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Friel, McCord & Smiley, LLC

Attorneys you can count on.

Attorneys you can count on.

Attorneys you can count on.

Attorneys you can count on.

Attorneys you can count on.

Attorneys you can count on.

MEET OUR TEAM

Joshua K. Friel, Partner

Charice Holtsclaw, Of Counsel

Joshua K. Friel, Partner

 Joshua earned a Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Social Studies Education from the University of Missouri. After graduating, he moved to South Korea where he taught English to Korean students. After two years, Joshua returned to the USA, where he enrolled in the University of Missouri Law School. Joshua graduated with his Juris Doctor degr

 Joshua earned a Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Social Studies Education from the University of Missouri. After graduating, he moved to South Korea where he taught English to Korean students. After two years, Joshua returned to the USA, where he enrolled in the University of Missouri Law School. Joshua graduated with his Juris Doctor degree in 2012. He is a member of the Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers, the Cole County Bar Association, and the Missouri Bar Association.

Joshua began his career focusing on the defense of rural electric cooperative in condemnation matters. As part of his work in this area, Joshua second-chaired three jury trials, and two bench trials, deposed landowners and land value experts, examined witnesses at trial, and briefed and argued various motions.

Joshua currently focuses his practice on workers’ compensation defense and medical fee dispute defense. He has represented clients in most corners of the state: from New Madrid to Kansas City, and Springfield to Hannibal. He has tried or settled 75+ workers’ compensation cases. He has represented his clients on appeal, including briefing and orally arguing the issue of whether an accident was caused by an unusual strain. Joshua has extensive experience at all stages of a workers’ compensation case including initial investigation, fact and expert depositions, coordinating with expert doctors, medical record review, mediation, hearings, and appeals.

Joshua has tried three medical fee dispute cases asserting a statute of limitations defense and prevailed in each case. Joshua also has extensive experience in the motion practice for medical fee disputes in the form of Requests for Award on Undisputed Facts which provide for a swift end to medical fee disputes without the need for a hearing.


MEMBERSHIPS

  • The Missouri Bar
  • Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis (BAMSL)


PRACTICE AREAS

  • Appellate Procedure
  • Personal Injury
  • Premises Liablilty
  • Insurance Litigation and Defense
  • Corporate Business and Municipalities
  • Estate Planning and Probate
  • Family Law
  • Real Estate
  • Workers’ Compensation


EDUCATION

  • University of Missouri – Columbia (B.S. Education, 2004; J.D. 2012)


PUBLICATIONS

  • Sacred vs. Secular: NEPA Again Proves to be an Ineffective Tool to Protect Sacred Land, 18 MO. ENVTL. L. & POL’Y REV. 504 (2011).

Megan E. McCord, Partner

Charice Holtsclaw, Of Counsel

Joshua K. Friel, Partner

Megan earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology, magna cum laude, from Drury University in 2005.  Megan attended the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law as a Judge Ross T. Roberts Scholar and earned Dean’s List honors.  She earned both her Juris Doctorate and Certificate in Dispute Resolution in 2009.  She is licensed to pr

