RAYMOND A. BRUNTRAGER

In 1954, when Raymond A. Bruntrager founded the firm that would eventually be known as Bruntrager & Billings P.C., he started with a straightforward philosophy: Charge a fair fee, treat clients with respect and perform the legal work that was promised.

More than a half-century later, that philosophy is the foundation for a law firm that has grown to include Bruntrager’s children, his children’s spouses and his grandchildren.

After serving his country as an Air Force pilot during World War II, Raymond Bruntrager attended the Saint Louis University School of Law. After his graduation, in 1950, he joined the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office, the chief prosecutor of state-level crimes in the city of St. Louis. In just two years, Bruntrager worked his way up to first assistant circuit attorney.

While in the circuit attorney’s office, Bruntrager prosecuted and achieved convictions of the Chicago robbers who in 1953 attempted to hold up the Southwest Bank at the corner of South Kingshighway and Southwest Avenue, a notorious crime that was the subject of the 1959 film "The Great St. Louis Bank Robbery". By the time he left the circuit attorney’s office to start his own law firm, Bruntrager had tried more than 50 felony cases.

When Bruntrager first opened his firm, he was known primarily as a criminal defense attorney. Skilled in the courtroom, he won an acquittal for physician under a multicount federal indictment for selling prescriptions—an extremely rare feat. Bruntrager further solidified his reputation as an experienced litigator by winning a not-guilty verdict in a federal bank robbery case.

His practice soon evolved to include personal injury litigation, including automobile accidents, general negligence cases, wrongful death matters and breach of warranty claims. Later still, he would serve as a municipal judge.

In 1974, Bruntrager’s son, Raymond A. Bruntrager Jr., joined his father’s practice, and the firm’s name was changed to Bruntrager & Bruntrager. The untimely death of the younger Bruntrager, in 1979, brought about additional changes to the firm. Bruntrager’s son-in-law Charles H. Billings joined the practice, and the firm’s name was changed to Bruntrager & Billings.

After almost 60 years, during which he has tried approximately 700 criminal and civil cases, Bruntrager is still licensed in Missouri and still practicing in the firm he founded. He continues to provide advice and insight to his colleagues, among them members of three generations of his family.

Bruntrager is proud that word of mouth has been the firm’s primary means of attracting new clients—and proud that Bruntrager & Billings has been able to help generations of St. Louis families in their times of need.