Previous Attorneys at Wegmann Law Firm
Notable Attorneys Who Shaped Our Firm
The Wegmann Law Firm, established in 1947 by M.C. Matthes and Will B. Dearing, has a rich history of serving the Hillsboro, MO area.
Over the years, esteemed attorneys such as Samuel Richeson, H.L.C. Weier, J. Richard Roberts, John A. Schneider, Nicholas G. Gasaway, A.W. Dieffenbach, R.A. Wegmann, Randall D. Sherman, Jack C. Stewart, and Dennis H. Tesreau have contributed to the firm’s success.
Presently, the firm is led by partners Bianca L. Eden, Jessica A. Mikale, and Mark T. Bishop. The firm’s members actively participate in community activities in Jefferson and Ste. Genevieve counties.
Will B. Dearing (1902-1975)
After founding and practicing in St. Louis with Moser, Marsalek and Dearing, Will B. Dearing joined M. C. Matthes in the formation of this firm in Hillsboro, Missouri, known as Matthes and Dearing in 1947. Will tried jury trials all over the eastern half of Missouri and had an extensive appellate practice. After M. C. Matthes was appointed to the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, and later the 8th Circuit of Court of Appeals whereas a young Federal Appellate Judge he wrote a Little Rock Decision, Will continued leading the firm with other historic trial lawyers, such as Samuel Richeson, J. Richard Roberts and Roland A. (Ray) Wegmann.
Samuel Richeson (1904-1976)
Samuel Richeson was born in Potosi, Missouri, where his father was a lawyer. Sam was a graduate of Washington University School of Law and practiced in Potosi from 1928 and served as a part-time probate judge until he joined Will Dearing in the practice at Hillsboro in 1955. Mr. Richeson tried jury and non-jury cases in nearly every circuit court in the State of Missouri. He had an extensive appellate practice and is remembered for his colorful and descriptive language.
J. Richard Roberts (1928-1975)
J. Richard Roberts was born in Farmington, Missouri, where he and his father attorney, Ray Roberts, and his brothers, Ray, Jr. and Clinton, all joined in the practice of law. He was a graduate of University of Missouri Law School at Columbia. In 1964, J. Richard Roberts joined the then Dearing Law Firm in Hillsboro and was awarded the Lon Hocker Young Trial Lawyer Award. His specialities were jury trials and appellate practice. He was once an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Missouri.
John A. Schneider (1942-1992)
John A. Schneider was born in Hillsboro, Missouri, to a two-generation newspaper family. He received his undergraduate degree at Central Methodist College in Fayette, Missouri and his law degree from Washington University, where he was co-editor of the Law Review and was Order of the Coif. He was a concert pianist in addition to being an able jury trial lawyer with the ability to bring winning drama to the court room. He had an extensive appellate practice including writing for the appellant in one of Missouri’s most extensively cited cases, Murphy v. Carron, 536 SW2d 30 (MO 1976).
Nicholas G. Gasaway (Retired 2005)
Nicholas “Nick” Gasaway has lived the majority of his life in Franklin County, where he was raised and resides to this day. Following his boyhood days in St. Clair, Missouri, Nick enrolled in the U. S. Merchant Marine Academy, where he graduated with honors in 1959. He served in the Merchant Marine and the United States Navy for several years before returning home to attend St. Louis University School of Law, graduating in 1967. During law school, Nick worked as a librarian at the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis. Following law school, Nick initially went to work as a clerk for Judge M.C. Matthes in the U.S. Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis, after which he served as an assistant prosecuting attorney in St. Louis County for a year. Upon the advice and referral of Judge Matthes, Nick came to the Wegmann Law Firm in 1969. He originally resided in Hillsboro, Missouri, but returned to St. Clair where he and his wife have raised a large family.
Albert W. Dieffenbach, Jr. (Retired 2008)
Albert W. (Jake) Dieffenbach, Jr. grew up in St. Louis but spent his entire legal practice in Jefferson County. Jake received a B.S. in accounting and a J.D. from the University of Missouri. After practicing as an accountant for two years in St. Louis, Jake left the accounting profession to practice law in Jefferson County at the Anderson Law Firm.
For years, Jake continued his general practice in the firm that eventually bore the name of Anderson, Hammond, Dieffenbach & Wegge. After years of representing small businesses and individuals at his original firm, Jake joined the Wegmann Law Firm in 1991.
Jake represented working men and women and small businesses for years in various areas of the law, including personal injury, real estate litigation, family law, and probate and estate administration. In his later years of practice, Jake continued to represent a variety of clients while focusing on his expertise in divorce and custody issues. Jake’s down to earth demeanor and common sense put many clients at ease as he provided them with legal counsel in difficult times.
Randall D. Sherman (Retired 2013)
Randall Sherman grew up in Jefferson County, graduating from Herculaneum High School before attending the University of Missouri, where he studied German and taught German while attending law school. He still remains fluent in the language. He graduated in 1987 from the University of Missouri Law School and then returned to Jefferson County where he lives with his wife and children.
Upon graduation from law school, Mr. Sherman began his practice at the Wegmann Law Firm, gaining expertise in a variety of areas of law, including insurance defense, personal injury, business organizations, and municipal law. He quickly established a reputation for excellent courtroom advocacy and maintained a rigorous trial schedule. Mr. Sherman was well known as an outstanding insurance defense attorney who also focused his expertise in organizing and representing small businesses on a variety of issues, and provided substantial work in representing public water and sewer entities in growing areas. Whether his clients required zealous courtroom advocacy or prudent advice outside of the courtroom, Randall Sherman provided outstanding legal representation.
Roland A. Wegmann (1927-2017)
Roland (Ray) Wegmann, born June 6, 1927, was a native of St. Louis, Missouri (near north side) and educated in parochial and public schools until entering the U.S. Army Air Force in 1945. In military service, Mr. Wegmann taught teletypewriter exchange in communications. Upon discharge, Mr. Wegmann completed his education at St. Louis University School of Commerce and Finance and graduated from St. Louis University School of Law (class ranking: sixth) in 1953.
He served as a member of the editorial staff of the St. Louis University Law Journal. After a year as an associate of the Lusser and Dorsey Law Firm in St. Louis, he took employment at the Western Insurance Companies, Fort Scott, Kansas, as a claims attorney in St. Louis. He joined the law firm that now bears his name in 1965, which was then known as – Dearing, Richeson, Weier & Roberts. Mr. Wegmann adapted well to the rural practice of law handling all types of cases, criminal and civil.
He practiced extensively in the field of litigation in both state and federal Courts. Mr. Wegmann was well respected as an Appellate practitioner having briefed and argued many cases before the State Supreme Court and in the intermediate Appellate Courts. It truly may be said that Mr. Wegmann’s almost fifty years at the bar were spent in the general practice of the law. Insisting that he, the firm and its members be known as lawyers – not simply as attorneys, is testimony to Mr. Wegmann’s great respect for the practice of law and the pride that flows from the service it entails.
Jack C. Stewart (Retired 2014)
Jack Stewart was born to an agricultural family at Kahoka in Northeast Missouri. In addition to early hard farm work, he was schooled in public speaking and parliamentary procedure. A cum laude and distinguished military graduate of the University of Missouri in Columbia, he also received his law degree there and then served in the Army Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps from 1965-1970, including three years of military trial practice in Germany where he attained the rank of Major and was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal.
He returned to Missouri, settling in the Jefferson County seat town of Hillsboro, where he and his wife raised their three professionally degreed sons.
His career with the Wegmann Law Firm concentrated on estate planning and probate and estate administration. He also was highly involved in real estate law and state, local and municipal law. His long experience in those areas gave him vast legal and practical experience in assisting clients to achieve wise estate planning that did not disrupt their personal life and the enjoyment of it unnecessarily.
Dennis H. Tesreau (Retired 2015)
Dennis H. Tesreau, born in St. Louis, Missouri. He was a graduate of University of Missouri, J.D and gained experience in a variety of areas of the law, including municipal and government law, personal injury, employment law, and real estate. In particular, he established an expertise in workers’ compensation law, representing both employers and employees while at Wegmann Law Firm.
In addition, Mr. Tesreau nurtured a municipal practice that provided governmental bodies with solid legal advice and representation regarding employment practices and statutory procedures, as well as a vast list of other legal questions that were presented to governmental bodies. While representing numerous cities and special governmental districts, he provided excellent representation to his workers’ compensation clients and individuals seeking legal assistance on a variety of general legal questions. Finally, he gained a reputation within the county as a specialist in adoption matters.
