Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner

Class Actions and Mass Torts

Partner - Litigation and Investigations

Jonathan is a class action defense attorney and commercial litigator who represents businesses in high-stakes lawsuits throughout the country. He is the co-leader of the firm’s Consumer Fraud Team. Jonathan has spent his career defending multi-state and nationwide putative class actions for clients in all sectors, including e-commerce, financial services, manufacturing, retail, and sports. Jonathan defends clients in some of the most visible litigation in the country. He previously represented all National Hockey League clubs in multidistrict litigation regarding the long-term effects of head injuries. He currently serves as National Coordinating Counsel for the NCAA’s portfolio of sports injury litigation.

As a commercial litigator, Jonathan represents both plaintiffs and defendants in complex business disputes. His clients span all industries and sizes, and include Fortune 500 companies, financial institutions, and closely-held businesses. Jonathan frequently defends directors and officers in shareholder disputes and advises clients’ executive teams on minimizing their litigation exposure in connection with M&A transactions, shareholder votes, corporate governance matters, and naming rights/sponsorship deals.

Jonathan has tried civil cases to jury verdict in both state and federal court, as well as bench trials and arbitrations. Jonathan also has a robust pro bono practice committed to wrongful convictions. In separate instances, Jonathan has exonerated three men wrongfully convicted of murder after spending decades in prison.  In 2021, Missouri Lawyers Weekly named Jonathan “Lawyer of the Year” for the exoneration of client Donald Nash of capital murder.  Most recently, the Circuit Attorney for the City of St. Louis appointed Jonathan as a special prosecutor to try the first prosecution-led wrongful conviction case in St. Louis history.  In 2023, the American Lawyer named Jonathan “Litigator of the Week” for that trial, which resulted in the exoneration of Lamar Johnson after 28 years in prison for first-degree murder.

In addition to his U.S. law degree, Jonathan holds French law degrees in law & economic globalization from Sorbonne Law School and economic law from Sciences Po Law School.

French