Megan earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology, magna cum laude, from Drury University in 2005.  Megan attended the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law as a Judge Ross T. Roberts Scholar and earned Dean’s List honors.  She earned both her Juris Doctorate and Certificate in Dispute Resolution in 2009.  She is licensed to practice law in Missouri state courts, Arkansas state courts, Oklahoma state courts, and before the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri. Megan is a member of the Springfield Metropolitan Bar Association, the Missouri Bar Association, the Arkansas Bar Association, the Oklahoma Bar Association, the Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers, and the Electric Cooperative Bar Association.  Megan serves as General Counsel to several rural electric cooperatives. In addition to her general counsel work, her practice focuses on general corporate law, insurance defense litigation, and workers’ compensation defense. For her rural electric cooperative clients, Megan provides counsel to Boards, handles employment law issues, drafts policies, and conducts annual meetings of the membership. She also provides training on FEMA compliance, sexual harassment and discrimination, Fair Labor Standards Act compliance, and handling workers’ compensation cases. Megan has also represented several rural electric cooperatives at the Public Service Commission. She has achieved favorable outcomes for her clients in matters ranging from territorial agreements to change of electric supplier cases.  Megan has been defending employers in workers’ compensation cases since 2009 and has handled numerous settlement conferences, mediations, hardship hearings, and final hearings of workers’ compensation claims, as well as depositions of claimants and physicians.  She also has nine years of experience defending civil litigation cases on behalf of her insurance clients.  Megan has successfully defended claims in the areas of premises liability, farm and animal liability, motor vehicle negligence, property damage and personal injury.  She also handles select Plaintiffs’ matters in these same practice areas.  Megan has used the skills she acquired in obtaining her Certificate in Dispute Resolution in successfully resolving a wide range of cases through mediation and negotiation.  She is well versed in handling all aspects of civil litigation defense including drafting and responding to pleadings and motions, conducting legal research, taking and defending depositions, interviewing witnesses and trial preparation.  Megan has extensive courtroom experience including motions hearings, bench trials, jury trials and administrative proceedings.  


MEMBERSHIPS

  • Missouri Bar Association 
  • Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity 
  • Electric Cooperative Bar Association 
  • Springfield Metropolitan Bar Association 


PRACTICE AREAS 

  • Corporate and Rural Electric Cooperative Law 
  • Workers’ Compensation 
  • Personal Injury (Auto Accidents and Premises Liability) 
  • Employment Law 
  • Corporate and Business Law 
  • Real Estate (Eminent Domain and Trespass) 
  • Insurance Defense 
  • Administrative Law 


VOLUNTEER WORK 

  • Missouri Institute of Natural Science - Board Secretary, Grant Writer, 2019 - present


COURTS 

  • Admitted to Missouri Bar, 2009 
  • U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri 
  • Admitted to Arkansas Bar, 2016 
  • Admitted to Oklahoma Bar, 2019 


EDUCATION 

  • Drury University (B.A. Psychology, Magna Cum Laude 2005) 
  • University of Missouri – Columbia School of Law (J.D. 2009) Dean’s List : Fall 2007, Spring 2008 Certificate in Alternative Dispute Resolution 


SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS 

  • FEMA Procurement Regulations and Changes in the Law Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives, September 26, 2019 Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives, April 4, 2019 Barton County Electric Cooperative, January 31, 2019 KAMO Electric Cooperative, Inc., April 12, 2018 
  • Right-of-Way and Independent Contractor Issues Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives, Line Superintendent’s Conference, September 17, 2019 
  • Impacts of Missouri’s Medical Marijuana Law on Rural Electric Cooperatives Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives, Accountant’s Conference, September 5, 2019 M & A Electric Power Cooperative, September 5, 2019 Central Power Electric Cooperative, Inc., August 7, 2019 N.W. Electric Power Cooperative, Inc., May 13, 2019 Northeast Missouri Electric Power Cooperative, Inc., June 20, 2019 Sho-Me Power Electric Cooperative, June 12, 2019 KAMO Electric Cooperative, Inc., June 12, 2019 
  • Impacts of Oklahoma’s Medical Marijuana Law on Rural Electric Cooperatives KAMO Electric Cooperative, Inc., July 9, 2019 
  • Harassment and Discrimination Prevention Training Intercounty Electric Cooperative, October 14, 2019 KAMO Electric Cooperative, Inc., July 23, 2019 Southwest Electric Cooperative, March 27, 2018 Barton County Electric Cooperative, January 30, 2018 
  • Fair Labor Standards Act Travel Time Rules Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives, Accountant’s Conference, Spring 2018 
  • Fiduciary Duties as a Board Member SEMO Electric Cooperative, November 20, 2017 
  • Supervisor Training: FLSA, FMLA, Safety-sensitive jobs, Interview guidelines, etc. KAMO Electric Cooperative, Inc., November 11, 2019


Sheri L. Smiley, Partner

Charice Holtsclaw, Of Counsel

Charice Holtsclaw, Of Counsel

Sheri earned an Associate’s Degree in paralegal studies, a Bachelors Degree in business administration, graduating magna cum laude, and received her Juris Doctorate’s Degree from Washburn University, graduating with Deans honors. She is licensed to practice law in Kansas and Missouri as well as before the United States District Court of K

Sheri earned an Associate’s Degree in paralegal studies, a Bachelors Degree in business administration, graduating magna cum laude, and received her Juris Doctorate’s Degree from Washburn University, graduating with Deans honors. She is licensed to practice law in Kansas and Missouri as well as before the United States District Court of Kansas, and the Western District of Missouri. She is a member of the Missouri Bar Association, the Kansas Bar Association and the Electric Cooperative Bar Association.  While attending law school she clerked for the Kansas Secretary of State and upon graduating from law school served as legal counsel to the Secretary of State for several years. In that position Sheri was responsible for implementing the Business Entities Transaction Act in the State of Kansas which allowed for cross entity mergers, conversions, interest exchanges and domestications of corporations. Sheri has also has drafted and successfully passed legislation relating to LLC’s and resident agent laws. In addition she has testified numerous times before both the House and the Senate regarding partnerships, limited liability partnerships and limited liability companies. Sheri also spent a semester of law school in Europe doing a comparative study of American law with the European Union.  Sheri is currently teaching as an adjunct professor for Park University and Washburn University teaching business law, civil litigation, corporate law and human resource management. She also serves as a volunteer for the Kansas Guardianship Program.  Sheri serves as general counsel for many Rural Electric Cooperatives where she advises on corporate governance and policy issues, condemnation, easements, real estate leases, fiber agreements, employment law issues and all general Board issues. She regularly attends NRECA legal conferences and is a member of list serve for cooperative attorneys.  


MEMBERSHIPS 

  • Kansas Bar Association, 2009 
  • Missouri Bar Association, 2010 


COMMUNITY SERVICE 

  • Adjunct Professor for Washburn, teaching corporations and agency. 
  • Adjunct Professor for Park University teaching HR and Business law/ethics. 


PRACTICE AREAS 

  • Business Law 
  • Corporation Law 
  • Board Room Practice 


COURTS 

  • Admitted to practice in MO and KS 
  • U.S. District of Kansas – Admitted in 2009 


EDUCATION 

  • Washburn Law (JD, with Deans Honors, 2009) 
  • Tabor College (BA, Magna Cum Laude, 1999) 
  • Hutchinson Community College (Associate, 1997)

Charice Holtsclaw, Of Counsel

Charice Holtsclaw, Of Counsel

Charice Holtsclaw, Of Counsel

Charice earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management from Northwest Missouri State University in 1998, followed by an MBA from Park University in 1999. She began her career as an Analyst with the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and later served as a Program Manager and Contract Negotiator for Sprint/Nextel (now T-Mobile). Drive

Charice earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management from Northwest Missouri State University in 1998, followed by an MBA from Park University in 1999. She began her career as an Analyst with the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and later served as a Program Manager and Contract Negotiator for Sprint/Nextel (now T-Mobile). Driven by a passion for the law and its intersection with business, she pursued her Juris Doctor at Washburn School of Law, graduating in 2005.


Licensed to practice in federal and state courts in Missouri, Kansas, and Washington, Holtsclaw has represented hundreds of consumer clients in Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy cases. She has also managed the Kansas City office for a national law firm and served as a staff attorney for the United Auto Workers (UAW).  Her legal experience extends to family law, landlord-tenant disputes, and personal injury cases.


In addition to her legal practice, Holtsclaw has been an adjunct professor at Park University since 2006, teaching primarily Business Law and Ethics and Human Resource Management. She is also a dedicated mother to two active boys and embraces urban homesteading in her spare time. As a military widow, she honors the service and sacrifice of her late husband, remaining deeply committed to the values of justice and service.


Copyright © 2022 Friel, McCord & Smiley, LLC - All Rights Reserved.


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