Charles S. Kramer

Charles S. Kramer, Shareholder 314.727.0101 kramer@riezmanberger.com vcard

A top trial lawyer and business advisor, Charles S. Kramer’s practice covers all aspects of business representation, including business trial work and litigation, general business counseling, transactional work and negotiation, and mediation/ADR services. Charles has successfully tried cases of all magnitudes, and is known for obtaining successful results for both plaintiffs and defendants. His trial work includes construction, contract, employment, copyright, trademark, trade secret, securities, unfair competition, right of privacy and publicity, constitutional law, business tort, antitrust and sports law cases. He has pioneered new theories for the benefit of clients, including claims for “negligent endorsement” of companies, products or services, and new applications of unfair competition law. His persuasive abilities were showcased in Resnik v Blue Cross, a case in which his plaintiff’s verdict was upheld by the Appeals Court but described as the outermost boundaries by which a case may be proven solely by circumstantial evidence.

Charles’ transactional and business counseling practice is also wide-ranging. He negotiates agreements and advises clients on matters concerning contracts, employment, marketing, antitrust and competition issues, intellectual property, real estate and all other aspects of their operations. Charles successfully negotiated the deal to free up the football lease for the St Louis domed stadium to pave the way for the NFL Rams’ move to St Louis. He has assisted in the separation of companies into separate viable entities when disputes arose between the owners. Charles also represents companies committed to working with alternative fuel sources, such as ethanol and soy, and serves as general counsel for a wide range of companies from pension and benefit administration companies, construction companies, and transportation companies, to architectural and accounting firms. He has represented legislative committees, and statutory and constitutional language he proposed has been adopted by the State and its citizenry. Charles is admitted to practice in Missouri and Illinois and has represented clients by special admission in New Jersey, Ohio, Virginia, Texas, and California.

Charles is a graduate of Colgate University and the Washington University School of Law in St Louis. His law school honors included membership in the Order of the Coif, and receipt of the Am-Jur Award in Contracts, the Honor Scholar Award, and the Judge Samuel Breckenridge Award.

Prior to joining the firm, Charles served as law clerk to the Honorable David McDonald, United States Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of Missouri and taught legal research and writing as Adjunct Professor for the Washington University School of Law.

Charles serves on the Board of Directors of Giant Steps, a not-for-profit company which offers an alternative program for autistic children. He was selected as a Kansas/Missouri Super Lawyer in 2006 - 2018 and was interviewed in 2007 for Fortune Magazine’s in-flight audio program “Preeminent Lawyers.” He co-authored the 1991 constitutional law review article, “The Bill of Rights as Adjunct to Natural Law,” for the Detroit College of Law Review and writes a nationally syndicated newspaper column which appears monthly in legal and business publications in over 13 states and via individual subscription through www.underanalysis.com.