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Biography
Richard focuses his litigation practice on personal injury, employment, consumer protection, and business disputes. Richard has tried jury and bench trial cases throughout Kansas and Missouri and has represented his clients before the Kansas & Missouri Court of Appeals and Kansas Supreme Court. Richard also advises companies across various industries. His business representation often includes intellectual property protection, negotiations, compliance, contracts and agreements, business formation, and employee/human resources issues.
Richard graduated from Washburn University School of Law, with Dean’s Honors. He concentrated his studies in business law, earning a Business & Transactional Law Certificate, with distinction. He was the recipient of multiple academic scholarships and highest class grade awards in law school. Richard was presented with the National Order of Scribes Legal Writing Award, presented to the top legal writers in his graduating class, as selected by law school faculty. Richard was a teaching assistant and research assistant for law school faculty. Richard graduated from the University of Kansas and received his Bachelor of Science degree in business administration, with concentrations in marketing and political science.
Richard is a member of the Kansas Bar Association, Missouri Bar Association, Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, Johnson County Bar Association, and Kansas Trial Lawyers Association. In 2019, Richard was selected as a top-rated civil litigation attorney by Super Lawyers, a rating service of lawyers who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. This selection process includes independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations.
Recent Accomplishments
Recent business/transaction accomplishments include:
- Represented seller in sale of non-asset-based business with closing price in excess of $2,500,000 with consulting contract with buyer.
- Represented buyer in acquisition of controlling interest in corporation and reorganization to LLC with closing price of $1,450,000.
- Represented buyer in acquisition of competitor through asset purchase negotiation and transaction with closing price in excess of $650,000.00 exclusive of contingent payments.
- Outside general counsel beginning in 2015 for company acquired in high eight-figure transaction in 2022. Assist with IP protection, human resources, business structure considerations, management, contracts, litigation, and corporate compliance.
- Outside general counsel beginning in 2019 for startup that ranked in the top 15 of the Fastest Growing Companies in America (https://www.inc.com/inc5000/2022). Assist with IP protection, human resources, business structure considerations, management, contracts, litigation, and corporate compliance.
Recent litigation accomplishments include:
- Represented family of man killed in car crash, resulting in $7,100,000 settlement, reported in Missouri Lawyers Weekly.
- Represented class of more than 10,000 members in claims involving junk faxes, resulting in court approval of $2,500,000 class-wide settlement, reported in Missouri Lawyers Weekly.
- Represented clients in consumer protection claims against insurance broker for unauthorized policies, resulting in $325,000 settlement, reported in Missouri Lawyers Weekly.
- Represented client in injury claims from car crash, resulting in trial and judgment 75x more than the defendant argued was the amount of medical related to the crash, after no offer was made before suit was filed.
- Represented client in sexual assault claims against hotel where incident occurred, resulting in seven-figure settlement, reported in Missouri Lawyers Weekly.
- Represented client in sexual assault claims against massage therapist and establishment, resulting in settlement shortly before trial.
- Represented clients in wrongful death claims against health care agency for failure to properly care for clients’ father, resulting in confidential settlement.
- Represented clients in wrongful death claims against bars for overserving customer before fatal car crash, resulting in confidential settlement.
- Represented client in injury claims against hospital and health care providers from a fall while a patient at the hospital, resulting in confidential settlement.
- Represented client in injury claims against apartment complex from a fall due to dangerous conditions on the property, resulting in six figure settlement.
- Represented public school employee in race discrimination claims against former employer, resulting in confidential settlement after no offer was made before suit was filed.
- Represented employee in age discrimination claims against multinational corporation with 30,000 employees, resulting in confidential settlement after no offer was made before suit was filed.
- Represented client in claims against car dealership after it failed to finish sale of car, resulting in judgment and collection of entire amount after no offer was made before suit was filed.
- Represented client in claims against car dealership after it failed to perform warranty work and misled client to purchase the car, resulting in six-figure judgment after no offer was made before suit was filed.
- Represented client in injury claims against doctor’s office based on improper use of lasers, resulting in confidential settlement.
- Represented client in insurance dispute from car crash injuries, resulting in six-figure settlement after no offer was made before suit was filed.
- Represented client in insurance dispute from car crash injuries, resulting in six-figure settlement 9x more than the best offer made before suit was filed.
- Represented client in claims against former business partner for failure to operate the business appropriately, resulting in trial and judgment and collection of entire amount after no offer was made before suit was filed.
- Represented employee in workers compensation retaliation wrongful termination claim, resulting in Kansas Supreme Court decision strengthening employee rights.
- Represented client in injury claims against landlord for dangerous conditions at the property, resulting in Missouri Court of Appeals decision strengthening tenant’s rights.
