Gary was admitted to the Bar in Missouri in 1978 and the Bar in Illinois in 1979. He is also admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri and the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh and Eighth Circuits.
Gary is a past President of The Harmonie Group and is a past and current Member on the Board of Directors of The Harmonie Group. He is also a member of the International Association of Defense Counsel and The Defense Research Institute. Gary is the former Chairman for the International Association of Defense Counsel Construction Litigation Committee. He is an advocate for American Board of Trial Advocates. Other affiliations: The Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, Lawyers Association of St. Louis, The Missouri Bar, Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers, and the Illinois State Bar Association.
Gary completed the American Academy of Attorney-Mediators’ training program in 1994 and serves as a Mediator for USA&M on cases pending in various courts in the St. Louis area.
Gary co-authored “Architects and Engineers’ Liability” for the Missouri Tort Law CLE Desk Book series and “Waiver of Subrogation and Allocation of Risk in Construction Contracts” for The Defense Counsel Journal. He is also a frequent lecturer at Continuing Legal Education seminars and trial practice seminars sponsored by the Bar and other professional organizations. He also served twice as a faculty member in 1998 and 2003 for the Trial Academy sponsored by the International Association of Defense Counsel in Boulder, Colorado. His Martindale-Hubbell rating is AV.
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Associations & Organizations
- Past President and Current Member on Board of Directors
International Association of Defense Counsel
- Chairman, Construction Law Committee, 1996 – 1997
Defense Research Institute
The Bar Association of Metropolitan Saint Louis
Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers
Lawyers Association of St. Louis
United States Arbitration & Mediation Midwest, Inc (USA& M)
- Mediator
Awards & Honors
Named one of America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators® for 2019 and 2020
Named one of America’s Top 100 Civil Defense Litigators® for 2019 and 2020
Included in the 2008, 2017, 2019 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America for Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants
Selected as the recipient of the Ben Ely, Jr. Outstanding Defense Lawyer Award – The Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers – 2017
America’s Most Honored Professionals, Top 5% – The American Registry – 2015
Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers List: Top Rated Professional Liability Attorney, St. Louis, MO – 2005, 2011-2016
Member, American Board of Trial Attorneys, Inducted 2007
Background
Principal, Pitzer Snodgrass, P.C. (2011 – Present)
Founding Principal, Rabbitt, Pitzer & Snodgrass, P.C. (1991 – 2010)
Principal, Brown, James & Rabbitt, P.C. (1984 – 1991)
Associate, Brown, James & Rabbitt, P.C. (1981 – 1984 )
Associate, Moser, Marsalek, Carpenter, Cleary, Jaeckel, Keaney & Brown (1978 – 1980)
Education
- J.D., 1978
Michigan State University
- M.A., Philosophy, Magna Cum Laude, 1975
Saint Louis University
- B.A., Psychology, Cum Laude, 1973
Licensure
Missouri
Illinois
United States District Court
- Eastern District of Missouri
United States Court of Appeals
- Seventh Circuit
- Eighth Circuit
ADR Certifications
Court Approved Mediator
State of Missouri
United States Arbitration and Mediation Midwest, Inc.
Publications & Seminars
- Selected Faculty Member, International Association of Defense Counsel Trial Academy, Boulder, Colorado, 1998 and 2003
- Speaker, Expert Witnesses: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly, (sponsored by The Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis), 2001
- Speaker, Missouri Construction Law: Can This Job Be Saved? (sponsored by Lorman Education Services) St. Louis, 2000
- Speaker, Missouri and Illinois Law for Design Professionals (sponsored by Lorman Education Services) St. Louis, 1998 and 1999
- Speaker, Alternative Dispute Resolution Seminar, St. Louis, 1997
- Speaker, Law for Design Professionals Seminar (sponsored by Lorman Education Services) 1997
- Participant, All – Industry Day Mock Trial, Charter Property Casualty Underwriters, St. Louis, 1997
- Faculty Member, Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers Trial Academy, St. Louis, 1994 and 1996
- Speaker, The Everything You Wanted to Know About Insurance Law But Were Afraid to Ask Seminar, St. Louis, 1995
- Participant, Civil Jury Trial Demonstration, St. Louis, 1993 and 1994
- Speaker, Avoiding Reversible Error / Keeping the Verdict on Appeal, St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri, 1990
- Speaker, Taking and Defending Depositions, St. Louis, 1990 and 1993
- “Defending Design Professionals: Is Contract Language an Adequate Shield,” Defense Counsel Journal, Vol. 64, 1997
- “Waiver of Subrogation and Allocation of Risk in Construction Contracts,” Defense Counsel Journal, Vol. 62, 1995
- “Architects’ and Engineers’ Liability,” Missouri Tort Law, Second Edition, Vol. I, 1990
- “The Liability of Architects and Engineers in Construction Cases,” St. Louis Bar Journal, Vol. XXXI, No. 2, 1984
- Co-Author: “Chapter 4 – Design Professional Liability,” Mo. Professional Liability & 4.1 – 4.27(MoBar2005)
