Elizabeth R. Martin

Jeff Burns is one of the preeminent truck crash attorneys in the country. He has consulted on hundreds of cases and won his clients millions of dollars in settlements. Over the span of his career he has not only tirelessly fought for justice for his clients, but more importantly, has worked on a national level to reform and change the trucking industry to be safer. He has spent almost as much time in Washington D.C. as Kansas City educating the public and working for rule changes, stronger la...

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...

Samuel K. Cullan, M.D., J.D. is a medical doctor, engineer, and Board-Certified Trial Lawyer. Dr. Sam Cullan is well known as an advocate for catastrophic injury victims of trucking accidents and medical malpractice, handling difficult cases such as birth injuries and brain and spinal cord injuries in Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Arizona. He graduated with honors from the United States Merchant Marine Academy with a degree in Marine Engineering and went on to be elected to the Nebraska Stat...

James C. Sullivan is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation, Employment Law - Management and Litigation - Labor and Employment. James 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 James C. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Brian Finucane is a partner in the firm's Kansas City office. He has practiced exclusively in the field of labor and employment law since 1977. Brian provides a broad range of legal services in employment law, from daily client consultation designed to avoid legal problems to defending clients in complex class action litigation. He also represents clients in traditional labor law matters, negotiating contracts and handling National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) matters, union contract arbitrat...

Shelley I. Ericsson is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employment Law - Management and Litigation - Labor and Employment. Shelley I., who practices law in Kansas City, Missouri, has been recognized since 2019. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Shelley I. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

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. Ast is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation. Scott R., 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 Scott R. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Randy Coffey is a partner in the Kansas City office. He devotes his practice to the representation of management in labor and employment matters, defending employers in state and federal courts throughout the United States. Randy has litigated numerous multi-plaintiff and class-action cases, as well as cases brought by individual plaintiffs. He also provides representation before state and federal administrative agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the National Lab...

Matthew E. Birch is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs, Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs and Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs. Matthew E., 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 Matthew E. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.