Drew Kemp
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Drew Kemp defends product manufacturers and premises owners in some of the most difficult venues in the country.
Drew defends a wide range of clients, including chemical and product manufacturers and distributors, as well as product maintenance and service companies. He regularly defends elevator, escalator, crane, and lift manufacturers across the country. Drew also defends premises owners, including global chemical manufacturers and clients in the oil and gas industry. He serves on national and local defense counsel teams defending a broad array of clients in mass tort litigation.
Drew’s creativity and attention to detail allow him to consistently develop winning defense strategies for clients from pre-suit investigation through trial or dispute resolution. Using his experience and business education, he partners with clients to develop and execute successful and cost-effective strategies.
Drew also defends clients in property damage cases, as well as employment-related personal injury cases under workers’ compensation, FELA, and the Jones Act. He also advises clients in contract negotiations involving employment and construction matters.
When he is not working, Drew enjoys spending time outdoors with his wife and their two young children, and occasionally you can find him in his woodshop making acoustic guitars.
- Education
- University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law (J.D., 2013); Missouri Law Review
- University of Missouri-Columbia (B.S. in Business Administration with emphasis in Economics, 2010)
- State Admissions
- Missouri, 2013
- Illinois, 2014
- Federal Admissions
- United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
- United States District Court, Central District of Illinois
- United States District Court, Southern District of Illinois
- United States District Court, Eastern District of Missouri
- United States District Court, Western District of Missouri
- Service Areas
- Mass Tort & Product Liability
- Won summary judgment on behalf of a defendant in an asbestos matter in Illinois
- Won summary judgment on behalf of an elevator service company and manufacturer in Florida and Alabama
- Obtained numerous dismissals in premises liability actions for petroleum refining clients by utilizing statutory defenses (2015-2019)
- Obtained numerous dismissals for an elevator service company and manufacturer client in Missouri
- Obtained dismissal for a railroad client based on the federal Locomotive Boiler Inspection Act and Safety Appliance Act
- Served as appointed pro bono counsel for an indigent prisoner in a civil rights medical malpractice case in Illinois federal court
- Advised premises defendants on the use of state labor and workers’ compensation laws resulting in numerous favorable resolutions of large claims by former employees
Publications
- “When Workers’ Comp Covers a Contractor’s Injury Claims,” Law360 (February 2019)
- “Beyond HIPAA: Solving the Puzzle of Properly Acquiring Mental Health Records in Litigation,” IDC Quarterly, Vol. 26, No. 1 (February 2016)
- “When Past Exposure Evidence Is Allowed in Asbestos Defense,” Law360 (September 2015)
- “A Happy New Year for the Plaintiff’s Bar as Rushed Amendments to the Code of Civil Procedure Become Law,” IDC Quarterly, Vol. 25, No. 1 (March 2015)
- “The Bright Side of Ferro v. Folta: Using Conflicts Law to Bar Civil Actions Arising from Injuries Subject to Another State Workers’ Compensation Statute,” IDC Tort Law Newsletter (November 2014)
- “‘Exclusively’ Confusing: Who Has Jurisdiction to Determine Jurisdiction under the Missouri Workers’ Compensation Law?“, Missouri Law Review, Vol. 78, Issue 3 (Summer 2013)
- Folta v. Ferro Engineering, amicus curiae brief of Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel in support of Petitioners, 2015 IL 118070, 43 N.E. 3d 108 (2015) (Illinois Supreme Court ultimately held in favor of Petitioners)
- Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America (2022–2025)
- Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers Rising Stars® (2021–2023)
- The Missouri Bar
- Illinois State Bar Association
- The Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis
- Defense Research Institute
- Missouri High School Mock Trial Competition, volunteer judge