School of Law
- J.D. (1993) | Business Associations, Tax, Antitrust
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- Washington University in St. Louis
- B.S.B.A. (1985) | Business Administration, Accounting, Finance & Operations
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- 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
- 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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- 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)
- Q. Is it legal to adjust current pay period hours for past overtime in Missouri?
- A: I’m not sure I’m understanding your question. The employer can certainly cut your hours as it sees fit. I don’t understand what you mean by “took away hours from my current pay period to compensate for overtime paid in the previous pay period.” Reducing hours in one week will not avoid paying for OT for a previous week. If the employer is simply reducing hours this week because they gave you more hours last week that is not prohibited.
- Q. Legal guidance for Missouri business offering propane tank repainting and branding services.
- A: Congratulations on your new business venture. I hope things go well for you.
On the one hand, you are asking the right questions. Unfortunately, a forum like this cannot provide adequate responses.
You will need to hire a business lawyer to assist you with these issues. I recognize that folks are convinced they cannot afford the legal fees for proper representation. First, the cost of hiring a business attorney is likely far less than you suspect. More importantly, the cost of not hiring an attorney to ensure everything is done correctly is significantly greater. This is one of those cases where an ounce of prevention is worth an pound of cure.
In addition to assistance in selecting ... Read More
- Q. Why might I not have ADA protection after being terminated due to health issues?
- A: If you were discharged due to your disability as you allege, you would have a potential ADA case. However, I think you posted this before and said you had a "potential" but not "firm" return-to-work date when the Employer filled your position. Your job was no longer protected by September 2024 when you exhausted your FMLA. The reality is that your employer went well beyond its obligations by holding your job well after your FMLA was exhausted.
The ADA requires that you be able to perform your job, albeit with a reasonable accommodation. The employer had no obligation to protect your job once your FMLA was exhausted and you could not return to work with accommodations in ... Read More
