Festus, MO

Michael D. Lowry

Michael D. Lowry is a lifelong resident of Jefferson County, Missouri. He graduated cum laude from the University of Missouri-Columbia with B.A. degrees in Political Science and Economics, and earned his J.D. from Washington University School of Law in 1994. He served as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for Jefferson County until 1997, when he founded The Lowry Law Firm. He also served as Municipal Judge for the City of Festus from 1999-2004. He is listed as one of the 10 best personal injury attorneys for client satisfaction by the American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys.

Steven P. (“Steve”) Lednick was born and raised in Crystal City, Missouri, and is a 1989 graduate of St. Pius X High School. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science & Criminal Justice from Saint Louis University - St. Louis, Missouri in 1994. He attended the University of Tulsa - Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he earned the degree of Juris Doctor with highest honors achievable in 2001. While attending law school Mr. Lednick received multiple academic honors which included Valedictorian of his Graduating Class, Order of the Curule Chair, Merit Scholarship Recipient, Tulsa Law Review and Phi Delta Phi. He received awards for excellence in Constitutional Law & Legal Research & Writing I & II. Mr. Lednick was also nominated for the Oklahoma Bar Association Outstanding Student Award and served as a Teaching Assistant for the Legal Research and Writing Program. In addition to being licensed in all Missouri Circuit and Appellate courts, Mr. Lednick is licensed to practice in all Oklahoma District and Appellate courts, all Illinois Circuit and Appellate courts, as well as the United States District Court - Western District of Missouri, United States District Courts - Eastern, Western and Northern Districts of Oklahoma, & United States Court of Appeals - Tenth Circuit. Mr. Lednick focuses his practice in the area of criminal defense in all Jefferson, Ste. Genevieve, St. Francois, Washington, St. Louis County and surrounding state, county and municipal courts. He defends the rights of the accused in all types of felony and misdemeanor matters, including DWI, drug offenses, assault, stealing and all traffic and driver’s license cases. Mr. Lednick has extensive experience in these areas having previously worked in the area of private criminal defense in a high-profile Jefferson County firm and also having previously served as First Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for Jefferson County, Missouri. Mr. Lednick also represents clients in the areas of personal injury, workers comp, estate planning, and business formation. Mr. Lednick is a proud member of The American Bar Association, The Missouri Bar Association, The Illinois State Bar Association, The Oklahoma Bar Association, The Missouri Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and Festus/Crystal City Elks #1721. Mr. Lednick continues his involvement with multiple jurisdictions & associations to increase his local experience and vast understanding of the law. As a Jefferson County attorney, he has provided legal assistance to hundreds of local clients. Steve has a broad understanding of law in multiple states and jurisdictions but dedicates his attention to the residents of Jefferson County and of those counties immediately surrounding.

Sean Westhoff

Sean Westhoff is the managing partner at Breeze Westhoff LC. Sean represents individuals and families in all types of personal injury matters to help them recover money when they’ve been hurt, individuals in criminal matters to defend their rights, and individuals and businesses in a wide range of real estate and business matters. Sean guides his clients through civil, probate, and criminal litigation using a straight-forward, common-sense approach. Sean has successfully tried many types of cases and has won at the appellate level in a variety of cases for his clients. Sean has a law degree from St. Louis University and an undergrad degree from the University of Kansas.

Jackie Gonz, was born and raised in southeast Missouri and is proud of her working-class, blue-collar upbringing. Jackie passed the Missouri Bar Exam in April 1992 after she graduated from the University of Tulsa College of Law in December 1991. She began her law practice in the 24th Federal Circuit and was an associate with two different law firms before starting her own law practice in 1995. Primarily, Jackie’s practice is in civil litigation. She handles family law issues ranging from uncontested divorces to paternity cases. She also is experienced in civil litigation related to personal injury, whether work-related accidents, auto accidents, or injuries caused by someone else’s negligence. She practices primarily in southeast Missouri, particularly Ste. Genevieve, Jefferson, Perry, St. Francois, Cape Girardeau, Madison, and Washington counties. Jackie believes that it is a great honor to represent people during a crisis and strives to offer people hope and optimism. In addition to practicing law, Jackie is a dedicated mother and community member. Her four children range from age 20 to age 8. She actively participates in her children’s activities of basketball, cheerleading, football, wrestling, track, band, choir, Girl Scouts, and Boy Scouts. Jackie doesn’t believe in simply telling people what they want to hear in order to get a retainer. She believes in telling people the truth.

A lifelong resident of Jefferson County, Nathan began practicing law in Hillsboro in 1992, after graduating from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law. Nathan was engaged in the general practice of law until 1999 when he was appointed to the Jefferson County Courts as the County’s first Family Court Commissioner. Nathan’s time on the bench stretched from 1999 through 2016, over which time he was elected to be an Associate Circuit Judge and then a Circuit Judge. During those 18 years, Nathan handled nearly every kind of case possible. He has developed his legal knowledge and abilities in many areas of the law during his extensive experience as an attorney and Judge. Nathan believes in giving back to the community where he lives and works. He volunteers for many events and organizations and belongs to the DeSoto Elks and Hillsboro Community Civic Club/Jefferson County Fair. He sits on the Boards of Directors for Jefferson County Community Partnership, Hillsboro Community Civic Club/Jeffco Fair, and the Jefferson College Foundation. Upon joining Ponder-Bates Stewart Law Offices in 2017, Nathan broadened the base of practice for the firm. While performing divorces, adoptions, juvenile cases, guardianships and many other family law-related casework, he also has returned to his General Practice roots. Nathan works with clients whose needs vary from landlord-tenant to estate planning or personal injuries to automobile accidents. He also represents clients in real estate matters and traffic tickets and will meet with folks to discuss any type of matter for which they may need advice.

Kurt D. Breeze

A lifetime Jefferson Countian, Kurt received a BA Degree in 1971, and his Juris Doctorate in 1974 from the University of Missouri at Columbia. Admitted to the Missouri Bar and the U.S. District Court For The Eastern District Of Missouri in 1974, Kurt has tried cases throughout the state and resolved matters at every level of the court system, including the Missouri Supreme Court. Kurt is also a trained mediator and has served as special master by court appointment. While an accomplished litigator, Kurt also has deep experience in transactional law, representing generations of business and property owners with both their corporate creation and dissolution needs and planning structural business matters. Kurt is a trust advisor guiding clients regarding their personal and family estate planning requirements. Kurt has particularly focused on fiduciary representation and trial work in the context of trust and estate administration, processing thousands of estate matters from the formatting and planning stage through the sensitive phase of final administration. While his experience prepares him to solve the thorniest of estate problems, it also uniquely enables him to counsel clients on ways to avoid unnecessary conflict by thoughtful and meaningful planning. Kurt Breeze retired in 2024.

Sarah E. Donahue

Sarah E. Donahue is a native St. Louisan. She graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1996 with Bachelor’s Degrees in History and Political Science, and received her J.D. from the same university in 1999. She is licensed to practice in all Missouri courts and practices exclusively in domestic relations. The American Institute of Family Law Attorneys has listed her as one of the 10 best family law attorneys for client satisfaction. Prior to joining The Lowry Law Firm, she worked as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for Jefferson County, Missouri, and as an associate at Roberts & Roberts.