Gail Appleson Wins Simon Rockower Journalism Award: Article Inspired by Partner Jennifer Schwesig

Gail Appleson, Armstrong Teasdale’s Communications Editor, has won a Simon Rockower Award for Excellence in Jewish Journalism for an essay published in the St. Louis Jewish Light. The article was inspired by Jennifer Schwesig, head of the firm’s International practice group. The Rockower awards, given annually by the American Jewish Press Association, are considered top honors for writing published in the Jewish media. 

Appleson’s work entitled “During Hanukkah, a light in the darkness,” published in December 2011, won second place in the personal essay category for newspapers with a circulation under 14,999. The article described how Schwesig’s acts of kindness and her insights about Hanukkah rekindled the spirit of the holiday for the author.

In addition to her role as editor at Armstrong Teasdale, Appleson serves on the firm's diversity and hiring committees. An experienced national legal journalist, Appleson is a volunteer web editor for the American Bar Association’s Litigation Section’s First Amendment and Media Litigation committee. She was recently recognized as an Outstanding Subcommittee Chair for the 2011-2012 Bar year by the section.

Previously serving as the Reuters (now Thomson Reuters) national legal correspondent in New York City, Appleson had also worked as a journalist for the National Law Journal and American Bar Association Journal. Most recently, she was a reporter at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and a recipient of the Missouri Bar’s Excellence in Legal Journalism award. She received her B.A. with honors from Indiana University.

The American Jewish Press Association's membership consists of about 250 newspapers, magazines, individual journalists and affiliated organizations throughout the United States and Canada. The combined readership of AJPA member publications is more than 2.5 million.