Ben Schmickle
Member
Ben has been successfully litigating cases on behalf of individuals, small businesses and multi–national companies for over a decade. He decides what cases to take and directs the approach for each. He is very involved in virtually every case, preparing our clients, directing the discovery for defendants, arguing motions and negotiating the best settlements.
Immediately prior to forming SWMW Law, Ben was one of the original attorneys and trial team leaders at a nationally recognized plaintiffs’ asbestos litigation firm in Madison County, IL, where he worked on cases for hundreds of clients resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in recovery.
Over the course his legal career, Ben has worked in a variety of legal service settings ranging from a solo practitioner’s office, government offices, as well as large and small firms. He has litigated cases in a number of different trial courts and appellate courts across the country.
Ben is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association and the Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys, among many other organizations. He has been a frequent speaker at various CLE programs and seminars.
After growing up in Missouri and Kansas, Ben attended the University of Missouri – Columbia for his undergraduate studies in philosophy. While attending Southern Illinois University School of Law to receive his law degree, Ben served as an articles editor for the SIU Law Journal and was a member of the ATLA regional trial advocacy team. He graduated law school with honors, finishing in the top ten percent of his class.
Ben lives in St. Louis with his wife, Melanie, who is also a SWMW attorney, and their two children. Ben and his family enjoy spending their summers cheering for the St. Louis Cardinals.
Licenses
Missouri
Illinois
Memberships
The American Association for Justice
Madison County Bar Association
Illinois Bar Association
Missouri Bar Association
Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis
Missouri Association of Trial Lawyers
Illinois Trial Lawyers Association
Million Dollar Advocates Forum
Education
J.D. with Honors
Southern Illinois University School of Law – Graduate School
1999
B.A.
University of Missouri – Undergraduate School
Publications
“The Bare Metal Defense: Almost a Decade of Claims"
Perrin Cutting Edge in
Asbestos Litigation
Conference
2012
“A Brief Foray into Forum Non Conveniens in Missouri”
Missouri Bar, Solo and Small
Firm Conference
2012
“Discovery Motions and Practice"
Illinois State Bar Association,
Pre–Trial Motion Practices
2012
“Update on Law in Illinois on Proving Causation and Damages"
Asbestos: Current Issues and Effective Litigation Tactics
2012
“Daimler: Where Do We Belong and Where Are We Going?”
Presenter, Perrin Cutting Edge in Asbestos Litigation Conference
2016
