The law firm of Gallop, Johnson & Neuman, L.C. (www.gjn.com) served as counsel to Stratus Building Solutions, an industry-leading provider of integrated facilities maintenance services for retail, commercial, industrial, professional and multi-family buildings and real estate property, in connection with  expansion of the company's successful licensed building services and building maintenance operations into Canada.


The transaction, which was effective May 4, 2009, allows Stratus Building Solutions of Canada, a newly formed entity based in Toronto, Ontario, to use Stratus Building Solutions' trade secrets, copyrighted materials and branding in Canada.  The new entity will offer building services and maintenance licenses under the Stratus Building Solutions brand in Alberta, British Columbia, Quebec, Manitoba, Ontario, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Saskatchewan.

Robert D. Cantwell, a partner at Gallop, Johnson & Neuman, L.C., served as lead counsel for Stratus Building Solutions.  Mr. Cantwell’s legal practice focuses on business, corporate and governmental law with an emphasis on complex mergers and acquisitions, gaming and franchising.

St. Louis-based Stratus Building Solutions (www.stratusclean.com) offers 16 different building service and maintenance plans providing “environmentally green” cleaning systems, products, services and marketing support. These include the “Stratus GreenClean” program which uses environmentally-friendly products and services to help sustain healthier, more productive facilities. Also, the firm offers a program called “Stratus Sani-Proof” that kills Influenza Type A and Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), and other bacteria often found in offices, schools, daycare centers, health clubs, medical facilities and industrial buildings.

Stratus Building Solutions of Canada will operate under an agreement established with Stratus Building Solutions. Jeffrey B. Aibel and Kenneth Casseri will own and manage the new Canadian operation.  

Dennis Jarrett, chief executive officer, and Pete Frese, president, founded Stratus Building Solutions in 2004 after each worked for more than a decade as senior executives in building services and maintenance industries.

Gallop, Johnson & Neuman has served clients around the world since 1976 from its offices in St. Louis, Missouri. It is one of the largest law firms in St. Louis. The firm serves entrepreneurs, privately-held companies and start-up firms; public corporations; private equity funds; individuals and families; trustees and trust beneficiaries; charities; and non-profit entities. Offices are located at 101 South Hanley Road, Suite 1700, Clayton, Missouri, 63105.  

Stratus Building Solutions currently has U.S. operations in Connecticut, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas, with plans for further international expansion.  

For information about Gallop, Johnson & Neuman, please contact Lois A. LaDreier at 314.615.6000 or visit the website www.gjn.com. For information about Stratus Building Solutions, see the website www.stratusclean.com 

or call  314.731.2000 or toll-free at 877.731.2020. Media contact: Jeff Dunlap at 314.993.6925.

For that purpose, a 3-2 majority -- Vice Mayor Jack Grasty and Commissioner Jim Hathaway voted no -- agreed to hire the Orlando law firm of Shutts and Bowen for a fee of $7,500.

The firm will conduct an independent review of the club's 99-year, $25 per annum, lease of city-owned waterfront property to see whether there are any red flags such as discrimination in membership practices or if it fulfills the original intent of the agreement. That was to promote tourism and business development, according to Mayor Sally Mackay, who led the majority.

Mackay went so far as to challenge the club's 90 members to "step into 2009" and decide how they could contribute to New Smyrna Beach in a significant way.

Johnnie Cochran -- O..J. Simpson's famous lawyer -- died four years ago, but remains a powerful brand for his law firm.

The massive visage of legendary defense attorney Johnnie Cochran has been gazing down from Twin Cities billboards in recent days.

They're advertising his firm's recent arrival in the metro area.

But if you harbor hopes of having your legal case handled by the lawyer who most famously won the acquittal of O. J. Simpson, there's one problem: Cochran has been dead for nearly four years.

The departed Cochran remains a powerful brand for his law firm, which has expanded into 28 offices in 18 states from its original Los Angeles base.

"It's absolutely a branding thing for us," said James Rolshouse, who is lead attorney in the firm. "If I move into a market and try to brand Jim Rolshouse, it'd be a waste of money."

And, he added, it's not misleading just because the firm's founder is dead. "It's still the Cochran law firm," Rolshouse said.

There's nothing subtle about the billboards. "INJURED?" one screams in bright red letters, adding that the firm has "aggressive personal injury attorneys."

Locally, the firm opened offices in Burnsville and downtown Minneapolis late last year. Six attorneys work for it.

The billboards have been up for just a couple of days. Eventually about 45 will be erected around the Twin Cities, Rolshouse said.

The billboard rollout follows a few local radio and TV ads.

Cochran was 67 when he died of an inoperable brain tumor in 2005.

Contact: Debra O’Malley, Director of Marketing, 312.580.2859

Ms. Youn received a J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School in 2007, where she received a Dean’s Elite Scholarship.  During law school, she was the managing editor of the Minnesota Law Review (2006-2007).  In 2002, Ms. Youn received a B.A., magna cum laude, from Georgetown University, where she was a George F. Baker Scholar.  She also authored an honors thesis, “Out of That Land: American Missionary Influence on Early Korean Immigration to Hawaii.”

Scandaglia & Ryan is a litigation firm founded on the principle of providing sophisticated legal services in a cost-effective manner.  To achieve this, we have adopted a client-centered process that we call Total Quality Litigation®.  In pursuing strategic business and legal solutions for our clients, TQL® minimizes uncertainty and increases accountability.  We believe our clients deserve nothing less. 

For further information, visit our website at www.scandagliaryan.com.