Melanie Morgan

Christopher (Chris) McHugh defends individuals and businesses in civil and criminal litigation in Kansas and Missouri, focusing particularly on the construction and transportation industries. His representation spans from state to federal regulatory, trial, and appellate work. In one of his cases, Chris achieved a historic victory that helped determine the law applicable to moon rocks.

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...

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...

John Mullen is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Commercial Litigation, Insurance Law, Litigation - Insurance and Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants. John practices law in Kansas City, Missouri Best Lawyers has recognized John Mullen since 2027. 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 Mullen is held by other lawy...

Tim Davis advises clients on all aspects of the employer/employee relationship, including compliance with the NLRA, FMLA, Title VII, ADA, FLSA, EPA, OSHA, Executive Order 11246, ERISA and state and local employment statutes. He has assisted numerous clients in proactively addressing issues involving complex termination scenarios, the maintenance of union-free operations, the development of non-discrimination policies, investigation procedures and training materials, the development of FMLA an...

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...

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...

Katrina Smeltzer is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Commercial Litigation, Insurance Law and Litigation - Insurance. Katrina practices law in Kansas City, Missouri Best Lawyers has recognized Katrina Smeltzer since 2024. 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 Katrina Smeltzer is held by other lawyers.

Eric Bartlett is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area of Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs. Eric practices law in Kansas City, Missouri Best Lawyers has recognized Eric Bartlett since 2027. 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 Eric Bartlett is held by other lawyers.

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...