5 CECB Attorneys were selected for Inclusion in 2009 Missouri-Kansas Super Lawyers® and Rising Stars

Each year, Law & Politics Magazine invites lawyers in each state to nominate top Missouri and Kansas lawyers, they’ve personally observed in action. Research is then conducted on each candidate dividing them into practice areas. A panel of preeminent peers in each practice area then evaluates each candidate. From the original pool of candidates, only 5 percent of Missouri and Kansas attorneys are selected for inclusion in Super Lawyers.
The Rising Stars selection process is similar to that of the Super Lawyers but those eligible to be a Rising Stars must be either 40 years old or younger or in practice for ten years or less and they do not go through the peer evaluation by practice area. From the pool of candidates no more than 2.5 percent are named to the Rising Stars list.
While we feel all of our attorneys at CECB are super lawyers and rising stars, here are the three included by Law & Politics to the 2009 Super Lawyers list and the two included to the 2009 Rising Stars list.

Cliff Brown is shareholder and in the Estate Planning Practice Group and concentrates his practice in the areas of estate planning, probate, trust litigation and related tax matters.
Cliff served as the 84th President of the Springfield Metropolitan Bar Association in 2006. In September 2003, he was appointed to the Board of Law Examiners by the Supreme Court. As a Board member, Cliff ’s role involves the investigation and determination of the character and fitness of individuals seeking admission to the bar, determining the qualifications of practicing attorneys from other states seeking to be admitted to the Missouri Bar, and in developing, administering, and grading the examinations of new applicants seeking admission to the bar.
Cliff ’s community involvement includes being a Member of the Board of Directors of Community Foundation of the Ozarks, a Member of the Ad Hoc Committee for the Developmental Center of the Ozarks, as well as being a member of the Board of Directors of the Burrell Center.

John Carnahan is a shareholder in the Transactional and Estate Planning Practice Groups of CECB. He concentrates his practice in the areas of tax planning, corporate transactions, estate planning, and business succession planning for family-owned businesses, which has also included providing advice and assistance in real estate acquisitions and development, financial institution organization and compliance, business and estate planning, and the acquisition and sale of businesses.
In 2005, the Missouri Senate confirmed John’s appointment by Governor Matt Blunt to serve on the University of Missouri Board of Curators, representing the Seventh Congressional District. The Board of Curators is a nine-person governing body of a four-campus system including the University of Missouri-Columbia, the University of Missouri-Kansas City, the University of Missouri-Rolla, and the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
John is a member of the Springfield Metropolitan and American Bar Associations, as well as The Missouri Bar Foundation, and he has been active in Bar Association activities involving continuing legal education.

John E. Price is a shareholder in the Litigation Practice Group of Carnahan, Evans, Cantwell & Brown, P.C. He concentrates his practice in the areas of civil and business litigation, environmental law, corporate and real estate law and appellate practice.
John has significant experience in environmental law over the last 20 years. He has handled litigation with government agencies and private parties under the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Superfund and toxic torts. He regularly advises business clients on environmental regulation, permitting issues and real estate transactions. He also has many years experience with large and complex real estate and business transactions, and with commercial litigation involving leases, contracts and insurance disputes. He has argued over 75 appeals in federal and state appellate courts.
He has served on the Boards of the Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield Foundation, the Visiting Nurse Association, and Project Parkway in Springfield. Additionally, Mr. Price is currently serving a two-year term on the Springfield Sister Cities Association Board of Directors. He is a member of the Springfield Metropolitan and American Bar Associations, as well as the Missouri Bar.

Rodney H. Nichols is a shareholder in the Transactional and Litigation/Dispute Resolution Practice Group of Carnahan, Evans, Cantwell & Brown, P.C. He concentrates his practice in the areas of banking; creditor’s rights; commercial, real estate and probate litigation as well as general corporate and business matters.
Rodney is a member of the Bank Counsel Section and Advisory Board of the Missouri Banker’s Association, the Civil Practice and Procedure Committee of the Missouri Bar, the Federal Practice Committee for the Western District of Missouri, and previously served as Chairman of the Commercial Law and Insolvency Committee of the Springfield Metropolitan Bar Association.Mr. Nichols is also on the Springfield Metropolitan Bar Association’s Federal Bench & Bar Committee, and has formerly served as Chair of the SMBA’s Programs Committee.
Rodney also devotes a significant amount of time to the community as a member of the Board of Directors for the Developmental Center of the Ozarks and Ozark Greenways. In October 2004, Mr. Nichols was appointed by the Greene County Commissioners to serve as a Member of the Greene County Library Board of Trustees. In 2003, Mr. Nichols was recognized by the Springfield Business Journal with their “40 Under 40” award, for his outstanding contribution to the community and his profession. In January 2007, Mr. Nichols was appointed as a Member of the City of Springfield’s Jordan Valley Park Tax Abatement and Tax Increment Financing Commission.

Ric Ashe is an associate in the Litigation Practice Group of Carnahan Evans Cantwell & Brown, PC. He concentrates his practice on a wide variety of business litigation, including non-competition agreements, trade secrets, shareholder disputes, distribution agreements and construction contracts, as well as general business matters.
Prior to joining the firm, Ric practiced for five years at the respected Portland, Oregon, law firm of Dunn Carney Allen Higgins &Tongue, LLP. A Missouri native, he received his undergraduate degree from Missouri State University before attending Northwestern School of Law of Lewis and Clark College in Portland, where he graduated cum laude. As a student, he received the prestigious Law Review Excellence Award and served as a research assistant for Professor Janet Steverson.
Ric is a member of the Missouri Bar, the Springfield Metropolitan Bar Association and the American Bar Association. He is also a member of the Oregon State Bar and the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon.