William G. "Bill" Beck

Jill Kanatzar is one of the most respected plaintiff attorneys in the region. Her deep experience in cases related to sexual abuse, child injury and wrongful death, nursing home abuse and medical malpractice spans more than 25 years. Jill’s entire career has been dedicated to helping people who often cannot help themselves. From small children to disabled adults to our elders, she has stood next to and fought for people’s rights. She has also been appointed special prosecutor acro...

While his current practice extends to different areas of tort litigation, José has represented families and individuals injured in railroad grade crossing collisions for most of his career. Before starting his own firm in 2011, he was an attorney with a renowned Kansas City law firm with a national practice in railroad litigation. Missouri Lawyer's Weekly has highlighted the results of José's work on several occasions, including his $3 million settlement of a private crossing co...

Bob Kirkland is a founding partner of Kirkland Hochstetler PLLC and practices in Kansas City, Missouri. He is licensed to practice law in Missouri, Kansas and Florida. Mr. Kirkland represents individuals, families, and fiduciaries in a wide range of trusts and estates matters, including estate planning, trust formation, and estate and trust administration. His work includes the preparation of wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, durable powers of attorney, charitable trusts, and trusts fo...

Brian Wallace is a trial attorney with Foster Wallace in Kansas City, Missouri, focusing on Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs . He represents individuals and families in serious injury , wrongful death , trucking accident , and complex negligence matters. Before joining Foster Wallace, Brian was a shareholder at an AmLaw 100 law firm, where he represented national companies and insurers in high-stakes litigation. He now applies that experience to helping injured clients pursue accountab...

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.

Justin M. Dean is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area of Litigation - Labor and Employment. Justin M. practices law in Kansas City, Missouri Best Lawyers has recognized Justin M. Dean since 2021. 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 Justin M. Dean is held by other lawyers.

Kim, a managing partner with Constangy, focuses her practice on helping employers proactively address workplace manners. Kim believes that the best way to minimize litigation in the workplace is to address issues before they become problems and helps her clients achieve this through assisting in the development of workplace policies, investigation procedures and training materials, preparing employee handbooks and procedure manuals, conducting training for management, supervisors, and employe...

Jim Holland is managing partner of the firm’s Kansas City office. He works as a business partner with his clients and focuses his advice on helping them navigate employment issues with as little disruption to their operations as possible. Jim counsels employers about how to avoid workplace issues before they become lawsuits. When lawsuits cannot be avoided, however, Jim has litigated cases in federal and state courts across the country. Jim works with his clients to obtain practical, bu...

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...

Jeff Burns is one of the preeminent truck crash attorneys in the country. He has consulted on hundreds of cases and won his clients millions of dollars in settlements. Over the span of his career he has not only tirelessly fought for justice for his clients, but more importantly, has worked on a national level to reform and change the trucking industry to be safer. He has spent almost as much time in Washington D.C. as Kansas City educating the public and working for rule changes, stronger la...