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
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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. Overtime calculation for hourly manager with new management
- A: The answer is "it depends." Generally speaking, if you work over 40 hours in one week (based on the payroll system's designation of when the week begins and ends), then you are entitled to receive overtime pay. However, I understand that certain entities are able to use a two week over 80 hours criteria. If memory serves, that was limited to hospitals or medical facilities.
- Q. Wrongful termination due to attendance and FMLA retaliation in Missouri.
- A: It is perfectly acceptable to discharge an employee for attendance. If you filed for FMLA but it hadn’t yet been reviewed, the common practice is to wait and see if it qualifies. If you had not formally submitted an FMLA request at the time you were discharged, then the company was acting on the information available. If you had already used up all of your available FMLA, then it would not matter if it would otherwise have been covered by FMLA.
- Q. Am I obligated to return an unordered monitor sent by mistake in Missouri?
- A: Just because a company makes a mistake, does not mean you get a windfall. The company is legally permitted to require you to return the inadvertently delivered item. However, the company cannot require you to incur any expense associated with the return.
