FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – KANSAS CITY, Missouri (November 7, 2017) – The Law Firm of McDowell Rice Smith & Buchanan, PC, announced that it has expanded its Family Law & Divorce Group with the addition of Susan Saper Galamba and Kay L. McCarthy, joining Pete Smith providing representation in high net-worth dissolutions of marriage and other complex matters related to divorce and family law.  Ms. Galamba will Chair the Family Law & Divorce Group.

Susan Saper Galamba.  Ms. Galamba was the Managing Member of the Law Office of Susan Saper Galamba, LC, a boutique law firm practicing exclusively in family law and mediation throughout Johnson County, Kansas, dedicated to assisting clients as they navigate the intricacies of divorce. Ms. Galamba’s expertise is in all areas of family law, including complex property division and child custody cases, valuation of businesses, premarital and postnuptial agreements, alimony and maintenance, paternity, and mediation.  Additionally, Ms. Galamba works with accountants, forensic and valuation experts, financial planners, real estate agents, and mental health professionals to ensure that her clients have a top-notch team prepared to work for them. 

Ms. Galamba is a Fellow of the prestigious American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and International Academy of Family Lawyers.  She is a published author of the book, “Don’t Burn the Underwear”, and hosted the radio show, “Til Divorce Do us Part”.  She has been a frequent contributor to The Huffington Post, and is a frequent lecturer on family law issues. 

Ms. Galamba completed the NITA/ABA Family Law Trial Advocacy Program, but also is a trained mediator and arbitrator.  She received her B.A. from Tulane University and her J.D. from Georgia State University.   Ms. Galamba is a member of The Missouri Bar; The Kansas Bar; The Johnson County Bar; The Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association – Family Law Committee; The Johnson County, Kansas Bar Association – Family Law Bench Bar Committee; and the American Bar Association – Family Law Section.  She has been practicing law in Kansas and Missouri for over 26 years.

Ms. McCarthy has been with the Susan Saper Galamba firm since 2013 and received both her Bachelor’s degree and Juris Doctor from the University of Kansas. She is licensed to practice in both Kansas and Missouri.  Ms. McCarthy practices in the areas of family law and mediation, and has extensive trial experience handling both court and jury trials.  She has completed Core, Civil, and Family Mediation training and has advanced coursework in Family Mediation.  Ms. McCarthy has significant mediation experience in corporate environments mediating disputes between departments and between companies and their clients. She also conducts seminars on conflict resolution in the workplace.

Ms. McCarthy is a member of The American Bar Association; The Kansas Bar Association; The Missouri Bar Association; The Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association; The Johnson County Bar Association; The Johnson County Family Law Inn of Court; The Association of Family and Conciliation Courts; and The Heartland Mediators Association.

Contact:
snewsom@mcdowellrice.com
(816)  753-5400
(816) 960-7370 (direct)   
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McDowell Rice Smith & Buchanan is proud to announce that Pete Smith has been selected to serve as the 2017-2018 Campaign Chair of the United Way of Wyandotte County (UWWC), and was recently  honored at the Campaign Kick-Off Breakfast at Children’s Mercy Park.  Mr. Smith has a long-standing history with Wyandotte County, having been born and raised there.  His father, Vernon Smith, served as the 1964 UWWC Campaign Chair.  As the 2017-2018 UWWC Campaign Chair, Mr. Smith is committed to making a positive change for individuals, families and everyone in the Wyandotte County community. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – KANSAS CITY, Missouri (October 11, 2017) –  McDowell Rice Smith & Buchanan, PC, is pleased to announce that Thomas R. Buchanan has successfully achieved recertification as a civil trial advocate.  The certification is issued by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) which is accredited by the American Bar Association. Mr. Buchanan has been continually certified and in good standing for 7 years.  The NBTA was formed out of a strong conviction that both the law profession and its clients would benefit from an organization designed specifically to create an objective set of standards illustrating an attorney's experience and expertise in the practice of trial law.

Mr. Buchanan is part of a growing number of trial attorneys that have illustrated their commitment to bettering the legal profession by successfully completing a rigorous application process and providing the consumer of legal services with an objective measure by which to choose qualified and experienced legal counsel.

Board Certification is the highest, most stringent, and most reliable honor an attorney can achieve and are the only distinctions awarded by the non-profit NBTA.  The elaborate screening of credentials that all NBTA board certified attorneys must successfully complete includes: demonstration of substantial trial experience, submission of judicial and peer references to attest to their competency, attendance of continuing legal education courses and proof of good standing.

Mr. Buchanan earned his undergraduate degree in Philosophy from Washburn University in 1977 and his J.D. in 1980 from the University of Kansas School of Law. Mr. Buchanan is licensed to practice in Kansas, Missouri, and Colorado and has appeared in thirty-three states. He is a member of the Earl E. O’Connor American Inn of Court, The Missouri Bar, Kansas Bar Association, Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, Johnson County Bar Association, The Association of Trial Lawyers of America, American Association for Justice, and The Voice of the Defense Bar. 

