Spencer Fane is pleased to welcome Brian T. Bear to the firm’s Kansas City office where he will serve as an associate within the firm’s Litigation and Dispute Resolution practice group.
Prior to Spencer Fane, Bear worked in the Missouri Attorney General’s Office as an Assistant Attorney General in the Complex Litigation Unit of the Consumer Protection Division. In this role, he represented the state of Missouri in numerous high-profile investigations and complex litigation including the largest identity theft case ever prosecuted in Missouri state court history. As a result, he also successfully obtained the longest sentence for a first-time offender under the statute in state history.
Additional work highlights from Bear’s former position include arguing before the Missouri Supreme Court in cases related to the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act; managing discovery involving nearly 1.8 million pages of evidence and overseeing depositions of key fact witnesses in four states in a securities fraud prosecution involving $39 million in defaulted municipal bonds; and mediating complaints between victims of the 2011 Joplin, Mo., tornado and national mortgage servicers.
Before serving as an Assistant Attorney General, Bear served as an associate with a local boutique law firm where he successfully handled a range of complex litigation including a lender liability case worth $6.5 million and a case involving C-level executives and the Board of Directors for two Fortune 100 Companies. Bear’s practice is also uniquely informed by his judicial clerkship with Chief Justice William Ray Price, Jr. of the Supreme Court of Missouri during which time he assisted in the analysis, drafting and editing of opinions before the Court.
Bear’s exceptional professional achievements have earned him numerous accolades and recognition throughout his career including the Attorney General’s Award for Extraordinary Service, the Consumer Protection Division’s Award of Recognition and the Attorney General’s Award for Excellence in Litigation.
Bear earned his law degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia where he graduated magna cum laude and was inducted into the Order of the Coif. Furthermore, he was on the Editorial Board for the Missouri Law Review and a member of the Board of Advocates. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Missouri-Columbia, as well.