19 March 2010

The Twenty-First Judicial Commission announced the panel of three nominees to be submitted to Governor Nixon to fill the vacancy on the Circuit Court of the St. Louis County created by the elevation of Judge Gary M. Gaertner Jr. Those nominated by the commission are the Honorable Douglas R. Beach, Lawrence C. Friedman and Edward Goldenhersh.

Beach was appointed by Governor Matt Blunt as associate circuit judge for St. Louis County in 2005. Beach graduated from Central Connecticut State University in 1970, and received his law degree from New England School of Law (cum laude) in 1973. He retired from the United States Marine Corps Reserve as a lieutenant colonel where he served as judge advocate. He was in the private practice law in St. Louis being named in the Best Lawyers of America publication for 10 consecutive e was an incorporator of the city of Chesterfield in 1988 and served as the city attorney for 17.5 years before his appointment to the bench. Beach has been assigned to the family court since he was appointed in 2005. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and is a frequent lecturer on family law and other legal topics.

Friedman was born in St. Louis in 1956. He attended Parkway Schools and graduated from parkway North Senior High School in 1974. He is a graduate magna cum laude of Columbia College, and earned an MPA degree from Princeton University and a JD degree from Columbia Law School in 1983. Friedman was a law clerk to the Honorable Irving R. Kaufman of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit from 1983 to 1984. He served as deputy counsel to the President’s Commission on Organized Crime at the Department of Justice from 1984 to 1986. Since 1986, Friedman has been an attorney in private practice with Thompson Coburn LLP in St. Louis and a partner since 1991. Friedman is a member of the board of directors of the Eighth Circuit Bar Association and is a member of other local and national bar organizations. He was president of Bais Abraham Congregation, a synagogue in University City from 1996 to 2004. He is married to Phyllis Terry Friedman, and they have two children, Hannah and Josh, who are students at Boston University.

Goldenhersh has been in private practice since 1975. He presently is a shareholder, vice president and general counsel for Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale PC. Goldenhersh received his law degree from Washington University in 1974 and his bachelor of arts degree from Washington University in 1971. He and his wife, Caroyln R. Goldenhersh, reside in Creve Coeur.

The commission believes that these candidates chosen from a field of extremely qualified individuals possess those qualities of compassion, intellect and high moral purpose essential to the fair and efficient administration of justice. Each of these people have that trial experience and sense of fairness that the commission knows is required to administer justice to the people of the St. Louis County and the State of Missouri and proudly presents these names to Governor Nixon for his ultimate decision. The commission is confident that all of these individuals are capable of serving well and honorably if selected by the governor.

The members of the Twenty-First Judicial Circuit Commission are: Chief Judge of the Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District Kenneth M. Romines, Debbie Champion, Patrick Dudley, Laurie Westfall and Richard Wuestling IV.

 

Note: Links to nominees' applications typically are disabled after the governor makes his selection.

Contact: Laura Roy

(314) 539-4300