Stephen Mudge becomes Fellow of ACTL; Drake of Springfield also named to elite association

Attorneys Stephen C. Mudge of Edwardsville and David L. Drake of Springfield have become Fellows of the American College of Trial Lawyers, one of the premier legal associations in America.

The induction ceremony at which Mudge and Drake became Fellows took place during the recent 2012 Annual Meeting of the College in New York.

Founded in 1950, the College is composed of the best of the trial bar from the United States and Canada.  Fellowship in the College is extended by invitation only and only after careful investigation, to those experiences trial lawyers who have mastered the art of advocacy and whose professional careers have been marked by the highest standards of ethical conduct, professionalism, civility and collegiality. Lawyers must have a minimum of 15 years of trial experience before they can be considered.

Membership in the College cannot exceed one percent of the total lawyer population of any state or province.  There are currently approximately 5,797 members in the United States and Canada, including active Fellows, Emeritus Fellows, Judicial Fellows (those who ascended to the bench after their induction) and Honorary Fellows.

The College strives to improve and elevate the standards of trial practice, the administration of justice and the ethics of the trial profession.  Qualified lawyers are called to Fellowship in the College from all branches of trial practice. They are carefully selected from among those who customarily represent plaintiffs in civil cases and those who customarily represent defendants, those who prosecute accused of crime and those who defend them.  The College is thus able to speak with a balanced voice on important issues affecting the legal profession and the administration of justice.

Mudge is a principal in the firm of Reed, Armstrong, Mudge & Morrissey, PC and has been practicing law since 1977.  He is an alumnus of St. Louis University School of Law.

Drake is a principal in the firm of Drake, Narup & Mead, PC and has been practicing law since 1973.  He is an alumnus of Chicago-Kent College of Law.