Pete Hoffman’s entire legal career of more than 40 years has been spent in the preparation and trial of civil cases. He has extensive experience in preparing and trying products liability cases. In addition, he has prepared and tried cases involving auto accidents, premises liability, general negligence, insurance (including automobile liability, homeowner’s, and General Liability insurance), admiralty, and commercial disputes. He is a member of the Product Liability Advisory Council. Pete has a litigation practice in federal and state courts and has tried numerous cases to jury verdicts in Missouri and Illinois. He has also argued before the appellate courts of Missouri, Illinois, and the 7^th and 8^th U.S. Circuits.

In 2010, Pete was appointed by the Missouri Supreme Court as one of twelve lawyer-members to a special Committee which spent two years reviewing Expert Discovery rules and recommending to the Court possible changes to those rules.

He has been hired as a mediator and as an arbitrator in various litigation-related matters. Pete has testified before subcommittees of the Missouri legislature on tort-related issues and has lectured at engineering and legal seminars on products liability, trial preparation, and civil procedure.

Pete is also experienced in assisting organizations to reduce liability exposure by providing legal advice and reviewing procedures, warning language, and policies.

Memberships & Activities

• Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis
• Missouri Bar
• Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers
• Product Liability Advisory Council, Emeritus Member
• The Lawyers Association of St. Louis

Publications

• Co-Author, Chapter 2: Evaluation and Settlement of Personal Injury Claims, Missouri Settling Cases (MoBar Deskbook 2014).
• Co-Author, Chapter 2: Evaluation and Settlement of Personal Injury Claims, Missouri Litigation Settlements (MoBar Deskbook 2001, 2009).
• Contributing Author, Exclusion of Improper Expert Testimony, Section on Law in the 8th Circuit (Product Liability Advisory Council Case Law Supplement 1999).
• Author, Chapter 43(e) Missouri Products Liability Handbook (MoBar 1991).

Awards & Recognition

• Martindale-Hubbell AV® Preeminent Peer Review Rated
• The Best Lawyers in America®, St. Louis Metropolitan Area
  • Personal Injury Litigation-Defendants, 2017-present
  • Product Liability Litigation-Defendants, 2018-present
• Marquis' Who's Who in America, 2021-2022

Certifications

• Mediator Certification, University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law, 1999.

News & Events

Twenty-One Baker Sterchi Lawyers Recognized by The Best Lawyers in America© (2022 Edition)

08.19.21 | Twenty-one Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice lawyers are recognized in 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America© across numerous practice areas.

Twenty Baker Sterchi Lawyers Recognized by The Best Lawyers in America 2021

08.20.20 | Twenty Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice lawyers are recognized in The Best Lawyers in America© 2021 across numerous practice areas.

Baker Sterchi Recognized in 2020 U.S. News Best Law Firms

11.01.19 | Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice has been recognized with national and metropolitan rankings in U.S. News & World Report Best Law Firms 2020. Rankings are based on a rigorous evaluation process that includes the collection of client and lawyer evaluations, and peer review from leading attorneys in their field. Receiving a tier designation reflects the high level of respect a firm has earned among other leading lawyers and clients in the same communities and the same practice areas for their abilities, professionalism and integrity.

The Best Lawyers in America (2020 Edition) Recognizes Fourteen Baker Sterchi Lawyers

08.20.19 | Fourteen Baker Sterchi lawyers have been recognized in the 2020 edition of The Best Lawyers in America© across numerous practice areas.

Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice Lawyers Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America© 2019

08.15.18 | Fourteen Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice lawyers have been recognized in the 2019 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® across numerous practice areas.

Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice Lawyers Recognized in 2018 Edition of Best Lawyers

08.16.17 | Seven Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice lawyers have been recognized in the 2018 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®...

Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice Attorneys Included in 2017 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America

08.15.16 | Six Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice lawyers are included in the 2017 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America...

Pete Hoffman Co-Authors Chapter on Evaluation and Settlement of Personal Injury Claims

07.10.14 | Peter Hoffman co-authored a chapter entitled "Evaluation and Settlement of Personal Injury Claims," in the 2014 Missouri Bar Deskbook Missouri Settling Cases, which is part of the MoBarCLE Deskbook series.

BSCR Recognized as one of the 2013 Top Ranked Law Firms in the United States

12.17.12 | BSCR has been recognized as one of the 2013 Top Ranked Law Firms in the United States for having at least one-third of all firm attorneys rated AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell. The Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Ratings™ are an evaluation of a lawyer's ethical standards and professional ability, generated from evaluations of lawyers by other members of the bar and the judiciary in the United States and Canada. . .

Hoffman to Serve as National Trial Competition Judge

02.08.11 | On February 17 and 18, Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice Member Pete Hoffman will serve as a Judge for the first two rounds of the Regional Qualifying Tournament of the ABA/American College of Trial Lawyers National Trial Competition being held in St. Louis at the downtown Civil Courts building.

• Crow v. Crawford & Co.

  259 S.W.3d 104 (Mo. App. E.D. 2008)
   
  

• Ware v. Whiting

  2007 WL 2409751 (E.D. Mo. 2007)
   
  

• Filla v. Norfolk Southern Ry. Co.

