Our Firm
Simon
Tonkin
Simon Tonkin has specialized in maritime law for over 25 years and has litigated many admiralty cases. Matters he has handled have involved major barge breakaways, maritime deaths and personal injuries, vessel collisions, allisions, sinkings, disputes regarding maritime contracts and insurance, river pollution and ownership and permitting of facilities on navigable rivers.
Mr. Tonkin has been “AV” rated by Martindale Hubbell for 20 years and is designated a Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyer. He is a former chairman of the Admiralty Law Committee of the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis and Adjunct Assistant Professor at St. Louis University Law School. From 1978 to 1982, he served as an Assistant Missouri Attorney General.
Mr. Tonkin was admitted to the Missouri Bar in 1978 and the Illinois Bar in 1982. He has litigated cases in many federal courts and is a member of the bar of the United States District Courts for the Eastern District of Missouri, the Southern and Central Districts of Illinois, the U.S. Courts of Appeal for the Eighth and Seventh Circuits, and the United States Supreme Court.
Mr. Tonkin received a B.A. from Johns Hopkins University in 1971; a J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1978; and did a graduate program in criminology at Cambridge University in England (Dip. Crim. 1974). In 1971 and 1972, he served as a St. Louis police officer.
Mr. Tonkin has frequently spoken at seminars on admiralty law. He is a member of the Maritime Law Association of the United States and the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis.
Email:
stonkin@tonkinmondl.com
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James K. Mondl
 Educated
at
Northern
Illinois
University,
Jim
Mondl
ranked
first in
his law
class,
receiving
Jurisprudence
Prize
Awards
in
Torts,
Civil
Procedure,
Constitutional
Law, and
Administrative
Law.
Before
specializing
in
admiralty
law in
1989,
Mr.
Mondl
served
as
research
attorney
for the
Illinois
Supreme
Court.
He
defends
many
river
companies
in Jones
Act
litigation,
and
frequently
handles
pleasure
boat
collisions
involving
significant
injuries.
Jim
Mondl
received
an “AV”
rating
by
Martindale
Hubbell
after
practicing
law for
only
nine
years.
Two of
his
cases
have
been
listed
by
Missouri
Lawyers
Weekly
as among
the
largest
defense
verdicts
in the
state.
Mr.
Mondl is
an
experienced
trial
lawyer
and
member
of the
bars of
the
states
of
Missouri
and
Illinois,
of
several
district
courts
in
Missouri
and
Illinois,
of the
Seventh,
Eighth
and
Tenth
U.S.
Circuit
Courts
of
Appeal,
and of
the
United
States
Supreme
Court.
He
chaired
the
Admiralty
Law
Committee
of the
Bar
Association
of Metro
St.
Louis
from
2007 to
2009,
and is a
member
of the
Maritime
Law
Association.
Mr.
Mondl
taught
political
science
as an
adjunct
faculty
of
Webster
University,
has
spoken
at
several
conferences,
and has
written
many
articles
on
maritime
law.
Email:
jmondl@tonkinmondl.com
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Richard
D.
McNelley
Rich McNelley is a veteran who served five years in the U.S. Military. He received his B.A. (Magna Cum Laude) and J.D. (Cum Laude) from Washburn University, where his ranked 8th in his law school class. After graduation, Rich served as an Assistant Public Defender in the Missouri State Public Defender’s St. Louis City office from 2002 – 2006, obtaining significant jury trial experience. He also practiced criminal defense at the federal level. Rich is a member of the Admiralty Law Section of BAMSL, and served as a presenter at the 2009 BAMSL Admiralty Law Seminar. He also served as a Reviewer for Missouri Evidence, Fifth Edition. In both 2008 and 2009, Rich was named a Rising Star by Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers.
Email: rmcnelley@tonkinmondl.com
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Courtney
C.
Stirrat
Courtney
Stirrat is a 2006 graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia
School
of
Law,
where
she
graduated
with
honors
(Order
of
the
Coif)
and
served
as
Lead
Articles
Editor
of
the
Missouri
Law
Review.
She
received
the
Roscoe
Anderson
Award
for
Excellence
in
Advocacy,
the
Guy
Thompson
Prize
for
best
law
review
case
note,
the
Carey
Mae
Carrol
Award
for
the
Outstanding
Achievement
in
the
advancement
of
women,
and
the
West
Publishing
Award,
which
is
awarded
by
the
law
school
faculty
for
outstanding
overall
scholastic
achievement.
In
law
school,
Courtney
served
as a
part-time
law
clerk
to
Judge
Ronnie
White
of
the
Missouri
Supreme
Court
and
a
teaching
assistant
in
the
law
school’s
legal
research
and
writing
program.
Courtney
completed
her
undergraduate
education
at
the
Pierre
Laclede
Honors
College,
University
of
Missouri-St.
Louis,
where
she
graduated
with
honors
(Summa
Cum
Laude)
with
a
degree
in
Political
Science.
Courtney
served
as a
board
member
on
the
University
of
Missouri’s
student
lobbying
association
and
the
Student
Senate.
She
served
as
Assembly
Chair
for
the
Student
Government
Association
and
presented
a
paper
at
the
United
States
Naval
Academy
Conference
on
Foreign
Affairs.
Prior
to
joining
Tonkin
&
Mondl,
Courtney
worked
briefly
in
private
practice
before
clerking
for
Judge
Patricia
Cohen
of
the
Missouri
Court
of
Appeals.
Courtney
is
licensed
to
practice
law
in
Missouri
and
is
admitted
to
the
U.S.
District
Courts
for
the
Eastern
District
of
Missouri
and
the
Central
District
of
Illinois.
She
is a
member
of
The
Missouri
Bar,
the
Bar
Association
of
St.
Louis
and
the
Women’s
Law
Association.
Courtney
has
also
coached
Lutheran
High
School
South’s
Mocktrial
team
for
the
last
four
years.
Email:
cstirrat@tonkinmondl.com
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Olga
Merzlikina
Olga Merzlikina is a paralegal at Tonkin &
Mondl,
LC.
She is involved obtaining records and other
information
and
in
the
preparation
of
exhibits.
She
analyzes
data
in
complex
cases
and
summarizes
deposition
and
medical
records.
Olga was born and raised in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
In
1997,
she
moved
to
St.
Louis
with
her
family.
She
graduated
from
University
of
Missouri-St.
Louis
with
bachelor’s
degree
in
Business
Administration
with
emphasis
in
Finance.
In
addition,
she
has
master’s
degree
in
Legal
Analysis
from
Webster
University,
St.
Louis,
MO.
In
Kazakhstan
she
obtained
a
bachelor’s
degree
in
Electrical
Engineering.
Olga is fluent in Russian and English. She
is a
dancer
and
a
volleyball
player.
Email:
olgam@tonkinmondl.com
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Emily
Knust
Emily
Knust
is
office
manager
at
Tonkin
&
Mondl.
She
oversees
the
business
operations
of
the
firm,
including
billing,
accounts
receivable,
accounts
payable,
payroll
and
purchasing.
She
is
also
responsible
for
updating
and
maintaining
the
firm’s
website
and
works
on a
variety
of
special
projects.
Emily graduated from DePauw University in
Greencastle,
Indiana
in
2008
with
a
Bachelor’s
degree
in
Art
History.
She
spent
a
semester
abroad
studying
in
Rome,
Italy.
Prior
to
working
at
Tonkin
&
Mondl,
she
did
an
internship
at
the
St.
Louis
Art
Museum.
Emily
volunteers
with
a
non
profit
writing
organization
called
StudioSTL
and
is
involved
with
planning
fundraising
events.
Email:
eknust@tonkinmondl.com
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