Approximately three percent of American lawyers are board certified, and Mr. Buchanan is a member of a very select group who has taken the time to prove competence in their specialty area and earn board certification.

For more information on Attorney Thomas R. Buchanan, please visit: McDowellrice.com/attorney/ThomasR.Buchanan.com and www.nbtalawyers.org.

Congratulations to Pete Smith for being recognized as one of the 2017 Ingram’s 250 most powerful and influential business leaders in Greater Kansas City.  Mr. Smith has been included in the Ingram’s 250 since its inception.  The firm thanks Mr. Smith for his leadership, insight, and the many contributions he has made to the Greater Kansas City and legal communities.  Please see link below.

http://ingrams.com/article/the-2017-ingrams-250/ 

McDowell Rice Smith & Buchanan congratulates its former law clerk, the Hon. Marvin Kaplan of Washington, D.C., upon his appointment to the five-member National Labor Relations Board, which hears all appeals from administrative decisions under the Labor Management Relations Act.

After confirmation by the U.S. Senate, Mr. Kaplan took the oath of office in Washington, with members of the Firm present, on August 10, 2017.  As a law clerk, Mr. Kaplan worked with Thomas R. Buchanan, one of the Firm’s managing directors and the Chair of the Firm’s Construction & Architect/Engineer Law Group.  Mr. Buchanan and the Firm are very proud of Mr. Kaplan and the fact that he has accomplished so much so early in his career.  The Firm is also proud of those members of the Firm who continue to practice in the area of employment law.

Should you require  assistance with employment matters, whether in the construction/architect/engineer area or otherwise, please contact any of the following members of the Firm’s Employment Law Group:

R. Pete Smith 
Thomas R. Buchanan
Jason Buchanan
Michael J. Gorman
John Mueller, III
Greg T. Spies

McDowell Rice Smith & Buchanan congratulates R. Pete Smith on achieving Senior Fellow status in the Litigation Counsel of America.  Fellowship in the society calls for this designation upon seven years of being a Fellow and is a permanent designation. 

The Litigation Counsel of America is an invitation-only trial lawyer honorary society established to reflect the new face of the American Bar. Membership is limited to 3,500 Fellows, representing less than one-half of one percent of American lawyers.

On July 28, 2017, the U.S. District Court granted the firm’s Motions seeking a Protective Order. Ania Moncrief represented a third-party witness, and former employee of the Defendant. Plaintiff sued Defendant for improper denial of insurance benefits. As a former underwriter involved with development and application of the policy at issue in the 1970’s, our client gave his deposition and provided useful information to the Plaintiff. Defendant sought to discredit him by issuing subpoenas around the country for our client’s past medical, personnel, and financial records covering a long time-span. A very large, international law firm represents the Defendant, aggressively and relentlessly pursuing confidential, privileged, and irrelevant records. As a result of our efforts, the court stopped all efforts to obtain our client’s personal information. The court further indicated a willingness to award attorney fees, which we will seek following close of discovery.

An in-house CLE program entitled, “Mindfulness for the Ethical Practice of Law” was presented by Rebecca Martin.  For over a decade, law students, judges, law professors and practicing attorneys have been utilizing meditation and mindfulness to develop concentration, improve emotional well-being, and lessen the stress of legal work.  According to Terry Harrell, chair of the ABA’s Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs, “Meditation and mindfulness are not just good for us the way things like fish oil are.  They actually affect the quality of legal work.  A mindfulness practice makes us better decision-makers and better ethical decision-makers.  That translates into better lawyering.”  The CLE program introduced legal professionals new to the practices of meditation and mindfulness to effective daily practices and the benefits of such practices as well as suggested additional techniques for those legal professionals already engaging in meditation and mindfulness. 

For more information on this topic, please contact Rebecca D. Martin.

“A River—and a State Line—Runs Through It” by Kristie Orme

(Ingram’s Magazine, June 2017 Publication)

http://ingrams.com/article/a-river-and-a-state-line-runs-through-it/

The annual Banking Industry Outlook Assembly co-sponsored by McDowell Rice Smith & Buchanan, and hosted by Ingram’s Magazine was held on March 1, 2017.  Participants from the Firm included Mike Gorman, and Scott Long, as well as other leading executives from the region’s leading commercial and community banks.  The views inside the Assembly going forward were optimistic and vibrant for regional banks.  The financial crisis in 2008 brought about many changes and washed out some of the weaker players in the banking scene.  Loan volumes surged in 2016, and the need for enforcement actions and loan workouts plummeted.  The Assembly pointed out a powerful reminder of the link between banks and the broader region’s economic fortunes.  A complete report on the discussion appeared in the March 2017 issue of Ingram’s Magazine.