J. Kent "Kent" Emison

Kevin J. McManus is the owner of Kevin McManus Law, a Kansas City–based firm serving clients in Missouri and Kansas in personal injury and disability law. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame and Saint Louis University School of Law ( with honors ), Kevin began his career representing corporations before dedicating his practice to helping injured individuals and their families. He has been recognized by SuperLawyers Magazine, the National Trial Lawyers Association (Top 100 Civil P...

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.

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...

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...

Jeannie M. DeVeney represents retailers, school districts, public entities, and other employers in all types of employment law issues. She has successfully tried harassment, discrimination and retaliation cases to juries in both state and federal courts and has appeared before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Missouri Commission on Human rights, the Kansas Human Rights Commission, the Kansas City Human Relations Department and numerous other state and federal agencies. She has...

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...

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...

Jeff Kennard chairs SAKG's Construction & Design practice group and is also a member of the firm's Business & Commercial litigation practice group. He has tried or arbitrated more than 20 cases to verdict or award. His clients include publicly-traded companies, several of America's largest private companies, and small businesses. Although Jeff advises clients at all phases of a construction project, the principal focus of his practice is dispute resolution. For more than two decades, ...

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.