Four members of the firm have been named fellows in the prestigious American College of Trial Lawyers. Two members of the firm have been recipients of the prestigious Spurgeon Smithson Award for Extraordinary Service Toward the Increase and Diffusion of Justice Society, and for Dedication to the Purpose of the Legal Profession. Several members of the firm have served as presidents of the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association and the Lawyers' Association of Kansas City and have chaired or held leadership positions on most of the associations' committees. Our attorneys are active on committees of the American Bar Association. Several members of the firm have served on the Board of Governors of the Missouri Bar.
Firm members serve on the boards of local and national organizations and are active politically.
They fill many volunteer and civic leadership roles. This private philanthropic foundation provides funding to a variety of community causes from arts funding to meeting the costs of advocacy programs and national moot court teams of area law schools. We began these presentations to create a public forum for topics often discussed only by colleagues and friends in smaller settings. Since 1985 we have sponsored presentations on such topics as health care, economic development, urban reinvestment, crime, education and the environment. In these years, more than 12,000 guests and 50 distinguished panelists have convened for discussion.