David D. Ferguson

Michael Matula is a shareholder in the firm’s Kansas City office. Mike concentrates his practice in the areas of employment litigation and counseling. He has represented employers in a wide variety of employment matters including discrimination, retaliation, harassment and wrongful discharge cases, non-competition/trade secrets disputes, and EEOC administrative proceedings. Mike, who has been given an AV Martindale-Hubbell rating, also has significant experience in commercial, tort, and...

Scott R. Manuel brings over 30 years of experience practicing in the areas of fiduciary litigation, estate planning, probate, trust and guardianship law to Kembell Woods & Martinsen LLP. Prior to joining KWM, Scott served as the Probate Commissioner for the Circuit Court of Jackson County, Missouri starting in November 2014 following his initial appointment as the court’s Deputy Probate Commissioner in January 2014. Prior to his appointment to the bench, Scott was a shareholder with...

Jesse J. Camacho is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Intellectual Property and Patent Law. Jesse J., who practices law in Kansas City, Missouri, has been recognized since 2023. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Jesse J. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Katrina Smeltzer is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation, Insurance Law and Litigation - Insurance. Katrina, who practices law in Kansas City, Missouri, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Katrina is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Scott E. Nutter is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs and Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs. Scott E., who practices law in Kansas City, Missouri, has been recognized since 2013. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Scott E. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Curtis R. Summers is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Labor and Employment. Curtis R., who practices law in Kansas City, Missouri, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Curtis R. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Donald S. Prophete is a trial lawyer who excels at representing large clients in complex and multi-plaintiff race employment discrimination cases. He has handled many high-profile and high-damage cases in the sports, military contractor and retail industries. Don has served as lead trial counsel in all types of employment disputes in federal and state courts in New Hampshire, Kansas, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Michigan, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, including post-decertification wage and h...

Brent Coverdale is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employment Law - Management. Brent, who practices law in Kansas City, Missouri, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Brent is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

A native of St. Louis, Bill received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Missouri. He has fought hard for personal injury victims for 33 years, spending many sleepless nights worried about his clients and thinking of new and creative ways to litigate their cases. Bill is passionate about helping his clients receive the best medical care and the best results on their cases, whether by trial or settlement. In fact, he has successfully collected well over $250 Million for hi...

Patrick (“Pat”) Hulla co-leads the firm’s Class Action Defense Group. Since 1993, Pat has represented employers who have been sued by current and former employees. He has led the defense in dozens of class and collective actions. Examples of his recent success include: Denial of class certification in consumer race discrimination action; Denial of national conditional certification of age discrimination claims under the ADEA; Denial of class action certification of off-the-c...