The work-life balance: Every professional knows the phrase, and every employee tries to find that harmonious level of give and take to somehow manage it all. For parents, this may be an even bigger challenge. But at the law firm of Carmody MacDonald, the support is there for employees to thrive in the courtroom, as well as at home. 

Imagine this life if you will: You are a senior in high school. You can throw a fastball 90-plus miles per hour. You are a starter on a very good basketball team. And you also happen to be one of the better quarterbacks in the Midwest.

Story: Roz is struggling to make ends meet as the proprietor of a daycare facility. Her only employee, Joy, has taken early education classes and badly wants to work with children, but instead is stifled handling secretarial chores. It doesn’t help that she is Roz’s niece and has a troubled love life that she just as soon her aunt wouldn’t divulge to her mother

There’s something about a courtroom drama that piques our interest—but with shows and movies about lawyers hitting the air waves every week, we wondered what the professionals watch. Here, we’ve asked area attorneys for their all-time favorites. (And we’re adding them to our list!)

CITY ACADEMY received a $1 million gift from the Crawford Taylor Foundation for endowment. The gift supports the school’s efforts to offer an expanded Early Childhood Program. With the help of this grant, plans to expand to a total of 175 students by 2014 are in place. Pictured: D’Niya Ammons, Chantell Johnson and Chontell Johnson of City Academy's new Early Childhood Program.

Across

In today’s high-tech world, there are even more ways for kids to communicate—and harass—their classmates. Not only at school, but via text message or on social media, there's evidence that students are increasingly bullied by their peers. This physical, verbal and electronic harassment has led to troubling consequences—victims can wrestle with depression, fear and anxiety, even to the point of committing suicide. And communities are left asking: Who is liable?

When facing an impending divorce, it can feel like you are drowning in a tumultuous sea surrounded by major decisions about the most important aspects of your life. The family law firm of Green Cordonnier & House aims to be a life jacket for you during that time, helping you protect what matters the most, says partner Margo Green. “It’s very important that the attorney you choose to guide you though that process understands the traumatic nature of the situation. You may not be able to see clearly at that moment, but with so many years of experience, we are confident that we can guide you in the right direction.”

As a University of Missouri student, Amy Lorenz-Moser witnessed a devastating domestic violence episode where a man came in and “clobbered” a woman who worked at the school cafeteria. From that moment, Lorenz-Moser knew she wanted to become a personal injury lawyer. “I thought that it was an area where I could make a difference.”

An elderly couple transferring wealth, an entrepreneur seeking business investment advice and a three-generation family preserving a legacy—they all turned to the Commerce Family Office.

Some of life’s biggest moments—marriage, the birth of a child and retirement—are a time to celebrate. But local legal professionals say families should also remember that life-changing events mean changes in your life insurance coverage.

While those lavish business trips on your tax return are of concern to the Internal Revenue Service, failing to report income or avoiding filing taxes altogether are the biggest offenses that can land you in hot water.

In today’s economy, the success of a business is far from guaranteed. We honor local companies and institutions who are celebrating milestone anniversaries in 2012.

A divorce can be one of life’s most difficult hurdles. And for men who often don’t share their emotions as openly as women, surviving the process can become overwhelming without a 'road map' for navigating the legal, financial and emotional issues that arise, says E.B. Gunn, New York Times best-selling author of The Gentleman’s Guide to the Nasty Divorce.

The year 2012 was tumultuous in many respects, so perhaps fittingly Wicked is the title of the production that brings down the curtain on the last 12 months. A record drought plagued the St. Louis area, temperatures sweltered in an elongated summer and the area’s economy staggered toward a slow but steady recovery. All of this took place in the face of impending doom predicted centuries ago by the Mayan calendar.

As Clayton celebrates its centennial anniversary, LN asked some longtime Clayton business leaders about their hopes for the city's next 100 years.

Aren’t you Robert Duvall? St. Louis attorney Allen Allred gets asked that question a lot. Put their pictures side-by-side; and yes, they could be brothers! Some people, including comedian Jay Leno, believe the resemblance is uncanny. “The first time Jay Leno came to the Fox, he was standing with me and Bob Costas in the lobby,” Allred recalls. “So here I am, between Leno and Costas, and Leno looks at me and says to Costas, Isn’t this the guy who was Tom in The Godfather?” But their looks are probably where the similarities end.

From 2006 to 2009, not a single woman in a G-rated film was portrayed as a doctor, business leader, lawyer or politician, according to a study by the USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism. In fact, the study concluded that women are outnumbered 3-to-1 by men in family movies. And when they are included, women are more likely to be donning ‘sexy’ clothes and have an unrealistic figure.

Story: Chicago’s Clybourne Park neighborhood in 1959 is a fine place to live. But there’s a caveat: You can live there if you look like its white residents. When Russ and Bev put their modest, three-bedroom bungalow up for sale, they’re visited soon after by Russ’ former Rotary pal Karl. As president of the neighborhood association, Karl at first nervously asks the couple to reconsider their sale.

From spousal and child support and attorney costs, to dividing debt and property, couples facing divorce can quickly become buried in lofty fees. And in today’s challenging economy, that can leave some wondering if they can even afford a legal separation.

The National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) welcomes board members: JEANNINE CLONTZ as president, CYNTHIA LEFORT as treasurer, DOROTHY CARLIN as special projects chair, IRIS SALSMAN and LINDSAY STOCKER as co-chairs of marketing, CINDY BRUSSEE as chair of government relations, and GRETCHEN GAYNOR as ways and means chair. GINNI CAMPBELL will remain a board member and LOUISE WIEDERMANN will step down from her two-year term as president.

Honestly, I could watch Clint Eastwood do almost anything. Heck, I recently watched him talk to a chair, so I mean what I say. Clearly, he chooses his films carefully. And once again, he has chosen a script with meat on the bone.

Every divorce is different, and, more often that not, difficult, lengthy and costly. So when it comes to confronting legal separation, local divorce lawyers look to give their clients options tailored to their needs.

These days, drunken photos, death threats and infidelity are more than Facebook fodder: Social media is becoming pivotal evidence in a court of law.