Jill A. Presley

I am a co-founding partner of Presley & Presley Trial Lawyers in Kansas City, Missouri. I have had over 60 jury trials over the course of nearly three decades, beginning as a Jackson County prosecutor in 1997. I am honored to have been recognized by Best Lawyers for nearly a decade, and have been named as Lawyer of the Year in Aviation Law multiple times. My practice focuses on catastrophic injury, wrongful death, insurance bad faith, aviation, semi truck crash, and carbon monoxide poisoning cases.

What makes my practice unique is that my law firm, Presley & Presley Trial Lawyers, is a boutique trial firm that handles the most serious cases, while providing compassionate and individualized representation to each and every one of our clients. This is a rare combination and we are very proud of the work we do to help families in their most challenging moments.

Clients almost always ask three things. The first is what their case is worth. I tell them the honest answer: it depends on the evidence, the insurance available, and the willingness to go to trial, and any lawyer who quotes a number in the first meeting is guessing. What I can promise is that we will build the case to its full value rather than the convenient one.

The second is how long it will take. Serious cases take time because doing them right takes time. Preserving evidence, working with the right experts, and preparing for trial cannot be rushed, and insurance companies pay more to firms they know will not take a shortcut settlement.

The third is what it will cost. Nothing up front. We handle cases on a contingency fee, we advance the case expenses, and we are paid only if we recover for you.

My most memorable case this year was a bad faith case with a spinal cord injury resulting in paralysis.  It was a very challenging case legally, but we were able to get an eight figure recovery on a $50,000 insurance policy.  I was grateful to be able to get such a powerful result for a wonderful family. 

The cases themselves are the challenge. Catastrophic injury, wrongful death, aviation, semi truck, carbon monoxide, and insurance bad faith cases are technically complex, fiercely defended, and expensive to litigate. In an aviation case we may be reconstructing a maintenance history going back years against a defendant with unlimited resources. In a semi truck crash, critical evidence like driver logs, cell phone records, and onboard data can disappear quickly if we do not act to preserve it. In a carbon monoxide case, the evidence can literally dissipate into the air before anyone knows what happened. A traumatic brain injury can be invisible on a scan yet devastating to a family, so proving it requires the right medical experts and a jury that truly understands. And in bad faith litigation, we have to prove not just what an insurer did but why, which means building a paper trail the company never intended anyone to read.

The other challenge is human. Our clients come to us after the worst day of their lives, and they need us to be both aggressive advocates in the courtroom and steady, patient counselors outside it. Doing both well, case after case, is demanding. It is also why we do this work.

I began my career as a Jackson County prosecutor, trying cases on behalf of people who had been through some of the most difficult experiences of their lives. That work taught me two things that have shaped everything since: how to try a case to a jury, and how much it matters to stand up for someone at the moment they feel most powerless. Moving to plaintiff’s work was a natural bridge. The courtroom skills were the same, and so was the mission of helping people through the worst chapters of their lives and holding accountable those who caused them. Nearly three decades later, that is still what I find most rewarding about this work: walking into court for a family that has been through something terrible and getting them the justice and recovery they deserve.

Family comes first for me. My husband and I have two sons, both young adults now, and time with them is my favorite time. Beyond that, I love playing pickleball, golfing, traveling, and reading. I am happiest when I’m doing these things with friends and family. 

I get to practice law with my husband, who is my partner in life and in law, and to build a firm alongside a talented and compassionate team of lawyers. Practicing this way, with people I trust completely, on cases that genuinely matter to the families we serve, is a rare privilege, and I do not take it for granted.