Josef Nilhas is an associate with The Cook Group’s St. Louis, Missouri office. His practice focuses primarily on product liability and toxic tort litigation by defending claims on behalf of manufacturers, suppliers, and contractors. He works on all aspects of litigation from inception through trial, including discovery, depositions, and motion practice.

Josef earned his Juris Doctor degree from Saint Louis University School of Law, graduating in December of 2021 with cum laude honors. He attended law school as a Part-Time Evening student, working full-time at Boeing as a Procurement Agent during the day and attending his law classes at night. Josef was awarded the SLU Law 1843 Scholarship, a full tuition scholarship awarded to select students for their outstanding academic achievement. While at SLU, he joined the SLU Law Journal as a Notes and Comment Editor for Volume 65. Josef was one of only a few students to have his Student Note selected for publication in Volume 66 (2022). He also was awarded three SLU Law Academic Excellence Awards, for earning the top grade in his class (Civil Procedure, Contracts, and Legal Profession).

Before law school, Josef attended the University of Missouri-Columbia, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing. While at Mizzou, he made the Dean’s list every semester and was also one of only four incoming freshman to be named a Sam Walton Scholar.

Josef and his wife Rachael, a high school math teacher, are lifelong residents of Fenton, Missouri. In their free time, they enjoy attending sporting events, traveling, and hanging out with their two dogs (Memphis and Lima Bean).