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Oxenhandler Law

1 (573) 449-2929

Mediation – Arbitration
Internal Investigations

Primarily serving the Missouri area, yet going farther when necessary to do the job right.

Gary Oxenhandler

Senior Partner – Former Circuit Court Presiding Judge

Except for 15 years as a Circuit Court Judge, Gary Oxenhandler has been the senior partner in Oxenhandler Law since 1973. Currently being of counsel with Evans and Dixon, Mr. Oxenhandler is focused on providing mediation, arbitration and internal investigation services as an outsource for clients.

Mr. Oxenhandler’s services are unique in that he applies the lessons learned from an extensive volume of experience both serving clients in the courtroom as an attorney, and as a judge presiding over the courtroom itself. Please continue to read the following to fully understand how Mr. Oxenhandler’s approach to serving clients and his ability to leverage his experience will help you with your issue.

Best Legal Practices

Mr. Oxenhandler understands the best-practices to use in helping your law firm (or corporate counsel office) utilize our specialized 3^rd party legal services to solve issues.

Oxenhandler Law has exceptional business stability to be there for you now, and into the future. We were founded over 45 years ago.

Seasoned legal experience

In private practice Mr. Oxenhandler handled thousands of clients over the years. Some of his award-winning work was serving as lead counsel in several civil rights cases involving multiple defendants. His work mainly consisted of personal injury cases, business disputes and family law. This experience resulted in an excitement for Mr. Oxenhandler in seeing how third-parties can help find faster and more efficient solutions to situations involving mediations, arbitrations and internal investigations. But, focusing on providing these services to other law firms and corporate council would have to wait until after the judgeship with the Circuit Court.

As a former Circuit Court Judge for Missouri’s 13^th Judicial Circuit which covers Boone and Callaway Counties (2002-2016), Mr. Oxenhandler presided over thousands of cases. First being appointment by the Governor, then re-elected twice. This time frame includes acting as the Presiding Judge and honorarily sitting with the Missouri Supreme Court. His work with the Circuit Court included trials ranging from business disputes and discrimination claims to personal injury matters involving automobile collisions, slip and falls, products liability and medical malpractice to the most serious felonies. Along with his jury trials, Mr. Oxenhandler presided over hundreds of judge-tried cases and conducted thousands of hearings.

Creating Standards in the Field

Has has played a significant part in creating documented standards of practice and training guidelines in the legal field over the years.

2007 – Created the Missouri 13^th Circuit Domestic Relation’s Settlement Conference – Gary created and then presided over an innovative domestic relation’s settlement conference docket. The purpose of the docket, like mediation, was to give disputing parties an opportunity to have a frank and open forum before an independent judge whose sole purpose was to guide the parties to a resolution of their disputes. By all accounts, the alternative court was highly successful. From 2007 until Gary’s retirement from the Bench in 2016, Gary conducted nearly 2,500 such settlement conferences.

2010 – As a result of his work in the civil rights arena and the leadership roles that he played in studying race relations, local jail populations and sentencing, it was natural that Judge Oxenhandler was involved with the PEW Trust Justice Reinvestment Initiative when it came to Missouri. Through that initiative, he began to study and speak in numerous venues on his concerns about control of local jail populations and mass incarceration in the United States. Mr. Oxenhandler has continued his public speaking not only on issues of incarceration but on issues of bail, social justice and implicit bias.

Accolades and achievements

The following list is a sample of accolades and achievements meant to quickly differentiate Oxenhandler Law from other third-party providers.

1973 – Graduated with a law degree from the University of Missouri Law School
1973 – Started practicing in Columbia, MO
1987 – Civil Libertarian of the Year Award – Presented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Mid-Missouri
1998 – Human Rights Diversity Enhancement Award – Presented by the University of Missouri
YYYY – President – Boone County Bar Association
YYYY – Chairman – Columbia Chamber of Commerce
YYYY – Co-chair – City of Columbia’s Race Relations Task Force
YYYY – Chairman – Two (2) Boone County, MO commissions addressing overcrowding in the Boone County Jail
2002 – Appointed to the Missouri 13^th Circuit Court as a Judge
2014 – Appointed as the Missouri 13^th Circuit Court as Presiding Judge
YYYY – Chairman – Missouri Sentencing Advisory Commission (appointed by Governor)
2015 – Honorarily sitting with the Missouri Supreme Court
2015 – Missouri Supreme Court’s Circuit Judge Excellence Award – Presented by the Chief Justice of the Missouri Supreme Court
2016 Senior Judge – Accepting assignments from the Missouri Supreme Court
2016 – Member – Missouri Supreme Court Committee on Racial and Ethnic Fairness (Appointed by the Missouri Supreme Court)
2016 Member – Missouri Criminal Law Task Force (Appointed by the Missouri Supreme Court)

Current Roles:

Independent Mediator – Oxenhandler Law
Panel member – Alaris Alternative Dispute Resolution
Panel member – American Arbitration Association.
Of counsel Evans and Dixon

Personal

After growing up in St. Louis, and a stint in the Army, Mr. Oxenhandler attended the University of Missouri – Columbia law school. Mr. Oxenhandler began private practice on 1973 with a childhood friend who he knew since the 4^th grade. Staying in physical shape and playing competitive handball are only two of his personal pursuits. He was inducted into the Missouri Handball Hall of Fame.

Press

Guest commentary: Justice requires a new trial for Mark Woodworth.

“Judge Oxenhandler’s impeccable reputation as an intelligent, fair and thorough judge is probably why the Missouri Supreme Court chose him…”

St. Louis Post Dispatch, September 5, 2012

New Study could change Boone county Jail Population

“We have to do our very best, we have to elevate our game to make sure that we are not housing anybody in that jail that doesn’t need to be in that jail,” Oxenhandler said.”

NBC news 8 KOMU

“This Week” with Judge Gary Oxenhandler

ABC news 17 KMIZ

Monday through Friday, 8am – 5pm Central Time

1 (573) 449-2929

garyoxenhandler@gmail.com