Meet the Team

Admitted to The Missouri Bar, 1994
Juris Doctor, 1993 (University of Missouri-Kansas City)
B.A. – Psychology, 1990 (Texas A&M University)

For more than 30 years, I’ve stood beside people whose lives were torn apart by tragedy — catastrophic injuries, preventable deaths, and deep psychological trauma. My work has ranged from representing survivors of abuse at religious boarding schools and children failed by foster-care agencies to victims of defective products, railroad and vehicle crashes, and other acts of negligence by individuals, corporations, and institutions that should have known better.

Early in my career, I was honored with the Lon O. Hocker Memorial Trial Lawyer Award, one of Missouri’s highest recognitions for young trial lawyers. Fewer than 200 lawyers have received that distinction since the 1950s. Since then, I’ve first-chaired dozens of jury trials and spent years teaching trial advocacy at the UMKC School of Law and through programs of the Missouri Bar and KCMBA.

I’ve often tried cases against impossible odds — cases other lawyers turned down because the path to victory seemed too steep. In those moments, I’ve learned that juries respond to truth told with humanity. By helping them see my clients not as claimants but as people, I’ve convinced juries to care, to listen, and ultimately to see things my way.

I share these details not to dwell on past results but to explain how I work. Every case begins with trust. People come to me in life’s darkest moments, looking for someone real — someone they can reach, who will tell them the truth, return their calls, and fight for them with both skill and sincerity. Accessibility and authenticity aren’t marketing words to me; they’re how I practice law.