Denise K. Drake

Jim Holland is managing partner of the firm’s Kansas City office. He works as a business partner with his clients and focuses his advice on helping them navigate employment issues with as little disruption to their operations as possible. Jim counsels employers about how to avoid workplace issues before they become lawsuits. When lawsuits cannot be avoided, however, Jim has litigated cases in federal and state courts across the country. Jim works with his clients to obtain practical, bu...

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...

Thomas C. Jones is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Plaintiffs, Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs, Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs, Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs and Railroad Law. Thomas C., who practices law in Kansas City, Missouri, has been recognized since 2010. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Thomas C. is held by other top la...

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.

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...

Tom Hershewe is one of the Midwest’s leading bad faith insurance litigators. Tom represents insureds who have had their insurance companies abandoned them after another person sued them. Even in cases where the insurance company defends its insured, Tom often serves as the insured’s personal counsel to ensure that the insurance company takes the correct steps to resolve the case. During his time at Dollar, Burns, Becker & Hershewe, Tom has recovered more than $130 million agai...

Melody Rayl is a partner in the Kansas City office. Melody counsels and advocates for private and public-sector employers in all aspects of employment litigation and traditional labor law. Melody regularly advises and counsels her clients through difficult situations with an eye to preventing litigation before it occurs and provides training to supervisory and management level personnel on a variety of employment related topics. When litigation does occur, Melody works with employers in defen...

Jonathan Sternberg is an appellate lawyer based in Kansas City and St. Louis, Missouri, representing businesses and individuals in civil and criminal appeals and related matters before state and federal courts nationwide. His practice is focused exclusively on appellate litigation, including briefing and arguing appeals and related actions and advising trial lawyers on procedural and strategic issues at all stages of a case. Since opening his practice upon his admission to the bar in 2007, Jo...

Andrew Schermerhorn is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Appellate Practice. Andrew, who practices law in Kansas City, Missouri, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Andrew is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

James D. Griffin is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation and Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants. James D., who practices law in Kansas City, Missouri, has been recognized since 1997. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which James D. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.