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Whether by obtaining an acquittal of his white-collar client at the conclusion of the prosecutor's opening statement, or proving that the drug dog's sensitive nose has been kicked by a horse, during the past 45 years, Dan Monnat has been recognized as a creative trial and appellate criminal defense lawyer. He co-founded Monnat & Spurrier, Chartered, a criminal defense trial and appellate firm in Wichita, Kansas, in 1985.

A graduate of the Creighton University School of Law and Gerry Spence's Trial Lawyer's College, Mr. Monnat is a two-term past President of the Kansas Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. He served eight years on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, the American Board of Criminal Lawyers, the Litigation Counsel of America, the American Bar Foundation and the Kansas Bar Foundation.

In 2007, then-Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius appointed Mr. Monnat to the Kansas Sentencing Commission, acknowledging his lifelong career as a trial and appellate litigator and legal scholar. Mr. Monnat has been listed as one of the “Top 100" lawyers in the Missouri & Kansas edition of Super Lawyers for nearly 20 years and named to Super Lawyers' “Top 10” list in Missouri & Kansas from 2018 - 2022. He has been listed in Best Lawyers in America® for 36 consecutive years.

Mr. Monnat is frequently published and lectures throughout the United States on a variety of criminal defense topics. He is licensed to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, and the Federal and State Courts in Kansas.

Contact & Links
Location
  • 200 West Douglas Avenue, Suite 830
    Olive W. Garvey Building
    Wichita, KS 67202
Education
  • Creighton University, J.D.
Bar Admissions
  • Kansas, Kansas
Affiliations
  • American Bar Foundation - Fellow
  • Kansas Bar Foundation - Fellow
  • American Board of Criminal Lawyers - Fellow
  • International Academy of Trial Lawyers - Fellow
  • National Association of Criminal Defense Laywers - Past Board Member
  • American College of Trial Lawyers - Fellow
  • Litigation Counsel of America - Fellow
  • Kansas Association of Trial Lawyers - Board of Governors, Board of Editors, and Executive Committee Criminal Law Chair
  • Kansas Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers - Past President
  • Kansas Sentencing Commission - Past Member
Court Admissions
  • District Courts of Kansas

Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2014 - Criminal Defense: General Practice Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2012 - Criminal Defense: White-Collar
Named "Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers® for:
  • Criminal Defense: General Practice, Wichita (2014)
  • Criminal Defense: White-Collar, Wichita (2012)
Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2024 for work in:
  • Appellate Practice
  • Bet-the-Company Litigation
  • Criminal Defense: General Practice
  • Criminal Defense: White-Collar
Special Focus:
  • Appellate
  • Civil and Criminal
  • Criminal Defense
  • DNA
  • Drug Offenses
  • Federal
  • Fraud
  • Government Investigations
  • Juvenile Criminal Defense
  • Litigation
  • Sex Abuse
  • State
  • Violent and Nonviolent Crimes
Awards:
  • Top 10 of Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers - 2018 - 2022
  • Top 100 of Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers 2005 - 2014, 2016 - 2022
  • Best Lawyers in America 1989 - 2023

  • Best Lawyers Wichita Lawyer of the Year, Criminal Defense: General Practice, 2014
  • Best Lawyers Wichita Lawyer of the Year, Criminal Defense: White Collar, 2012
  • Chambers USA Ranked Lawyer in Litigation: White-Collar Crime and Government Investigations - 2011 - 2023
  • Who's Who Legal: Government Investigations, 2017-present
  • America's Top 100 Attorneys Lifetime Achievement, 2017
  • National Directory of Criminal Defense Lawyers Editions 1 - 3
  • Martindale-Hubble AV Rating
  • Fellow - Litigation Counsel of America
  • Fellow - Kansas Bar Foundation
  • Fellow - International Academy of Trial Lawyers
  • Fellow - American College of Trial Lawyers
  • Fellow - American Board of Criminal Lawyers
  • American Trial Lawyers Association Top 100 Trial Lawyers
  • Who's Who Legal: Business Crime Defense, 2014-present
  • Panelist - Merit Committee to select Magistrate for United States District Court for the District of Kansas

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The Prosecutor's Toxic Objection: "Defense Counsel Knows That's Improper!"


“Objection! Defense counsel knows that’s improper!” In this November’s issue of the Journal of the Kansas Trial Lawyers Association, Dan Monnat and Gina Wehby expose how this objection from a prosecutor threatens the accused’s right to a fair criminal jury trial and the foundations of the defense attorney’s role in the criminal justice system.

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Daniel E.

Monnat

Update on Kansas Self-Defense: Castle Doctrine, Stand Your Ground, and Immunity


Update on Kansas Self-Defense: Castle Doctrine, Stand Your Ground, and Immunity

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Daniel E.

Monnat

Considering the Golden Rule of Defense-Initiated Victim Outreach (DIVO) for Non-Capital Criminal Defense


Considering the Golden Rule of Defense-Initiated Victim Outreach (DIVO) for Non-Capital Criminal Defense

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Daniel E.

Monnat

Can I Get a Witness?


Can I Get a Witness?

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Daniel E.

Monnat

Technology for Litigators: Pointing and Clicking Our Way Through Trial


Technology for Litigators: Pointing and Clicking Our Way Through Trial

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Daniel E.

Monnat

Pandemic: Protecting the Accused's Right to In-Person Pre-Trial Hearings


Pandemic: Protecting the Accused's Right to In-Person Pre-Trial Hearings

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Daniel E.

Monnat

Tool Kit: Document & Data Subpoenas for Defending Kansas Criminal Cases


Tool Kit: Document & Data Subpoenas for Defending Kansas Criminal Cases

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Daniel E.

Monnat

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