Missouri Lawyers Weekly honored Husch Blackwell Partner Cynthia Cordes as its 2014 “Lawyer of the Year” on January 24, 2014. Presented annually as part of the Missouri Lawyer Awards Program, the Lawyer of the Year is awarded to “the Missouri lawyer or judge who (has) made a substantial impact on the law or the Missouri legal community.” It is Missouri Lawyers Weekly’s highest honor. Cynthia is the first Husch Blackwell lawyer to be selected as “Lawyer of the Year.”

As a nationally recognized federal prosecutor and an expert in complex criminal litigation, Cynthia’s pioneering work involved some of the most complex and hard-fought criminal litigation that the U.S. Department of Justice has been involved in in recent years. In addition, during her years of service with the Department of Justice, Cynthia led a multiagency task force on human trafficking known as the Human Trafficking Rescue Project. The task force is made up of more than 20 federal and state law enforcement agencies, which included the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the Internal Revenue Service as well as more than 60 nonprofit agencies. During the 5 years that Cynthia led the task force, her office prosecuted more human trafficking defendants than any other U.S. Attorney’s office in the country. The U.S. Attorney General’s Office honored her work by selecting her task force as one of the top in the nation and it now serves as a model across the country. In addition, Cynthia has received bipartisan praise from the U.S. Congress for her groundbreaking efforts to thwart human trafficking.

Today, Cynthia represents companies and individuals with government compliance issues and those who find themselves under criminal and civil investigation by the federal and state governments. Cynthia is well known for her innovative strategies, aggressive advocacy on behalf of clients and victims, and ability to creatively reach unprecedented results. She has deep experience in cases involving fraud, racketeering, organized crime, money laundering, human trafficking, civil rights, tax, immigration, cyber and international law.

Since joining Husch Blackwell in September 2013, Cynthia has continued her innovative work by spearheading the development of the Firm’s Human Trafficking Clinic, the first of its kind in the country. The Firm’s pro bono clinic for human trafficking victims continues Husch Blackwell’s commitment to providing pro bono services to the communities in which we have offices throughout the country.

Cynthia is a member of Husch Blackwell’s Technology, Manufacturing and Transportation Business Unit.

For additional information, please contact Joe Orlet.