Heather Morris

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...

John handles a wide variety of legal issues ranging from disputes between business owners to personal injury lawsuits to non-compete allegations to defective construction claims to interpreting insurance policies. It is his broad practice that enables him to see all sides of a client’s problems and help develop effective solutions. He has litigated a number of high-exposure wrongful death and personal injury claims from workplace accidents, product defects, trucking accidents, and insuf...

J.J. Burns has a national reputation as a go-to-expert on truck crash litigation. Through both jury verdicts and negotiated settlements, he helps truck crash victims and their families hold truck drivers, motor carries and freight brokers accountable for their negligence. Additionally, he works continuously to introduce safer practices and more demanding safety rules in numerous states and across the country. He is currently the Editor of the Journal of Trucking Litigation, and has also serve...

It’s no surprise Tim Dollar is considered one of the top trial lawyers in America. He has tried more than 286 jury trials, has won hundreds of millions of dollars for his clients and orchestrated major company and legislative policy changes that make our world safer. Highlights of Tim’s civil practice include Bresette v. Brassfield and Gorre, et. al, a nationally publicized story about the devasting collapse of a flight display board at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airpo...

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...

William S. Robbins, Jr. is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area of Labor Law - Management. William S. practices law in Kansas City, Missouri Best Lawyers has recognized William S. Robbins, Jr. since 2020. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which William S. Robbins, Jr. is held by other lawyers.

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...

John E. Franke is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area of Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants. John E. practices law in Kansas City, Missouri Best Lawyers has recognized John E. Franke since 2018. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which John E. Franke is held by other lawyers.

Robert Langdon is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs, Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs and Railroad Law. Robert practices law in North Kansas City, Missouri Best Lawyers has recognized Robert Langdon since 2011. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which Robert Langdon is held b...

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...