Kelsey Brandes

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...

Mark Emison is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs and Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs. Mark, who practices law in Independence, Missouri, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Mark is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Stacy M. Bunck is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employment Law - Management and Litigation - Labor and Employment. Stacy M., who practices law in Kansas City, Missouri, has been recognized since 2020. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Stacy M. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

During his nearly 30-year legal career, Tim Becker has become known and revered as one of this nation’s leading truck crash attorneys. Through his work at Dollar, Burns, Becker & Hershewe, Tim has tried truck crashes in 33 of the 50 states and won millions of dollars in settlements for his clients. Tim knows, without exception, truck crashes are not accidents. There is a reason the crash happened, and he works tirelessly to find out why. Tim knows the patterns, what to look for, wha...

Brent Coverdale is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employment Law - Management. Brent, who practices law in Kansas City, Missouri, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Brent is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

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...

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

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...

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.

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...