Retired Judge Booker Shaw is a skilled litigator and appellate advocate who brings valuable insight and perspective gained from his more than 25 years on the bench.
His knowledge of current judicial thinking at the trial and appellate levels enhances his ability to argue a case persuasively and craft the most effective strategy. He has briefed and argued numerous cases before the U.S. Circuit and District Courts, the Missouri Supreme Court, Courts of Appeals and Circuit Courts and co-chairs the firm’s appellate practice.
Judge Shaw served on the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, for seven years, including a year as Chief Judge. While on the appellate bench, he participated in more than 1,000 cases and authored 141 appellate opinions on a variety of cases, from medical negligence and nuisance/sovereign immunity to commercial transactions, contracts and personal injury. He also served as a Special Visiting Judge of the Missouri Supreme Court. As a former trial judge in the 22nd Judicial Circuit, from 1983 until 2002, Judge Shaw presided over more than 500 trials.
Prior to his judicial posts, Judge Shaw worked at the U.S. Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission and the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office, where he prosecuted over 50 jury trials. In addition to his decades of public service as a distinguished jurist, Judge Shaw continues to give back to the legal profession as a mentor and teacher. He also co-chairs the firm’s Diversity Committee.
experience
- Served as a member of the trial team representing Lorillard Tobacco in the defense of a $500 million cost recovery lawsuit brought by Missouri hospitals in the City of St. Louis. After a three-month trial, the jury returned defense verdicts on all claims.
- Helped Philip Morris defeat a $1.5 billion class action case in a jury trial in the City of St. Louis, where he was a trial team member. After just 30 minutes of deliberation, a trial that lasted 39 days ended with a total defense verdict.
- Helped secure a critical defense win in St. Louis for Pfizer in Pesante v. Pfizer, the first of several trials over birth defects allegedly caused by Zoloft. The jury deliberated for less than two hours before siding with Pfizer by a vote of 11-1.
- Successfully argued before the Supreme Court of Missouri on behalf of a utility company in a case that impacted utilities across the state.
- In an automotive product liability case, successfully argued to the Missouri Court of Appeals that the trial court properly limited plaintiff’s proffer of claimed similar incidents.
- Trial team member in a five-week multi-plaintiff trial where three plaintiffs alleged that the use of an herbicide caused their non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The jury rejected these claims and returned a complete defense verdict.
- Through oral argument, helped secure a Missouri Supreme Court reversal in a UCC post-sale notice case. Missouri creditors would likely have faced significant class action exposure if the lower court decisions had been affirmed.
Professional
- The Theodore McMillian American Inn of Court
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Missouri
- Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee
- American Bar Association
- Lawyers Association of St. Louis
- Missouri Bar Association
- Mound City Bar Association
- National Bar Association, Judicial Council
Community
- Member, Missouri Committee on Jury Instructions and Charges – Civil
- Mentor St. Louis
- NAACP
- Second Presbyterian Church, Elder
- Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis
- Mentor Award, 2015
- Missouri Lawyers Weekly
- Diverse Business Leader Award, 2010
- St. Louis Business Journal
- Legal Legend Award, 2018
- Mound City Bar Association
- Hall of Fame
- National Bar Association
- Diversity and Inclusion Award, 2021
- Missouri Lawyers Media
- Distinguished Lawyer Award, 2019
- Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis
- Largest Defense Verdicts, 2012, 2017, 2022
- Missouri Lawyers Media
- Listed in The Best Lawyers in America® (by BL Rankings), 2022-2025
- 500 Leading Litigators in America
- Lawdragon
- Power List of Top Missouri Appellate Attorneys
- Missouri Lawyers Media
- “Tough Evidence Issues at Trial”
Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, May 2014 - “Mastering Appellate Advocacy: Oral Argument”
Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, February 2014 - “Game Plan For Effective Voir Dire”
Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers, April 2012 - “Civil Trial and Appellate Practice”
The Missouri Bar Association, May 2011, May 2012, May 2013, May 2014
I love my daily neighborhood dog walks with my wife, our Pilates classes, travel, and family time with our granddaughters. I occasionally play bad golf and tennis with my sons.