Mr. Lake is a St. Louis, Missouri native and third-generation lawyer. He earned his B.A. in English from Brigham Young University (BYU) in 1995 and his J.D. from Saint Louis University School of Law in 1998.
After his freshman year at BYU, Mr. Lake served a two-year mission for his church in Finland and then returned to complete his degree. During undergraduate school, Mr. Lake spent a summer in Washington, D.C., interning for the Federal Judicial Center. A good portion of his work there focused on identifying resources and preparing a guide to help court personnel recognize and correct discriminatory behavior in the courts.
While in law school, Mr. Lake was active in the student Employment Law Association and served as an officer of that organization. Mr. Lake was also a finalist in the school's Moot Court competition.
Mr. Lake is licensed to practice law in the state courts of Missouri and Illinois and in the Federal Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. He is a member of the Missouri Bar Association and the J. Reuben Clark Law Society (former chair of the St. Louis chapter).
Mr. Lake is a certified guardian ad litem and is appointed on cases involving child custody issues to investigate and make custody recommendations to the court. Mr. Lake also regularly volunteers time to assist the court and families on cases that are a part of St. Louis County's Domestic Violence docket. This occurs when one parent with minor children engages in domestic violence against the other parent, and the parent victim files for an order of protection with the court.
Over the years, Mr. Lake has spoken at various events for lawyers and the public on legal issues involving adoption, family law, estate planning, and identity theft prevention. In addition to his law practice, from 2005-2010, Mr. Lake taught courses in business law, employment law, and negotiations in the evening at the University of Phoenix – St. Louis Campus as an adjunct professor.
Mr. Lake has successfully briefed and argued multiple family law cases in the Missouri Court of Appeals. Mr. Lake is also periodically appointed as a special master to oversee specific aspects of complex litigation and make recommendations to the court.
Mr. Lake and his wife are the proud parents of three adopted children with special needs. This experience has led to Mr. Lake's great affinity for adoption law and compassion for families with special needs children. As such, Mr. Lake presently serves on the Board of Directors for the Judevine Center for Autism.
