Chelsea handles a variety of complex litigation, including commercial litigation, product liability, and environmental and toxic tort litigation across the country. She is involved in all stages of litigation, including researching and analyzing complex legal issues to develop case strategies and preparing for fact and expert witness depositions and trial preparation.
Chelsea has experience as a member of trial teams involving complex litigation. She has tried a number of bench and jury trials in the City of St. Louis. She has also served as lead counsel on several adversarial hearings before the Missouri State Tax Commission and the City of St. Louis Civil Service Commission.
Chelsea’s career began in the City of St. Louis Counselor’s Office, where she defended the city in state and federal cases. She argued many motions in court, attended depositions and successfully defended the city in a variety of personal injury matters in both bench and jury trials.
Chelsea’s work for the City of St. Louis also involved representing various city offices. She served as lead counsel for the City of St. Louis Assessor, where she handled commercial and residential appeals and adversarial hearings before the Missouri State Tax Commission. She also served as lead counsel to the Police Retirement System of St. Louis, where she represented the organization’s board in determining the award of benefits to injured and retired personnel. Finally, Chelsea represented the City of St. Louis in a number of evidentiary hearings regarding employment-related matters before the Civil Service Commission, the authoritative and policymaking body for the city’s merit system.
While earning her J.D. at the Southern Illinois University School of Law, Chelsea was invited to join the University’s National Moot Court Board and was admitted to The Order of Barristers. She also served as a summer law clerk to the Honorable David R. Herndon of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois.
Chelsea is involved in Shook’s pro bono efforts, where she won, on behalf of a Vietnam veteran, an upgrade to his discharge status from dishonorable to honorable.