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

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.

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. 

On March 10, 2017, Lou Wade appeared on a panel discussing service of process issues in Missouri. The event occurred in Columbia, Missouri, attended by attorneys and process servers from Missouri. The discussion included proper methods of service and the impact of service upon liability under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

Best Law Firms list by U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers 2011 - Present

McDowell Rice Smith & Buchanan, PC has been named to the Best Law Firms list by U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers.  U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers, the leading survey of lawyers worldwide, have joined to rank more than 10,000 law firms in 118 practice areas in 170 metropolitan areas and eight states. The top ranked U.S. Law firms by practice area includes a breakdown of firms ranked nationally in both state and metropolitan areas. The rankings are based on a rigorous evaluation process that includes the collection of client and lawyer evaluations, peer-reviews from leading attorneys in their field, and review of additional information provided by U.S. law firms as part of the formal submission process.  McDowell Rice Smith & Buchanan, PC, has been recognized in the practice areas of Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law, and Litigation.

Top Ranked Law Firm by Martindale- Hubbell 2012 - Present

McDowell Rice Smith & Buchanan, PC, has been distinguished as one of the Top Ranked Law Firms by LexisNexis® Martindale-Hubbell®. The Firm appeared in Fortune’s “2012 Investor’s Guide” and was one of 965 firms out of 254,000 to receive this honor. This first-time list of Top Ranked Law Firms features U.S. law firms with 21 or more attorneys in which at least one in three of their lawyers earned the AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rating, the highest possible rating. An AV® Preeminent™ certification is a significant accomplishment – a testament to the fact that a lawyer’s peers rank him or her at the highest level of ethical standards, professional conduct, and legal ability.

McDowell Rice Smith & Buchanan – “Ingram’s Best Companies to Work For”

McDowell Rice Smith & Buchanan, PC is distinguished as a Winner (“Small Company” category) in Ingram’s 2013 “Best Companies to Work For” competition.

Tiffany A. McFarland is teaching Family Law Practice as an Adjunct Professor at UMKC Law School in 2016-2017.

Kansas City Business Journal, Feb. 3rd, 2017
By: James Dornbrook

http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2017/02/03/mcdowell-rice-orme-president.html