Charles and Shelly have always had a fondness for mid-Missouri.
Dynamic duo Charlie Sticklen and Shelly Dreyer came together and established Sticklen and Dreyer law firm in Joplin in the summer of 2014. When it came time to open a second office for Sticklen and Dreyer in February 2018, the location was an easy choice: Columbia.
For Charlie, there has always been a sense of nostalgia in opening the second office in Columbia. He has been a Mizzou fan since his youth. He was born in St. Louis and grew up in South Florida, but this didn’t stop his “school spirit.” As a child, everything he owned was Mizzou black and gold. Charlie has always had a great love for Columbia and all it offers, including the University of Missouri, where he graduated from law school in 1991. “In my opinion, Columbia, Missouri is one of the best cities in the country,” Charlie says.
Shelly’s penchant for Columbia is similar to Charlie’s. She was born in Springfield, Missouri and earned her law degree from the School of Law at the University of Missouri in 1997. Shelly fell in love with Columbia while studying law. After graduation, she moved away but over the past 20 years she has enjoyed coming back to Columbia for football and basketball games. Shelly wanted to be back in Columbia more often. When the law firm was ready to open a second office, it was only natural Columbia would be its home.
Since their time as law students at MU, Shelly and Charlie have remained passionate about serving the local community in Columbia. Charlie believes Columbia is the right place for the practice to avail its services to an underserved community because the law firm represents individuals who face uphill battles against corporations and insurance companies. “If I can help the people of mid-Missouri in the same fashion that we have served the people of Southwest Missouri over the past twenty-five years, then I’m going to do just that,” he says.
The team agrees that they enjoy working in Columbia as much as visiting. “Columbia is an interesting town because it has residents of many backgrounds, making practicing law here exciting and rewarding,” Shelly says.
For Charlie, everything Columbia offers, from its eclectic restaurant scene to its many parks and trails to Tiger athletics, make it a great place to work and play. He is especially fond of downtown Columbia with its vibrant atmosphere and growing and burgeoning neighborhoods that extend well beyond the center of town. “The people of Columbia are friendly and welcoming,” he says. “We have enjoyed the longtime friendships as well as the new friends we have recently made.”
Shelly and Charlie regularly give back to Columbia. During free time, Shelly is involved with MU alumni association activities. Not only does Charlie guest lecture at the undergraduate level at MU, but he also guest lectures for the University of Missouri School of Law.