Peculiar Lawyers

Samantha L. Shepherd JD, LLM, CELA
Samantha practices exclusively in the areas of Elder Law, Estate Planning and Special Needs Law. She received her undergraduate degree in 1990 from Tulane University in New Orleans, cum laude. She earned her law degree from Boston College Law School and received an LL.M. in Estate Planning from the University of Missouri, Kansas City.
Samantha currently serves on the Board of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and as Chair of the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association Trust and Estates Committee. Formerly the Chair of the Missouri Bar Elder Law Committee and past President of...

Kevin Puckett is a Family Law Trial Attorney who earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law (graduating with pro bono honors) with an emphasis in child and family law.  Kevin has dedicated his legal career to helping his clients rebuild their lives through knowledgeable and aggressive legal representation. He is admitted to the respected Missouri Bar and the United States District Court, Western District of Missouri. Call the office today and set up a free consultation!

A Kansas City native, attorney John Kennyhertz previously served General Counsel for a Kansas City-based private equity firm, and now focuses his practice on business transactions and corporate law matters.

As an M&A lawyer, John has a unique set of skills and experience having represented parties on all sides of a transaction. In his former capacity as General Counsel, Mr. Kennyhertz was responsible for the oversight and management of the private equity firm’s non-real estate legal matters, as well as the risk management and compliance for each entity comprising the firm’s portfolio. Prior to this role, Mr....

Ryan M. Paulus represents clients in a variety of contexts, including discrimination, retaliation, harassment, whistleblower, consumer rights, personal injury, severance, wage and hour disputes and class and collective actions. Ryan’s confidence, perseverance, and attention to detail are invaluable to furthering his clients cause. He has won his clients over sixteen million dollars in jury verdicts and settlements and developed a record of success in significant and complex litigation. Ryan is also a combat veteran who served with distinction in Afghanistan as a SAPPER Company Operations Officer, earning both the Bronze Star Medal and the Combat Action Badge before resigning from...

Chris has enjoyed the solo practice of law for more than 25 years. Over that span, Chris has helped thousands of clients with a variety of legal problems, including divorce, child custody, bankruptcy, personal injury settlements, paternity actions, collections matters, and many more. Chris practices in the Kansas City area serving Platte, Clay, Jackson and other surrounding counties. Chris resides in Platte County with his 4 children. Growing up on corn and soybean row crop farm outside of Oregon, Missouri, Chris learned the value of hard work and small town values. A graduate of South Holt...

Michael Foster is the 2018 Pro Bono Publico Award winner given by the Missouri Bar Association for outstanding character and pro bono commitment. Michael is also the 2018 Legal Champion given by Missouri Lawyers Weekly. He is a former shareholder at one of the biggest law firms in the country and resides in the Kansas City area with his wife Melissa and their two children. Michael has a well-honed ability to see the big picture and quickly narrow options to a best possible solution. From growing up in a family of attorneys, this legal intuition comes to him naturally. His father...

If you are going through a divorce or family law matter, it can feel like your whole life is hanging in the balance. Not knowing what will happen to you or your family can can be overwhelming. To help clients with divorce and family law matters in their time of need, Stange Law Firm, PC has limited their practice to divorce and family law matters. For your convenience, we have offices in Missouri, Illinois, Kansas and Oklahoma in places such as St. Louis, Kansas City, Columbia, Springfield, Wichita, Tulsa and beyond. We also respond to all phone...

Mr. Smith is a trial attorney and zealous civil litigator practicing primarily in the areas of employment and disability discrimination, whistleblower litigation, governmental liability, catastrophic personal injury and property damage, wrongful death, tractor-trailer crash litigation, insurance defense, and business and commercial litigation. He aggressively defends the rights of clients in high-stakes litigation and decisively leverages cutting-edge trial technology in the courtroom to maximize understanding and persuasion while minimizing complexity. Mr. Smith is equally adept as a litigator outside of the courtroom. He is a prolific writer and has had notable success with summary judgment motions, complex motion...

Born in Kansas City, Missouri
Raised in Richmond and Kearney, Missouri
Graduated Suma Cum Laude from William Jewel College in Liberty Missouri
Graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas City-School of law
Numerous Dean’s List and Honors in Academic Career
Multiple Awards
Practicing law for over 10 years
Licensed in Missouri and Oklahoma.
Regional Kansas City, Missouri attorney; situated in historic “Rockhill Ridge” Brookside community specialized in amending traffic tickets in the Kansas City, Missouri Metropolitan area

As a former shareholder at an AmLaw 100 law firm, Brian Wallace co-founded Foster Wallace to apply his Big Law experience toward helping people who have been wronged. Brian has lived in the Kansas City metro area for over 30 years and, along with his wife, is raising three school-aged boys. As a former Division 1 soccer player, Brian enjoys the meditative and social aspects of endurance sports; he has completed several marathons, triathlons, ultramarathon, and half Ironman events. In law as well as athletics, Brian is hardworking and competitive, always digging deep for the best result. Representative Experience Obtained a settlement for...

Rachel established Foley Law which is also known as KC Bankruptcy. She dedicates over 90% of her time to the practice of consumer bankruptcy law. Her undergraduate training was mainly in the sciences and medicine. However,it was the freedom of debt described in Deuteronomy 15:1-2 that called her into the ever evolving world of bankruptcy. Rachel’s passion is to achieve freedom from debt for her clients enabling them to obtain a fresh start. She uses this fact! Walt Disney filed bankruptcy in the Western District of Missouri, without this bankruptcy Mickey Mouse may never have been...

