Michael Gans Honored as ICON by Missouri Lawyers Media

Michael Gans, Of Counsel at Dowd Bennett, was honored as a Missouri Lawyers Media ICON along with 21 other lawyers and judges at the Missouri Athletic Club today. The award is given to distinguished men and women over age 60 who have had “exemplary careers and longstanding commitment to the Missouri legal community.”

Michael’s ICON bona fides are due to his career accomplishments when he was Clerk of the Court for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. He served the court for more than 41 years, 33 of them as Clerk of the Court (1983-2024). In that role Michael was responsible for the management of 3,500 new appeals each year where he made legal decisions on many procedural matters. Additionally, he had regular administrative duties including overseeing a staff of 40 and an annual budget of $4 million.
Michael also helped oversee the design and construction of the Eagleton Courthouse, the largest single courthouse in the United States. In another area that longtime clerks of the court refer to as a “seismic shift,”, Michael helped create and implement automated case management systems for the federal appellate courts.

Since joining Dowd Bennett in 2024, Michael draws on his decades of experience to mentor young lawyers and assist in management of the firm.