Kansas City Lawyer

Kansas City lawyer Frank Payne Sebree left humble beginnings in Marshall, MO., to practice law in the growing Midwestern city. Before long, he was joined by Kansas City lawyer Edgar Shook. Not long after, Charlie L. Bacon and David R. Hardy came on board. Their firm because what is known today as Shook, Hardy & Bacon, L.L.P. (SHB).

These four gentlemen built a firm that garnered a reputation for stellar defense and litigation practices. In honor of our commitment to legal excellence, SHB continues to invoke the core values of its founders while looking ahead to the next generation of SHB attorneys. We excel in both national and international litigation, focusing on the defense of global product liability claims, class actions and other complex torts. In addition, the firm boasts skilled corporate law attorneys who bring years of experience to the full spectrum of business needs. This combination has ranked SHB among the most sought-after practitioners in corporate transactions and high-stakes litigation across the globe.

Our commitment to our community rounds our firm. Kansas City lawyer Jolie L. Justus heads our Pro Bono Committee, which is made up of attorneys and staff that are dedicated to helping those that might otherwise not be able to afford quality legal representation. Kansas City attorneys currently represent abused or neglected children or juveniles charged with crimes in the Jackson County, Mo., Family Court, acting as guardians ad litem and assisting grandparents in obtaining legal guardianships of their grandchildren.

Did you realize an SHB Kansas City lawyer might be your avenue to a successful adoption? SHB attorneys have completed more than 400 adoptions of foster children by foster parents. All fees paid by the state for these adoptions are donated to a scholarship fund that has awarded more than 80 scholarships totaling $110,000 in recent years.

Every Kansas City lawyer brings something different to the SHB table. We strive to make significant progress in the recruitment and advancement of attorneys from diverse backgrounds. The firm is actively involved with the Minority Corporate Counsel Association and is a supporter of “A Call to Action: Diversity in the Legal Profession.” SHB also participates in the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, an organization of chief legal officers from Fortune 500 companies and law firm managing partners dedicated to improving diversity in the legal profession.

Education also is an important component at SHB. Our fall 2008 Law and Women Symposium in Kansas City featured sessions on strategic communication skills for women lawyers, successfully navigating workplace politics, female corporate counsels’ personal stories of rising to their positions of leadership, as well as a keynote presentation about covering the U.S. Supreme Court by National Public Radio Legal Correspondent Nina Totenberg.

Contact us to learn more about our Kansas City lawyers: