Spencer Fane is thrilled to announce that Joey Blake (Dallas), Van DeGregorio (St. Louis), Ellsie Lucero (Las Vegas), Taylor Reeves (Las Vegas), and Alden Smith (Springfield, Missouri) have joined Spencer Fane as associates across four of its 30 national offices.
Blake will join the Banking and Financial Services practice group; DeGregorio, the Labor and Employment practice group; Lucero and Reeves, the Litigation and Dispute Resolution practice group; and Smith, the Real Estate practice group.
In addition to contributing to the firm’s continued national growth along with its expanding practice areas and industries, the five new associates will offer fresh perspectives and insights to meet the increasing demand for collaborative attorney teams with both broad and highly specialized legal skills in new and existing markets.
“We are always excited to welcome new associates who are eager to learn from and offer support to our attorney teams as they forge their own professional paths and shape the future of the legal industry,” said Spencer Fane Chair Patrick J. Whalen. “These talented attorneys each possess strengths that align with our core competencies and culture and understand the importance of driving exceptional service as they work across offices to deliver valuable solutions to our clients.”
Learn more about each of the new associates below.
Joseph Blake (Dallas)
Blake is a dynamic litigator whose focus areas include commercial, sports, antitrust, and IP matters. In his commercial litigation practice, he has primarily represented oil, gas, and energy entities in actions involving breach of contract and tort claims. He has extensive experience representing college athletes in litigation and counseling sports organizations regarding business disputes, most notably serving as class counsel for collegiate athletes in a landmark antitrust case resulting in billions of dollars in additional benefits. He also litigates copyright cases on behalf of individuals and entities in the music and technology industries and has experience prosecuting trademark applications and representing trademark clients in front of the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.
Blake received his bachelor’s degree magna cum laude from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, then earned his Juris Doctor from Vanderbilt Law School, where he served as president of the Vanderbilt Bar Association and development editor of the Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law. Prior to entering private practice, he interned at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia.
Van DeGregorio (St. Louis)
DeGregorio represents employers and other business leaders across the full spectrum of labor and employment matters, including employment discrimination claims under Title VII, the Missouri Commission on Human Rights, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Family Medical Leave Act. His full-service practice encompasses investigation and response to employee claims before administrative agencies and, when necessary, litigation.
After receiving his bachelor’s degree from The University of Mississippi, DeGregorio earned his Juris Doctor from Saint Louis University. While in law school, he served as a legal extern to the Honorable Shirley P. Mensah, Chief Magistrate Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, and was an active member of the Saint Louis University Law Journal.
Ellsie Lucero (Las Vegas)
Focusing primarily on contract disputes, real estate disputes, and business torts, Lucero represents clients in a variety of commercial litigation matters. In addition, she works on all facets of water law, including regulatory hearings and district court and appellate litigation.
Lucero holds positions within multiple legal societies, including as the immediate past president of the Nevada Latino Bar Association, and has been externally distinguished in both commercial litigation and water law. After receiving her bachelor’s degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), she earned her Juris Doctor from UNLV’s William S. Boyd School of Law, where she was an executive editor of the Nevada Law Journal, a member of the Society of Advocates moot court team, and served as president of La Voz, the Latino Law Student Association. She also served as a judicial extern for the Honorable Cam Ferenbach in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada and for the Honorable Ronald J. Israel in the Eighth Judicial District Court.
Taylor Reeves (Las Vegas)
A former Clark County Deputy District Attorney, Reeves is well-versed in navigating complex and often highly sensitive matters through transparent communication with her clients and powerful advocacy. She provides representation in a wide range of general liability matters, ensuring smooth business operations that align with short- and long-term objectives while preserving finances, relationships, and reputations through robust litigation tactics.
Reeves obtained her bachelor’s degree magna cum laude from UNLV before earning her Juris Doctor from UNLV’s William S. Boyd School of Law. While in law school, she was an articles editor for the UNLV Gaming Law Journal and gained invaluable courtroom experience through internships with the Clark County District Attorney’s Office and the Honorable Cynthia Giuliani. After law school, she clerked for the Honorable Joe Hardy in the Eighth Judicial District Court where she learned all aspects of civil and criminal procedure.
Alden Smith (Springfield)
Smith assists clients with a wide range of real estate transactions and financings, bringing practical solutions which minimize time and resources to the forefront of even the most highly sophisticated transactions and related disputes.
Smith earned both his bachelor’s degree and Juris Doctor from the University of Missouri, where he served as a note and comment editor for the Business, Entrepreneurship, and Tax Law Review and as a teaching assistant for two years in an introductory law course for undergraduates. Between degrees, he spent two and a half years teaching English in Seoul, South Korea. He graduated from law school with an Honors Tax Law Certificate, demonstrating a mastery of fundamental tax principles he now applies to efficiently structure real estate transactions under the tax code.