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Booker Shaw

Partner

St. Louis
314 552 6087 314 552 6087 direct

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Education
- Catholic University of America,
  
  J.D.
- Southern Illinois University,
  
  B.A.
- National Judicial College
- American Academy of Judicial Education
- University of Missouri, Center for the Study of Dispute Resolution
Admissions
- Illinois
- Missouri
- Missouri USDC, Eastern District
- Missouri USDC, Western District
- US Ct Appeals, 8th Circuit (Covers AR, IA, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD)
Affiliations
- The Theodore McMillian American Inn of Court
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Missouri
  
  Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee
- American Bar Association
- Lawyers Association of St. Louis
- Missouri Bar Association
- Mound City Bar Association
- National Bar Association, Judicial Council
Recognitions
- Mentor Award, 2015
  
  Missouri Lawyers Weekly
- Diverse Business Leader Award, 2010
  
  St. Louis Business Journal
- Legal Legend Award, 2018
  
  Mound City Bar Association
- Hall of Fame
  
  National Bar Association
- Diversity and Inclusion Award, 2021
  
  Missouri Lawyers Media
- Distinguished Lawyer Award, 2019
  
  Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis
- Largest Defense Verdicts, 2012, 2017, 2022
  
  Missouri Lawyers Media
- Listed in The Best Lawyers in America® (by BL Rankings), 2022-2024
- 500 Leading Litigators in America
  
  Lawdragon
- Power List of Top Missouri Appellate Attorneys
  
  Missouri Lawyers Media
Employment
- Thompson Coburn LLP
  
  2009-Present
- Missouri Court of Appeals
  
  2002-2009; Chief Judge 2006-2007
- Circuit Judge, 22nd Circuit
  
  1995-2002
- Associate Circuit Judge, 22nd Circuit
  
  1983-1995
- Circuit Attorney's Office
  
  1976-1983
- Federal Trade Commission
  
  1975
- U. S. Department of Justice
  
  1974
Community
- Member, Missouri Committee on Jury Instructions and Charges - Civil
- Mentor St. Louis
- NAACP
- Second Presbyterian Church, Elder
- Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis

Retired Judge Booker Shaw is a skilled litigator and appellate advocate who brings valuable insight and perspective gained from his more than 25 years on the bench.

His knowledge of current judicial thinking at the trial and appellate levels on a wide range of issues enhances his ability to argue a client's case more persuasively and to craft the most effective strategy. He co-chairs the Firm's Tort Litigation Practice Group.

Judge Shaw served on the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, for seven years, including one year as Chief Judge. While on the appellate bench, he participated in more than 1,000 cases and authored 141 appellate opinions on a variety of cases, from medical negligence and nuisance/sovereign immunity to commercial transactions, contracts and personal injury. He also served as a Special Visiting Judge of the Missouri Supreme Court. As a former trial judge in the 22nd Judicial Circuit, from 1983 until 2002, Judge Shaw presided over more than 500 trials.

Prior to his judicial posts, Judge Shaw worked at the U.S. Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission and the St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office, where he prosecuted over 50 jury trials. In addition to his decades of public service as a distinguished jurist, Judge Shaw continues to give back to the legal profession as a mentor and teacher. He also co-chairs the Firm's Diversity Committee.

Notable cases

Judge Shaw has briefed and argued numerous cases before the U.S. Circuit and District Courts, the Missouri Supreme Court, Courts of Appeals and Circuit Courts. He served as a member of the trial team representing Lorillard Tobacco in the defense of a $500 million cost-recovery lawsuit brought by Missouri hospitals in the City of St. Louis. After a three-month trial, the jury returned defense verdicts on all claims.

Judge Shaw helped Philip Morris defeat a $1.5 billion class action case in a jury trial in the City of St. Louis, where he was a trial team member. After just 30 minutes of deliberation, a trial that lasted 39 days ended with a total defense verdict.

He helped secure a critical defense win in St. Louis for Pfizer in Pesante v. Pfizer, the first of several trials over birth defects allegedly caused by Zoloft. The jury deliberated for less than two hours before siding with Pfizer by a vote of 11-1.

Judge Shaw successfully argued before the Supreme Court of Missouri on behalf of a utility company in a case that impacts utilities across the state.

In an automotive product liability case, Judge Shaw successfully argued to the Missouri Court of Appeals that the trial court properly limited plaintiff's proffer of claimed similar incidents.

Judge Shaw was a trial team member in a five-week multi-plaintiff trial where three plaintiffs alleged that the use of an herbicide caused their non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The jury rejected these claims and returned a complete defense verdict.

Judge Shaw's oral argument helped secure a Missouri Supreme Court reversal in a UCC post-sale notice case. Missouri creditors would likely have faced significant class action exposure if the lower court decisions had been affirmed.