Since beginning his practice nearly thirty years ago, Mr. Lawder has devoted a large part of his practice to motor carrier defense throughout the United States with a particular emphasis on allegations directed specifically against the trucking company as well as its driver.

He has tried numerous truck cases to verdict in the Federal and State Courts in both Eastern Missouri and Southern Illinois. As such, he is very familiar with the specifics of many different court systems and has a keen awareness of the juries in many locations. He has tried over 50 cases to verdict.

He has also represented over 100 different trucking companies (Both TL and LTL) in accident litigation and understands the differences and challenges in defending a trucking company and driver before a potentially hostile jury. He is a charter member of the Trucking Industry Defense Association (TIDA) and chaired that group's second annual convention in 1994. He regularly attends continuing legal education in this field presented by the ABA, DRI and the American Trucking Association.

He has presented trucking topics at TIDA's convention and has presented many in house seminars to trucking companies and trucking insurers. Mr. Lawder has also successfully defended trucking companies in various types of cargo claim litigation. He has also developed a rapid response team to immediately evaluate your trucking company's exposure in a significant accident. For more details please check the TIDA website.

Mr. Lawder also maintains a general litigation practice that includes prosecution and defense of foreclosure matter, lender liability claims, title insurance matters, loan collections, lien priority issues, and consumer bankruptcy.