Barrett grew up on a family farm in Warren County, Missouri. In 2004, he graduated cum laude from the University of Missouri − Columbia School of Law, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Missouri Law Review, and received the Judge Shepard Barclay Prize for the graduating law student "who has attained the highest standing in scholarship and moral leadership." After law school, Barrett was a law clerk for the Honorable Duane Benton of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, and then for Judge Dean Whipple of the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri.

Before joining Stueve Siegel Hanson in 2009, Barrett practiced at Sonnenshein Nath & Rosenthal LLP in Kansas City. At Sonnenschein, Barrett concentrated his practice in business litigation, white collar criminal defense, and appellate practice. He was the second chair trial lawyer in a two-week federal mortgage fraud jury trial. Both of his clients were acquitted. He also represented a mentally retarded inmate on Alabama's death row in federal habeas corpus proceedings. After an extensive evidentiary hearing, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama vacated the inmate's death sentence because his execution would be unconstitutional cruel and unusual punishment, a ruling that was affirmed by the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

Barrett also has represented clients in a broad range of business litigation matters, including such areas as breach of contract, trade secret and non-competition litigation, class actions, insurance coverage, employment, intellectual property, and products liability litigation. Barrett's litigation experience covers federal and state courts, arbitration and mediation.

REPRESENTATIVE CURRENT CASES

Plubell, et al. v. Merck & Co., Inc. Stueve Siegel Hanson is class counsel in a Missouri statewide class action on behalf of all Missouri purchasers of Vioxx, the Cox-2 pain reliever that Merck pulled off the market in 2004. The certified class action under the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act is set to go to trial in 2011.

In re: Underfilled Propane Litigation. Barrett is a member of the team prosecuting multi-district litigation related to underfilled propane tanks pending in the Western District of Missouri. Plaintiffs generally allege that Defendants AmeriGas and Ferrellgas conspired to reduce the amount of propane sold in replacement barbeque-type propane cylinders but continued to sell the cylinders as "full." More than 15 cases were filed around the country and eventually consolidated by the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation. In 2010, the Court approved a class action settlement between Plaintiffs and AmeriGas, and appointed Stueve Siegel Hanson as settlement class counsel.

SM Aircraft Leasing, et al. v. Raburn, et al. Barrett represents dozens of plaintiffs who lost deposits they made for the purchase of jet airplanes from Eclipse Aviation Corporation. In their suit against former executives of the company, the plaintiffs seek damages for negligent misrepresentation and violations of the New Mexico Unfair Practices Act.

Bank Overdraft Fees Litigation. Barrett represents bank debit-card customers in their lawsuits against banks alleging unfair and deceptive assessment of overdraft fees. Stueve Siegel Hanson is prosecuting class action suits against Bank of Oklahoma, Commerce Bank, Intrust Bank and MidFirst Bank.