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‘Best Lawyers’ Name Hazelwood City Attorney Tops in the Nation
KEVIN O’KEEFE AND MAYOR T.R. CARR
BY JEANETTE EBERLIN RIZZELLO
Hazelwood City Attorney Kevin O’Keefe has received a nation-wide honor, and the mayor and city council members publicly expressed their pride in him by adopting a proclamation at the recent council meeting.
The proclamation congratulated Kevin O’Keefe for receiving the honor “Best Lawyer in America 2008.”
The organization, Best Lawyers, has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Each year they conduct an exhaustive peer-review survey across the country to identify lawyers they think are the best in the field. In the survey more than 25,000 leading attorneys cast almost two million votes on the legal abilities of other lawyers.
The proclamation highlighted many of O’Keefe’s activities, such as: he has served as attorney for the St. Louis Board of Election Commission; served 14 St. Louis County area municipalities and various organizations and he has an extensive record as a seminar lecturer for the Missouri Municipal League and the St.Louis County Municipal League. In 1999 O’Keefe was the recipient of the Missouri Municipal Attorney Association’s prestigious Lou Czech Award.
O’Keefe started serving as Hazelwood’s city attorney 14 years ago. Just three months later Matt Robinson was elected to the city council.
After the meeting Robinson said, “It was very nice working with Kevin all these years; he is well known throughout the state of Missouri.
“He never steered us in the wrong direction; he always gave us good advice.”
City Clerk Colleen Klos has worked with O’Keefe 12 years. “Kevin is never at a loss for words,” she said, “he has been of great value to me and to the city of Hazelwood.”
Mayor T. R. Carr said: “Kevin O’Keefe has dedicated his career to municipal law. Hazelwood has benefited from his knowledge and wisdom. When I am meeting with other city officials and a legal issue arises the first comment is always: ‘What would Kevin O’Keefe say…Let’s give Kevin a call.’ His keen wit makes him a pleasure to work with.”
In an interview later, obviously pleased and impressed with the proclamation, O’Keefe said, “I have enjoyed every minute working with the outstanding staff and elected officials in Hazelwood. It has been a singular honor to represent the city and I look forward to every chance I get to work with the city.
“I am extremely pleased that the other professionals think so highly of what I do.”
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