news

  • 11 May 2018 8:09 AM | Anonymous

    Earlier this year the House passed HB2119, then some amendments to the bill and now the Senate has passed the perfected bill.  Presuming this makes its way into law, I want to address what it does, in part.  There is too much from the bill for one post.

     

    510.259.10: This takes effect on August 28, 2018 and applies to pending cases.  Certainly there will be litigation over that.  The legislature does not address how the pleading standards above would apply to cases already on file where punitive damages were pled initially.

     

    510.259.5: This section establishes a system similar to that in Kansas where an initial pleading cannot claim entitlement to punitive damages and punitive damages can only be plead if permitted by the Court.  To obtain leave to assert punitive damages, movant must file a motion with evidence demonstrating a reasonable basis for punitive damages at least 120 days before the final pretrial conference.  The rule requires that the Court rule on the motion within 45 days after hearing or, if no hearing, within 45 days after the opposition brief was filed.


    Tim West, President, Board of Directors
    MO Legislative Chair


  • 09 May 2018 7:07 AM | Anonymous

    The Young Lawyers Section of the Lawyers Association of Kansas City will hold its board elections Wednesday, May 9th from 5-7pm at Char Bar, 4050 Pennsylvania, Kansas City MO 64111. The slate of officers and directors up for election are provided in the ballot below. Members are encouraged to cast their votes during the annual meeting event at Char Bar.

    Ballots may also be submitted to JR Montgomery by e-mail to james.montgomery@stinson.com or by U.S. mail to ATTN: JR Montgomery, Stinson Leonard Street LLP, 1201 Walnut St., Ste. 2400, Kansas City, Missouri 64106. Ballots, whether sent by e-mail or U.S. mail should be received prior to 5p.m. on May 9, 2018, to be counted.


    LAKC - YLS 2018 BALLOT[40274].pdf

  • 29 Mar 2018 4:49 PM | Anonymous

    The Young Lawyers Section of the Lawyers Association of Kansas City is now accepting applications for the 2018-19 Board of Directors. Interested candidates should complete the attached application and return on or before April 25, 2018 to JR Montgomery (james.montgomery@stinson.com). 

    Elections will be held Wednesday, May 9, 2018, 5:00pm @ Char Bar, 4050 Pennsylvania Avenue, Kansas City MO.

    The Lawyers Association of Kansas City (LAKC) was founded in 1935 to promote and advance the following objectives that are just as relevant today: the welfare of the public in the greater Kansas City Community; the administration of justice; the science of jurisprudence; and the cordial and professional relations among the members of the greater Kansas City Bar.

    The Young Lawyers Section of LAKC is comprised of members under 35 or who have graduated from law school within the past five years and maintain “service of public interest by advancing the role of the legal profession in serving the public” as a value.

    LAKC-YLS 2018-19 Director Application.pdf


  • 13 Feb 2018 7:36 AM | Anonymous

    Here is a very short summary of some of what is in the Judiciary Committee right now:

    * Those 75 years and older can be excused from jury duty if they ask (HB2063).

    * Registered sexual offenders are not permitted to partake in any Halloween related activities with children on October 31. This common sense bill filed by Rep. Ellebracht removes the October 31 qualifier (HB1306).

    * Allowing courts to approve settlements involving minors on the basis of affidavits. The law currently requires an evidentiary hearing. Under this bill the court could still hold a hearing in its discretion. (HB1405). This was presented last year also as HB 592.

    * Removal of the statute of limitations on prosecution of unlawful sexual offenses. (HB1590 and 2185). The law currently provides a 30 year statute of limitations. Public hearings were held last week. This is the same as HB1120 from last year.

    * Allowing municipal convictions, guilty pleas and nolo contendere pleas to be used as evidence relevant to witness credibility (HB1681). In order words, there would be no exception for municipal court findings and pleas. A public hearing was held last week on this bill, which is the same as HB735 from last year.

     

    Tim West, LAKC Board of Directors MO Legislative Monitor

  • 10 Jan 2018 9:09 PM | Anonymous

    Each year, the LAKC-YLS board awards a one-time scholarship to provide college financial assistance to an outstanding graduating senior who has expressed or demonstrated a sincere interest in pursuing a law-related career.  The scholarship amount this year is $1,000.

    Please note that to be considered, applications must be postmarked or scanned and e-mailed to the address or e-mail address listed in the application instructions no later than April 10, 2018.


    Link to application (Word doc):
    LAKC-YLS Scholarship Application 2017-18.docx


  • 29 Dec 2017 12:09 PM | Anonymous

    It is time again for the Kansas City division of the high school Missouri Mock Trial Competition.  The first round of competition takes place on Tuesday, January 16, 2018 and Thursday, January 18, 2018.  The second round takes place on Tuesday, February 20, 2018 and Thursday, February 22, 2018.  

    The Lawyers Association of Kansas City - Young Lawyers Section is looking for attorneys and law students to serve as judges for the competition, which will take place downtown at the Jackson County Courthouse.  The competition begins at 5:30pm each night and will wrap up by 9pm (dinner will be provided).  Judges are asked to arrive at the courthouse by 5:30pm.

    This is a great opportunity to see how enthusiastic these high school students are about the law, and can reenergize and remind us why we love what we do!

    If you are interested in judging and would like to participate, please contact Martin Rice (martin.rice@dentons.com) or Cassandra Robinson (crocx@allstate.com). 

     

    CLE CREDIT:  Missouri will offer self-study CLE credit for judging at the Mock Trial Competition.  Attorneys may claim up to 6 hours of self-study CLE/year.  LAKC can provide a letter for your records if desired.  

