Armstrong Teasdale Litigation associate Laura A. Bentele will be honored on April 27 with a 2017 Missouri Lawyers Weekly Women’s Justice Rising Star Award.

Now in its 19th year, the Women’s Justice Awards program celebrates the success of exceptional women in the legal field and honors those who are helping move the needle in their communities.

The Rising Star Awards specifically acknowledge women lawyers under the age of 40 or within the first 10 years of practice who have already made a significant name for themselves in the legal world or justice system. Honorees are selected each year based on their leadership, professionalism, accomplishment and passion for making a difference.

Bentele focuses on commercial disputes and real estate litigation matters. She defends regional utility companies, financial institutions, mining companies, multistate consumer product retailers and manufacturing companies in state and federal courts around the country. In 2016, Bentele second-chaired two jury trials. She also serves as co-founder and co-leader of Armstrong Teasdale’s Agribusiness and Food industry group.  In that capacity, Bentele provides counsel on litigation and compliance needs to clients in the agribusiness, food, dietary supplement, tobacco and alcohol industries, as well as ancillary and derivative industries. She has significant experience advising clients confronting consumer fraud product labeling litigation and the impact of the Food Safety and Modernization Act (FSMA) on the management of food contamination and safety issues.

“Laura’s professional and community involvement is inspiring,” said Matt Reh, partner and Litigation practice group leader. “She is an accomplished litigator with a smart focus on the burgeoning area of agribusiness and food law. We know she will be a positive force for justice for a long time to come.”

Bentele serves on the Food/Supplements Committee for the American Bar Association, and is a member of The Missouri Bar and Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis.

Her legal service also extends to the community. Since 2013, Bentele has served as a junior board member for Team Activities for Special Kids (TASK), which provides athletic and social opportunities for kids with special needs. She is also passionate about her work on the junior board for the Missouri Botanical Garden and contributes pro bono assistance to Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts.

In 2016, Bentele was named a St. Louis Business Journal ‘30 Under 30’ honoree, which recognizes future leaders of the region and the local business community. Since 2015, she has been named a Missouri/Kansas Super Lawyers® Rising Star.

Bentele earned her J.D. from Washington University School of Law and B.A. in history and international affairs from George Washington University. She is admitted to practice in Missouri, Illinois and before the U.S. District Court for the Western and Eastern Districts of Missouri, as well as the Central District of Illinois. Bentele is based in the firm’s St. Louis office.