Personal Quote
"Success in law is best measured by the client's level of satisfaction."
Biography
Tim joined Sandberg Phoenix & von Gontard in 2002. He focuses on complex litigation involving product liability claims, business disputes, appellate practice, and class actions, in addition to serving as coverage counsel.
Tim also is the immediate past chair of the firm’s Charitable Efforts Committee, which directs the efforts of the Sandberg Phoenix & von Gontard Charitable Foundation, Inc.
Trial, Mediation, Arbitration, and Coverage Experience
A dozen years of practice have made one thing clear to Tim: Legal matters may not always be simple or inexpensive, but lawyer and client must be in harmony if an endeavor is to have any chance of reaching a satisfactory conclusion. Case management must be not only proactive but also smart, practical, and efficient. For some matters, a trial, motion for summary judgment, declaratory judgment action, or other form of adjudication is unavoidable. For others, informal resolution, negotiation, or mediation may be possible. Above all, the client’s interests and goals in the matter are paramount. The lawyer who forgets that fact does not deserve the assignment.
With the above philosophy in mind, Tim has tried, co-tried, arbitrated, or consulted as appellate counsel at trial in cases in federal and state courts throughout Missouri and Illinois. For a sampling of Tim’s experience and successes for clients in recent years as trial counsel, coverage counsel, or appellate counsel at trial, click on any of the following links:
Federal Practice Highlights
Missouri Highlights
Illinois Highlights
Appellate Experience
Before joining Sandberg Phoenix, Tim clerked for Judge Paul J. Simon of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District. He has briefed, orally argued, and won cases in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit; the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District; and the Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District. He also has served as appellate counsel assisting trial counsel in protecting the record and preserving judicial errors for appeal.
For a sampling of Tim’s experience and successes for clients as appellate counsel, click on the following link:
Appellate Highlights
Practice Groups
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Business Litigation
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Products Liability
Industries
- Manufacturing
- Insurance Companies
- Consumer Products
- Construction & Construction Equipment
- Transportation
- Hospitals & Medical Care Providers
- Pharmaceutical & Medical Devices
- Real Estate (Residential & Commercial)
Civic Activities
Tim is the immediate past chair of the firm’s Charitable Efforts Committee, which directs the efforts of the Sandberg Phoenix & von Gontard Charitable Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization founded by members of Sandberg Phoenix for the betterment of our community. Tim continues to represent the firm’s charitable foundation at the Gateway Center for Giving, is a member of the Center's Engagement Committee, and remains an active participant in Center events and programs.
He is a member of the board of Active Minds, a prospective charter school in the City of St. Louis, and has led funding campaigns for the United Way and the Arts and Education Council. He is a supporter of UrbanFUTURE and Boys Hope Girls Hope, has volunteered for Read Across America, and serves as an appellate judge at regional moot court competitions and as a trial judge at state mock trial competitions. In addition, Tim is a member of the Missouri Athletic Club and has supported its Youth Toastmasters initiative.
Professional Activities
Tim is admitted to practice law in all state courts in Missouri and Illinois, in the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, and in the United States District Courts for the Eastern District of Missouri, Western District of Missouri, and Southern District of Illinois.
He is a member of the Missouri Bar, the Illinois State Bar, the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis and its Appellate and Pro Bono Committees, the Appellate Lawyers Association, the Defense Research Institute and its Appellate Advocacy, Insurance Law, and Product Liability Committees, and Phi Delta Phi.
Publications and Presentations
Editor and Co-Author, “Crashworthiness Claims and Comparative Fault,”
For the Defense, Defense Research Institute (2008)
Co-Author and Panelist,
Free and Low-Cost Research: Strategies for Legal Research on the Web, National Business Institute (2008)
Co-Author and Panelist,
Legal Writing for Maximum Impact: Achieving Precision and Persuasion, National Business Institute (2009)
Author, “Perfecting Your Appeal in Missouri,”
St. Louis Bar Journal (2009)
Co-Author and Panelist,
Budget-Conscious Litigation Techniques, National Business Institute (2009)
Author and Presenter,
Sophisticated Techniques for Writing the Appellate Brief (national teleconference), National Business Institute (2009)
Co-Author and Panelist,
Getting the Most Out of Your Evidence, National Business Institute (2010)
Editor and Contributor,
Missouri Best Practices Guide, International Association of Defense Counsel (2010)
Editor, “Construction Contract Indemnities, the ‘Insured Contract,’ and Additional Insured Coverage,”
Construction Insurance: A Guide for Attorneys and Other Professionals, American Bar Association (2011)
Co-Author and Panelist,
Insurance Fraud and Bad Faith (national teleconference), National Business Institute (2011)
Editor and Contributor,
Missouri Best Practices Guide, International Association of Defense Counsel (2011)
Education
Tim earned his J.D.,
magna cum laude, from Saint Louis University School of Law in 1998.
He earned his B.A. in Political Science, with College Honors, at Washington University in St. Louis in 1993.
He also received senatorial and congressional nominations to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he was a cadet from 1989 to 1992. He served as a platoon sergeant and earned a Parachutist Badge (Airborne Wings) and the National Defense Service Medal in 1991, and received his Honorable Discharge from the United States Army in 1992.