  • 13 Dec 2017 10:03 AM | Anonymous


  • 11 Oct 2017 7:39 AM | Anonymous


    The American Board of Trial Advocates, KCMBA's Trial Academy, KCMBA's Federal Court Advocate Section, MODL, WDMO/DKAN Federal Bar Association, LAKC, and the Civil Jury Project are sponsoring the first Kansas City Jury Improvement Lunch on Wednesday, November 1 at noon at the Charles Evans Whittaker Courthouse, 400 9th Street, Kansas City, MO 64106.  This lunch will be hosted by the following law firms: Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice, Bartimus Frickleton Robertson, Berkowitz Oliver, German May, Gorny Law Firm, Littler Mendelson, Shaffer Lombardo Shurin, and White Graham Buckley & Carr.  Others may join as sponsors or hosts.  The purpose of the lunch is to honor the jurors and to learn from them about what can be done to improve civil trials. 

    We are asking practicing lawyers to pay $19 for their own lunches.   The cost of the lunches for the judges and jurors will be shared by the host law firms.   We are in the process of arranging for the lawyers who attend to receive credit for their continuing legal education requirements.  Anyone interested in improving their trial skills will not want to miss this lunch.  It was the overwhelming consensus of those lawyers and judges who attended our previous lunch that it was informative and should be repeated at regular intervals.      Because we assign tables (to make sure the lawyers from the same firms, the judges and the jurors are divided) and have limited space, we ask that you make a reservation in advance if you want to attend. You can do so by using this link: http://civiljuryproject.law.nyu.edu/jury-improvement-lunch-registration/.                           

     


  • 28 Jun 2017 8:00 AM | Anonymous

    LAKC presented its Legacy Award to Kent R. Erickson during its annual Judicial Reception on Tuesday, June 27, 2017 at the Kill Devil Club. In 2007, the LAKC Board of Directors established the Legacy Award to recognize an individual for his or her significant and enduring contributions to the LAKC and its mission. Prior recipients include Sylvan Siegler, Stanley P. Weiner and B. John Readey III. The meaningful and lasting service Kent has provided to the LAKC clearly meets this key criterion.

    Kent R. Erickson practices in the field of intellectual property law, focusing primarily on the acquisition, registration, maintenance and enforcement of patents, trademarks and copyrights for his clients, with particular emphasis on U.S. and foreign patent prosecution in the mechanical and chemical arts. Mr. Erickson is a registered patent attorney and is licensed to practice in Missouri and Kansas.

    Mr. Erickson graduated cum laude in 1986 with his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla and received his law degree from the University of Kansas in 1990. He has taken an active role in the legal community, serving as President for the Lawyers Association of Kansas City from 2007-08. In addition, Mr. Erickson founded and continues to organize LAKC's annual IP CLE program. Mr. Erickson was also one of the founding organizers of LAKC's Run for Justice 5K, which raises funds annually for Legal Aid of Western Missouri. Mr. Erickson has previously served as the Chair of the Patent, Trademark & Copyright Committee for both the Missouri Bar and for the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, as a member of The Missouri Bar Young Lawyers Council, as a director and as President of the Young Lawyers Section of the Lawyers Association of Kansas City and as Vice Chair of the Ethics and Professionalism Committee of the American Bar Association’s Young Lawyer Division.


    Pictured L to R: Catherine Bell, LAKC President-Elect; Mike Hargens, LAKC President; Kent Erickson, LAKC Legacy Award Recipient; Gregg Lombardi, LAKC member; Anne Baggott, LAKC Board of Directors.

  • 08 Jun 2017 7:44 AM | Anonymous

    The Lawyers Association of Kansas City will present its Legacy Award to Kent R. Erickson on June 27, 2017 during the association's annual Judicial Reception.

    Kent R. Erickson practices in the field of intellectual property law, focusing primarily on the acquisition, registration, maintenance and enforcement of patents, trademarks and copyrights for his clients, with particular emphasis on U.S. and foreign patent prosecution in the mechanical and chemical arts. Mr. Erickson is a registered patent attorney and is licensed to practice in Missouri and Kansas.

    Mr. Erickson graduated cum laude in 1986 with his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla and received his law degree from the University of Kansas in 1990. He has taken an active role in the legal community, serving as President for the Lawyers Association of Kansas City from 2007-08. In addition, Mr. Erickson founded and continues to organize LAKC's annual IP CLE program. Mr. Erickson was also one of the founding organizers of LAKC's Run for Justice 5K, which raises funds annually for Legal Aid of Western Missouri. Mr. Erickson has previously served as the Chair of the Patent, Trademark & Copyright Committee for both the Missouri Bar and for the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, as a member of The Missouri Bar Young Lawyers Council, as a director and as President of the Young Lawyers Section of the Lawyers Association of Kansas City and as Vice Chair of the Ethics and Professionalism Committee of the American Bar Association’s Young Lawyer Division.

    In 2007, the LAKC Board of Directors established the Legacy Award to recognize an individual for his or her significant and enduring contributions to the LAKC and its mission. Prior recipients include Sylvan Siegler, Stanley P. Weiner and B. John Readey III. The meaningful and lasting service Kent has provided to the LAKC clearly meets this key criterion.

    The LAKC Legacy Award will be presented to Kent during LAKC's annual Judicial Reception on Tuesday, June 27, 2017 at the Kill Devil Club, 31 East 14th Street in the Power & Light District. The reception will be held from 5 to 7pm and the award presentation will take place at approximately 6:00 pm.



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