Three new lawyers join plaintiffs' firm Motley Rice LLC: trial teams growing to meet client needs

Motley Rice announces the addition of three associate attorneys, James R. Brauchle, Alex R. Straus and Kathryn A. Waites. Having diverse educational and work backgrounds, each brings individual experience and resources to the firm's work on behalf of consumers, investors and victims of corporate negligence and wrongdoing.

Brauchle joins Motley Rice's aviation litigation team and represents family members of plane crash victims as well as survivors injured in aviation disasters, including those who filed suit involving the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the families of victims of the Hudson River mid-air collision that claimed nine lives on August 8, 2009.  He holds nearly a decade of courtroom experience and has handled all phases of civil litigation, domestic litigation and criminal defense, from pre-trial preparations through post-trial motions and appeals. As a member of the United States Air Force from 1991-2001 as a C-141 Special Operations navigator, flight instructor and examiner, Brauchle also brings years of flying experience, leadership skills and aviation industry knowledge. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from LeMoyne College-Syracuse and a Juris Doctor from Rutgers University School of Law.

Straus works on complex litigation with Motley Rice's asbestos team, representing individuals and family members suffering from mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases caused by occupational, environmental or household exposure to asbestos. Prior to joining the firm, he served as an associate attorney for a New York-based litigation firm handling construction, real estate, estate planning and family law cases. Straus' experience includes working with construction industry employers, employer associations and ERISA funds in negotiating and drafting contracts, policies and procedures as well as resolving and litigating disputes before state and federal courts. An American Arbitration Association (AAA) certified mediator, he has worked as a family and divorce law mediator. He also previously served as a senior legal editor for New York-based Dennis Publishing and as a law clerk for both The New England Patriots and Motley Rice. Straus is the recipient of the 2009 Kathleen Brit Memorial Prize for Alternative Dispute Resolution and the New York Press Association's 1999 Best Sports Feature award. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rollins College and a Juris Doctor from Roger Williams University School of Law.

Waites supports Motley Rice's Securities and Consumer Fraud group, analyzing new cases and representing public pension funds, unions and institutional investors in securities fraud class actions and shareholder derivative suits. She brings a range of experience that includes clerkships for both South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice and the Honorable Catharine R. Aron (formerly Catharine R. Carruthers) of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of North Carolina. Prior to joining Motley Rice, she served as a summer associate for Motley Rice. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Washington and Lee University and a Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law.

"We are delighted that each of these attorneys chose to join Motley Rice, especially at a time when attention towards aviation safety, workers' rights and securities fraud have become such national concerns," said Motley Rice attorney and Hiring Committee Chair Fred Baker. "Their backgrounds make them significant additions to the firm and speak to the quality of resources that we are able to provide to our clients.