  336 F.3d 806 (8th Cir. Mo. 2003)
   
  

• Mothershead v. Greenbriar Country Club, Inc.

  994 S.W.2d 80 (Mo. App. E.D. 1999)
  

• Athmer v. C.E.I. Equipment Co. Inc.

  121 F.3d 294 (7th Cir. (Ill.) 1997)
   
  

• Brueggemann v. Elbert

  948 S.W.2d 212 (Mo. App. E.D. 1997)
   
  

• Bramon v. U-Haul

  945 S.W.2d 676 (Mo. App. E.D. 1997)
   
  

• Jones v. Sparkman

  922 S.W.2d 816 (Mo. App. E.D. 1996)
   
  

• State ex. rel. Malone v. Mummert

  889 S.W.2d 822 (Mo. 1994)
   
  

• Waggoner v. Mercedes Benz of North America, Inc.

  879 S.W.2d 692 (Mo. App. 1994)
   
  

• Holmes v. Arbeitman

  857 S.W.2d 442 (Mo. App. 1993)
   
  

• Royal Indemnity Co. v. Werner

  979 F.2d 1299 (8th Cir. (Mo.) 1992)
   
  

• GWT-PAT, Inc. v. Mehlville Fire Protection District

  801 S.W. 2d 798 (Mo. App. E.D. 1991)
   
  

• Hughes v. Balemaster, Inc.

  652 F. Supp. 1350 (E.D. Mo. 1987)
   
  

• Taylor v. General Motors Corp.

  715 S.W.2d 925 (Mo. 1986)
   
  

• Complaint of Valley Towing Service

  629 F. Supp. 139 (E.D. Mo. 1985)
   
  

• Koch v. Bangert Brothers Road Builders, Inc.

  697 S.W. 2d 315 (Mo. App. E.D. 1985)
  

• Federal Barge Lines, Inc. v. Granite City Steel, Div. of Nat. Steel Corp.

  608 F. Supp. 142 (E.D. Mo. 1985)
   
  

• Agri-Trans Corp. v. Peavey Co.

  742 F.2d 1137 (8th Cir. (Mo.) 1984)
   
  

• State ex rel. Dick Proctor Imports, Inc. v. Gaertner

  671 S.W.2d 273 (Mo. 1984)
   
  

• Complaint of Valley Towing Service

  581 F. Supp. 1287 (E.D. Mo. 1984)
   
  

• Ohio River Co. v. Great Lakes Carbon Corp.

  562 F. Supp. 61 (E.D. Mo. 1982)
   
  

• Soutiea v. American National Insurance Co.

  595 S.W.2d 467 (Mo. App. E.D. 1980)
   
  

• State ex rel. Maryland Heights Concrete Contractors, Inc. v. Ferris

  588 S.W.2d 489 (Mo. 1979)
   
  

• Universal Towing Co. v. Barrale

  595 F.2d 414 (8th Cir. (Mo.) 1979)
   
  

• Hurt v. General Motors Corp.

  553 F.2d 1181 (8th Cir. (Mo.) 1977)
   
  

Blog Posts

The Supreme Court's Hobby Lobby decision continues to spawn plenty of litigation

11.05.15 | In the case of Sharpe Holdings, Inc., et. al. v. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit upheld a preliminary injunction issued by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, which enjoined the government from...

Hobby Lobby Decision continues to resonate

04.21.15 | On March 9, the U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari at the request of the University of Notre Dame on another matter arising from the Affordable Care Act, and remanded the case to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, with instructions to reconsider its ruling in light of the Supreme Court's 2014 decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby.

Missouri Court of Appeals Weighs in on the Stringent Requirements of the Pre-Judgment Interest Statute, and Whether Partial Payment of a Judgment Waives the Right of Appeal

01.27.15 | Strict compliance with the pre-judgment interest statute is still required; partial payment of a judgment to avoid post-judgment interest is considered involuntary and does not waive the right of appeal

The Missouri Supreme Court upholds another pre-activity waiver, but factually-supported allegations of recklessness might defeat such waivers in other cases.

12.29.14 | The Missouri Supreme Court addresses pre-activity waivers and summary judgment procedure.

The Hobby Lobby decision is already being felt in other cases

07.09.14 | The U.S. Supreme Court handed down its Hobby Lobby decision on June 30 and it is already having a ripple effect. On July 3rd, the Court issued an injunction on a case pending in the lower Federal Courts simplifying the paperwork needed to claim a religious exemption under the Hobby Lobby decision. The female members of the Court issued a dissent to the order.

The Supreme Court's Hobby Lobby decision - What it does and does not do

07.01.14 | Closely-held or family owned companies whose owners have strong religious beliefs may be able to exclude certain contraception-related benefits from their employee health benefit programs. The federal government has available "less restrictive" means of assuring that employees get access to such care at no additional cost, than an outright mandate that all employers provide those benefits.

Missouri Now Authorizes Discretionary Federal-Type Expert Witness Discovery

11.22.13 | Especially in complex cases, defense counsel should consider requesting earlier and more extensive expert disclosures, under recent amendments to Rule 62.01, on Case Management conferences.