Joyce Pratt Email and Phone Number

As Loss Prevention Counsel for Thompson Coburn, Joyce serves as the point person for loss prevention and conflicts of interest questions for attorneys across all five of the firm's offices. She works closely with the firm's general counsel and assistant general counsel to identify and resolve potential or actual conflicts of interest with current and former clients, as well as researching and counseling on ethical and professional responsibility matters.Joyce vets all new firm hires… Show more As Loss Prevention Counsel for Thompson Coburn, Joyce serves as the point person for loss prevention and conflicts of interest questions for attorneys across all five of the firm's offices. She works closely with the firm's general counsel and assistant general counsel to identify and resolve potential or actual conflicts of interest with current and former clients, as well as researching and counseling on ethical and professional responsibility matters.Joyce vets all new firm hires, including lateral partners, for potential conflicts and sets up any necessary ethical screens. She collaborates with the firm's technology department and business office to create efficient internal procedures for opening files and processing conflicts. She also reviews external marketing materials to ensure compliance with the Rules of Professional Conduct. Joyce provides guidance to staff and attorneys on business intake, conflicts procedures and loss prevention matters.A former Thompson Coburn labor & employment attorney, Joyce advised employers on a wide range of matters and vigorously defended them in state and federal courts across the country. Prior to entering the legal profession, she provided medical social work services in hospital, home health and hospice settings in communities as diverse as south Texas, rural Hawaii and southern Maryland. Show less

Joyce represented management in disputes relating to human resources law. She has successfully represented employers in state and federal courts, as well as before administrative agencies like the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Missouri Commission on Human Rights. Joyce has litigated discrimination cases, unfair competition cases, and cases brought under Title VII, ADA, FMLA, ADEA, ERISA, FLSA, and the Missouri Human Rights Act. Joyce obtained awards of summary judgment in… Show more Joyce represented management in disputes relating to human resources law. She has successfully represented employers in state and federal courts, as well as before administrative agencies like the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Missouri Commission on Human Rights. Joyce has litigated discrimination cases, unfair competition cases, and cases brought under Title VII, ADA, FMLA, ADEA, ERISA, FLSA, and the Missouri Human Rights Act. Joyce obtained awards of summary judgment in favor of employers in numerous cases, including cases alleging violations of the FMLA, the ADA, Title VII, and the MHRA. Outside of litigation, Joyce counseled clients on personnel issues, workplace investigations, compliance, and classification issues.Among her litigation successes, Joyce obtained a dismissal on a judgment on the pleadings motion for a breach of contract action and first chaired a jury trial on her client's counterclaim for violation of the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act, with the jury awarding actual and punitive damages. Joyce also prevailed in defending a bench tried unpaid commission suit. Additionally, Joyce successfully countered an appeal to the Seventh Circuit on the grant of summary judgment on an ADA discrimination claim.In representing the firm's clients, Joyce has participated in all aspects of litigation, including drafting pleadings and briefs, including summary judgment applications, discovery, mediation and pre-trial statements, taking and defending depositions, negotiating and drafting settlement agreements and preparing for and trying cases.Joyce's experience also includes providing significant trial preparation and support for various trials. She has assisted with trial strategy, legal and fact analysis, witness identification, prepared and argued discovery motions, prepared and responded to motions in limine, prepared expert and trial exhibits and assisted with the preparation of jury instructions and closing statements. Show less

Faculty Fellow for Professor Sydney D. Watson