Armstrong Teasdale Names Untress Quinn Edwardsville Office Managing Attorney

Armstrong Teasdale has named Partner Untress (Trez) Quinn managing attorney of the firm’s Edwardsville, Illinois, office effective Aug. 1. This appointment is indicative of Quinn’s ongoing leadership and commitment to advancing the firm’s strategic objectives.

Office managing attorneys are charged with driving growth and success in coordination with the firm’s overall strategic vision as determined by firmwide leadership and managing partner Patrick Rasche.

“I have the utmost confidence in Trez,” said Rasche. “As a Southern Illinois native, he brings a level of intimate familiarity with the courts and the region that will continue to benefit firm clients. I would also like to thank outgoing Office Managing Attorney Matt Reh who has been long-invested in growing our footprint and driving synergies in the metropolitan area.”

In 2020, roughly four months into the COVID-19 pandemic, Armstrong Teasdale opened shop in Edwardsville, Illinois. Firm lawyers have long done business in Illinois, and Armstrong Teasdale’s robust team includes former judges and clerks from Southern Illinois with decades of combined experience. In April 2023, the firm further strengthened its presence in the state, adding more than 50 lawyers and staff from Novack and Macey.

“I look forward to witnessing the contributions of our Edwardsville office under Trez’s leadership and seeing his talents at work in this role,” said Partner and Litigation Practice Group Leader Reh. “Trez is certainly deserving of this opportunity and well positioned to carry our Edwardsville office forward in collaboration with our lawyers internationally.”

Quinn is a seasoned trial lawyer, focusing his practice on representing clients in disciplinary hearings in health care and educational settings, health care internal investigations, and the defense of medical malpractice and other catastrophic loss lawsuits. He has defended multiple complex litigation cases in both state and federal courts involving civil rights, product liability, medical malpractice and wrongful death claims. He has also represented health care clients under investigation by federal and state agencies and in the review of internal policies to conform with best health care practices. Quinn’s defense of high-stakes litigation matters in both Illinois and Missouri have included matters involving mental health/suicide, neurological, obstetrical, neonatal, pediatric, cardiothoracic, gastroenterological and other traumatic injuries and losses. He also has specific experience defending medical professionals in matters alleging federal Section 1983 violations. Quinn also sits on Armstrong Teasdale’s Inclusion Committee.

Prior to joining Armstrong Teasdale, Quinn spent roughly 15 years in private practice at St. Louis area law firms, most recently leading his prior firm’s Correctional Medicine industry team. His depth of experience in the medical field is rooted in more than 25 years in the health care industry and more than 10 years as a registered nurse. Quinn was also a member of the U.S. Air Force Reserves for 13 years, where he achieved the rank of first lieutenant and was awarded the Meritorious Service Award.

He is a 2022 Fellow of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD); Diversity Committee Chair for the Illinois Association for Defense Trial Lawyers; and former board secretary of the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis (BAMSL). He is also a member of the St. Clair County Bar Association, American Bar Association and American Health Lawyers Association. Further, Quinn is a Hearing Board Member of the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission of the Supreme Court of Illinois. He also sits on the board of directors for the St. Clair County Child Advocacy Center.

Quinn is also the firm’s first African-American to serve in the role of office managing attorney, and diverse lawyers such as him have long charted leadership paths at the firm. In 1987, the firm named its first African-American partner – Steven Cousins – who dedicated his entire career to the firm, contributing tremendously to its history and success, as well as to the broader St. Louis community through his extensive civic and charitable service. He was the first African-American lawyer at Armstrong Teasdale in 1980; the first associate to lead a department at the firm in 1984; the first African-American to serve on the firm's Executive Committee, a position he held for 15 years; and continues his affiliation with Armstrong Teasdale through Cousins Allied Strategic Advisors, LLC.