Mary Adina Johnson

Adina Johnson heads up the firm’s motion and appellate practice in both Missouri and Illinois state and federal court. She also is a member of the firm’s legal malpractice defense, insurance coverage, and extra-contractual liability teams.

Adina spent ten years teaching junior high and high school students before attending St. Louis University School of Law where she graduated magna cum laude and was admitted to the Order of the Woolsack (top 10% of her graduating class). Thereafter, Adina served a clerkship with the staff attorneys’ office for the Circuit Court of the City of St. Louis, Missouri for two years. In her position with the Circuit Court, Adina reviewed and analyzed motions before the court that involved a wide variety of issues including venue, jurisdiction, forum non conveniens, and summary judgment. In drafting orders for the court, Adina had the unique opportunity to view the arguments from the other side of the bench.

At Wuestling & James, Adina has authored many successful motions for summary judgment and winning appellate briefs. In the case of Swope v. National American Insurance Company, U.S. District Court of Missouri, Eastern District, Adina drafted a successful summary judgment motion that analyzed choice of law and coverage issues, including the pollution exclusion of a general liability policy.

Adina is admitted to the state and federal courts of both Missouri and Illinois. She is also a member of the Missouri and Illinois state bar associations, the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, and the Women Lawyer’s Association. When not drafting motions, Adina serves on the Board of Trustees for the Village of MacKenzie to which she was elected two years ago. She is a volunteer attorney with Legal Advocates for Abused Women, and served as a volunteer attorney monitoring polling sites during the 2004 national election. She previously volunteered with the St. Louis City Mentoring Project. Along with other members of Wuestling & James, she enjoys participating in community activities such as Read Across America and Special Olympics.