Stephanie Perry

Brief Bio

Stephanie’s practice focuses on business litigation and counseling, primarily in the areas of employment and oil and gas law, as well as an outsourced general counsel role. She advises employers in a variety of human resource matters, including policy drafting, employee onboarding and training, and complaint investigations, while also defending employers before state administrative agencies and in state and federal courts. Having spent half her career in West Texas, Stephanie also represents companies in oil and gas disputes and in actions concerning mineral and royalty ownership.

The Rest of the Story

Stephanie was born in Hays, Kansas (joining her older sister), briefly lived in Wayne, Nebraska (gaining a younger brother), and was raised in Hutchinson, Kansas. Her father was a Lutheran minister, and her mother is a retired legal assistant to the Chief Judge of Reno County, Kansas. Growing up in a church and a courthouse, with a love of reading, writing, and academics, set the course for Stephanie’s passion for service and career as a litigator. The middle child spot also makes her a natural mediator!

Stephanie graduated from Hutchinson High School and from Kansas State University with a degree in Sociology and a minor in French. She is a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. She went on to attend the University of Kansas School of Law, where she participated in student governance, the Legal Aid Clinic, and completed over 100 hours in crisis training to volunteer with the local suicide and rape crisis center. After earning her Juris Doctorate in 2002, Stephanie worked for the Missouri Attorney General’s Office. She served as General Counsel to various state professional licensing boards and prosecuted license revocations. Her claim to fame is having drafted the statutes and regulations that now govern tattoo artists, body piercers and branders in Missouri!

Stephanie moved to Kansas City in 2004, beginning her employment law practice at a boutique law firm and then at Polsinelli PC (at the time, Polsinelli Shalton Flanigan Suelthaus). She represented large corporate employers in discrimination lawsuits throughout federal District and Appellate courts and in administrative actions before state human rights agencies and the EEOC. During the height of the mortgage crisis, Stephanie expanded her practice to global banking clients in foreclosure and Uniform Commercial Code litigation. She served on the Board of Directors for two children’s advocacy and crisis centers, the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, and the Chancellor’s Advisory Board to the Women’s Center at the University of Missouri Kansas City.

Stephanie loves to travel and, for a decade after law school when all her friends had scattered, they would reconvene every year in St. Louis for Mardi Gras (the largest celebration second only to New Orleans). She would never have guessed she would meet her now-husband there in 2013, and that those same friends, plus many other loved-ones, would travel to Mexico to be at her wedding two years later.

When they met, Stephanie’s husband, Matt, lived in Midland, Texas, and worked for a process control company. After wooing her with fantastic places like Fredericksburg, Boerne, and Gruene, and introducing her to wonderful west Texans, she moved to Midland/Odessa in 2014. She joined Stubbeman, McRae, Sealy, Laughin & Browder, Inc. – the area’s preeminent firm since 1936 – where she soon became a partner and the firm’s first female Managing Partner and President. She continued her employment law practice and handled a variety of oil and gas matters, including title claims, lease disputes, royalty ownership and payment matters, receiverships, and fiduciary litigation. She volunteered for many years on the Board of Directors for the Midland Rape Crisis and Children’s Advocacy Center, and as its President from 2019-2021. She remains a proud member of the Midland County Bar Association and the Junior League of Midland.

In addition to her law practice, Stephanie and Matt own and operate multiple franchised businesses in Kansas City. After living for 12 years between states, they decided it was time to permanently return to Missouri. Grable Martin’s streamlined model and focus on excellent and efficient client experiences was the perfect fit for Stephanie, allowing her to maintain her client relationships and practice in Texas while supporting her and Matt’s businesses and being closer to family.  You’ll most often find Stephanie living her dream as an amateur chef, hosting house parties around her beloved Chiefs, at a live music venue or camping with Ruby Sue (the RV) . . . and always with her 65-pound shadow, Moe, close behind.

Stephanie has spent over two decades advocating for business owners and employers. She is a lawyer but also an entrepreneur, and she knows first-hand what it takes to build and sustain an organization. She also knows West Texans – their resilience amidst the highs and lows of the oil industry, their dedication to the land and history, and their unwavering commitment to faith, family, and hard work. This experience makes Stephanie uniquely qualified to help companies navigate operational challenges and implement best practices, while also fighting it out in court if necessary. Stephanie frequently travels throughout Texas and looks forward to bringing her expertise and the resources of Grable Martin to her clients.