Rick Stewart, a former principal at Hesse Martone, has started his own law firm.

Rick Stewart has started his own law practice, The Stewart Law Firm, as of Jan. 1. He was most recently a principal with Hesse Martone in Springfield.

“I’m doing the same type of law as before, labor employment law,” Stewart said. “I have clients all over the state of Illinois.” His law office is now located in a different suite in the same building at 1224 Centre West Dr.

Like many people, Stewart said the pandemic caused him to reevaluate his employment. “Throughout the pandemic, I started thinking about what I wanted to do with my life,” he said. “I had more time to reflect and talk to my family about things.”

Stewart, who has been practicing law for 20 years, began his career working for AFSCME in Albany, New York, before moving to Springfield in 2006 to be closer to his wife’s family. He initially worked for the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council before joining Hesse Martone in 2012.