Areas of Practice

Agriculture law is one of the most diverse areas of law, addressing: crop, equipment and livestock issues, land use, resource management challenges, and sustainability and environmental protection. It can focus on traditional areas such as property law, water law, and crop production, but also encompasses administrative law, intellectual property, financial and property law.

We are a leader in representing parties involved in business disputes, including corporate disputes between shareholders, dissolution of business corporations, limited liability companies and partnerships, and all types of employment discrimination suits for both plaintiff and defendants. Our firm has been involved in a number of business disputes involving business assets worth between $10 and $50 Million. We are able to take complex business cases to trial, but also have the experience and skills required to negotiate favorable resolutions of all types of business disputes.

Blanton, Nickell, Collins, Douglas & Hanschen LLC has an active business transactions practice. Our business transactions practice offers a cross-practice spectrum of services to support your company’s needs. We advise and assist our clients in Mergers, Stock Sales, Asset Acquisitions, and a variety of other business transitions. We can also assist your company in structuring joint ventures, and in restructuring and reorganization of corporate and partnership enterprises. We also will assist you with corporate governance counseling and provide outside general counsel services. Whether your business is large, small, or growing, we will be happy to help you achieve your goals.

Blanton, Nickell, Collins, Douglas & Hanschen LLC handles commercial litigation for businesses throughout Southeast Missouri and beyond. We represent clients in lending, manufacturing, small business, professional and agricultural endeavors. These disputes can take a variety of forms, but often center around breach of contract, trademark infringement, shareholder disputes, noncompetition agreements, and minority shareholder oppression. We are well staffed and can handle disputes from simple to very complex. Let us put our experience to work in protecting your business interests.

We provide skilled representation to corporate and individual fiduciaries and other parties engaged in trust contests, will contests, accounting actions, trust and will construction actions where the meaning of an instrument or identity of a beneficiary is at issue, and reformation suits, as well as a wide range of other fiduciary litigation. These suits involve a broad range of disputes involving sophisticated and novel legal issues, from preserving or enforcing rights in a trust or estate, or defending a fiduciary in the administration of a trust or estate. We also have an active estate planning practice for estates ranging from modest to vary large estates worth tens of millions of dollars. We also advise clients on gift and estate tax planning.

We are leaders in defending medical malpractice cases in Southeast Missouri against hospitals, physicians, multi-specialty and specialty clinics and other healthcare providers. We vigorously defend lawsuits for healthcare providers in a number of specialized areas of medicine. We also represent medical doctors, doctors of osteopathy, private medical practices, podiatrists, and other healthcare providers such as physicians’ assistances, nurses, pharmacists, physical therapists, nursing homes, and skilled nursing facilities.

A serious injury can be a major disruption to your life. Physical injuries can result in significant medical bills and time off work as you recuperate. As you are recovering, issues regarding liability, insurance coverage, uninsured motorists, under-insured motorists, med-pay coverage, hospital liens, insurance subrogation claims and all manner of other issues are likely to come up. As an injured party, where do you turn? The insurance companies have experienced and well-trained personnel to deal with these issues and reach fast settlements in the best interest of the insurance company. You may not even fully appreciate the extent and permanency of your injuries and the vast economic affect that the accident may have on you and your family. During this difficult time, you need someone that you can trust and rely on to look out for your best interests.

We have extensive experience in representing injured parties in personal injury cases. Personal injury cases include automobile accidents, tractor/truck and bus collisions, slip and fall accidents, uninsured motorist claims, slip and falls and other injuries where another person or legal entity may be responsible for your injuries. It can be a difficult process to navigate and having an experienced attorney, as well as our staff of nurses and paralegals, can provide valuable assistance to you. We handle all types of automobile and premises liability claim including rear-end collisions, accidents with farm vehicles, accidents with tractor trailers and buses, accidents involving pedestrians and passengers.

Theories of liability vary significantly but include such issues as negligent entrustment of the vehicle, failure to comply with government regulations, such as the requirements of the Department of Transportation, the negligent rental of equipment to persons who are unqualified or untrained to use it safely, to name a few. If you have been injured as a result of the actions of another, we will be happy to provide you with a free consultation to help you ascertain whether you have a liability claim or personal injury. If you do, we are committed to maximizing your recovery.

Have you been injured by a defective product or medical device? Our attorneys can help you navigate the complexities of dangerous farm machinery, automotive recalls, transvaginal mesh, faulty hip implants, dangerous drugs and other types of cases. We represent clients in individual cases, Multi-District Litigation in Federal Court, as well as consolidated State Court proceedings and we can help you. Effective legal representation and local personal service are our hallmarks.

At Blanton, Rice, Nickell, Cozean & Collins, LLC, we have defended numerous complex products liability claims, including Industrial Products, Heavy Equipment, Consumer Products, Office and Home Furniture, and a host of other products. We have litigated and achieved favorable results for our clients in both state and federal courts in the region and nationwide. Our attorneys and staff are knowledgeable and experienced in handling products liability claims both simple and complex. We have a full staff and a number of resources, including access to expert products witnesses nationwide. Let Blanton, Rice, Nickell, Cozean & Collins, LLC handle your next products liability claim.

Blanton, Nickell, Collins, Douglas & Hanschen LLC handles real estate cases and transactions throughout Missouri, including property line and easement disputes, real estate purchases, lawsuits for breach of contract, zoning, trustee’s sales, foreclosures, liens, and title disputes. We represent farmers, property owners, lenders, builders, sellers, buyers and developers in real estate matters large and small.

Whether you are an individual who has been injured on the job or an employer, insurance company or third party administrator, we can meet your needs. Our attorneys regularly represent employees in all manner of work related accidents and injuries, including permanent and partial disability claims. We have tried cases on both temporary and full award cases including successfully prosecution appeals to the Board of Labor and Industrial Relations.

A workers compensation claim can be a significant interruption to your life. Issues regarding medical treatment, second opinions, temporary total disability benefits, Second Injury Fund, mileage reimbursement and selection of physicians can quickly become overwhelming. Let us help you navigate the unique and sometimes difficult Missouri Workers Compensation system.

We are also equipped to handle the defense of workers compensation claims, including all types of injuries such as carpal tunnel, knee injuries, shoulder injuries, back injuries and mental health issues. We can properly administer, settle and/or try all manner of cases. We can successfully navigate hardship settings and hearings, as well as Medical fee Disputes. We are a well versed in the requirements of Medicare Set Asides and how to successfully incorporate them into settlement. We also use our in-house nurse consultant to analyze medical treatment issues and identify the best available medical options for our clients.