ALTON, Ill. – Simmons Hanly Conroy, one of the nation’s largest mass torts firms and a national leader in the legal representation of mesothelioma patients and their families, is pleased to announce that firm partner Jason “Jay” Barnes has been honored as an “Influential Lawyer” by the 2024 Missouri Lawyers Awards.
Presented by Missouri Lawyers Media, which provides legal news coverage and events honoring top legal professionals in Missouri, the Missouri Lawyers Awards recognize lawyers who made an impact in the previous year. Honorees include the winners of the top verdicts, influential appellate advocates and champions, law firm leaders and the Lawyer of the Year. The Influential Lawyer award honors lawyers in the state who have made substantial contributions to the legal community.
“Jay is a very worthy recipient of Missouri Lawyers Awards’ Influential Lawyers recognition,” said Laurence V. Nassif, managing shareholder of Simmons Hanly Conroy. “We are very proud of Jay for his accomplishments and leadership, particularly in his work helping clients fight back against the unauthorized surveillance and monetization of consumer data.”
Barnes is a member of Simmons Hanly Conroy’s Complex Litigation Department, focusing his practice on consumer class action lawsuits. He is a leading legal advocate in the fight against the unauthorized surveillance and monetization of consumer data.
Over the past decade, he has successfully represented everyday citizens against tech companies, as well as hospitals and healthcare entities, in state and federal courts, propelling internet privacy issues to the forefront and facilitating a broader understanding by courts and judges regarding the individual and societal harms, if ignored. His cases have reshaped the data privacy law landscape, and they often are pivotal and widely cited in legal dialogues.
Previously, Barnes served eight years as a state representative in the Missouri General Assembly. As a state representative, he served as chairman of the House Committee on Government Oversight and Accountability and as chairman of the Special Investigative Committee on Oversight formed in 2018 to investigate the wrongdoings of former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens.
Barnes earned his J.D. from the University of Missouri School of Law and his Bachelor of Science from the University of Missouri.