Amber is a graduate of the University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Law where she graduated six months early at the top of her class with a Family Law emphasis.

During law school, Amber received the coveted induction into Phi Delta Phi legal honor society and made the Dean's list every semester.

While still in law school, Amber gained early litigation experience as an attorney for the Child and Family Services Clinic and Guardian ad Litem Clinic. During law school, Amber also obtained additional litigation experience clerking for a group of general practice attorneys and gained invaluable...

Dr. Sam Cullan's first degree was from the United States Merchant Marine Academy where he graduated with a major in Marine Engineering and a minor in Nuclear Engineering. After graduating, he ran for public office and was elected to the Nebraska State Senate, at the age of 22. He served in the State Senate for two terms and then attended Creighton University School of Law, graduating cum laude in 1982. While practicing law he pursued a medical degree from Creighton University Medical School and graduated in 1987.
After medical school, Dr. Cullan worked for a large Kansas City firm defending serious...

Mr. Joseph represents individuals and businesses during the investigation and prosecution of criminal charges in federal and state courts. He also represents businesses and individuals in complex civil litigation, primarily in federal court. He leads the firm’s criminal and civil asset forfeiture practice groups.

Mr. Joseph received his juris doctorate in 2000 from the University of Kansas School of Law. He was invited to membership in the Order of the Coif, a national honor society for law school graduates with exceptional academic achievement. Mr. Joseph graduated summa cum laude from Wichita State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in...

I practice criminal defense, and immigration law. I represent criminal defendants in cases at the state and federal level involving DWI, assault, drug offenses, theft, and sexual offenses. My expertise encompasses all areas of immigration law, with special focus on deportation defense, family immigration, appeals and federal court litigation.

I am highly experienced in counseling immigrants and criminal defense attorneys about the immigration consequences of criminal activity. This sets me apart from most criminal defense attorneys, who have a very limited understanding of the immigration consequences for their clients.

I decided to become a lawyer in honor of my friend, Sgt. Jessie Davila, who was killed in action while we were deployed to Iraq. My initial focus in the law was to help other Veterans navigate the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs disability system as a Veterans lawyer. However, I discovered that many of the Veterans I was helping obtain VA disability benefits also needed help with estate planning and elder law concerns. This realization led me back to law school, where I earned my Masters in Law (LL.M.) in Elder journey in the legal profession started with internships...

As a partner at Monsees & Mayer P.C., David M. Mayer has provided personal injury and neglect victims in the Kansas City area with the legal representation they need to fight for the compensation they deserve. With over 20 years of distinguished experience, the Kansas City native has received more than seven multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements, earning him an exclusive spot on the Million Dollar Advocates Forum. His community involvement and dedication to each case has also earned him recognition as one of the Top 10 Lawyers in Missouri for Client Satisfaction by the American Institute of Personal Injury...

Neil Sader is a Kansas City bankruptcy attorney. A University of Kansas law school graduate, Neil has been practicing law in the Kansas City area since 1984. Though born in Connecticut, Neil spent most of his childhood in the Midwest and is proud to call Kansas City home. He maintains several professional distinctions: the highest rating possible from Martindale-Hubbell, Super Lawyers Awards in both Missouri and Kansas from 2006 through the present, and a 10-year nomination for the Better Business Bureau. Neil is the managing partner The Sader Law Firm, which is located across from Union Station in downtown Kansas...

Denise received her law degree from Georgetown University in 1994. Her practice focuses almost exclusively on DWI defense. She is the President of the Missouri DWI Institute and Chair of the Bernard Edelman DWI Law and Science Seminar (2017-2020), a DWI training seminar for attorneys in the state. She previously served on the Board of Directors for the Missouri Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and was one of only four members of the statewide MACDL DWI Committee. Her peers have voted her a Super Lawyer in the area of DWI/DUI Defense for several years running. She was voted Best DWI/DUI...

Attorney Michael Throneberry has been pursuing cases on behalf of mesothelioma and asbestos lung cancer victims for nearly two decades. He is involved in every case the Firm takes on and is involved preparing clients for depositions, directing discovery, and negotiating the best outcome for the clients. Attorney Throneberry began practicing law at a large firm in St. Louis where he focused on commercial litigation litigating cases on behalf of individuals, small businesses and multi-national companies. After losing his father-in-law to mesothelioma, Attorney Throneberry began to focus exclusively on helping the victims of asbestos exposure, which primarily...

Ross C. Nigro, Jr., graduated from the University of Kansas with bachelor's degrees in Political Science and History. Mr. Nigro obtained his Juris Doctorate from the University of Missouri, Kansas City - School of Law. Upon graduating from law school, Mr. Nigro worked as a law clerk with the Sixteenth Judicial Circuit of Missouri in Jackson County, Missouri. Mr. Nigro then went on to work as an Assistant Jackson County Counselor handling county prosecutions and civil rights violations. Since 1997, Mr. Nigro has been in private practice, where he has concentrated his practice in the criminal...

Jonathan Sternberg is an appellate lawyer in Kansas City and St. Louis, Missouri, representing businesses and individuals in civil and criminal appeals and related matters before state and federal courts nationwide. He focuses his practice strictly on appellate litigation. This includes every stage of a case, not only briefing and arguing appeals and related actions, but also advising trial lawyers on procedure and strategy. Since opening his practice on his admission to the bar in 2007, Jonathan has been counsel of record in more than 200 reported appellate decisions in a wide array of subjects. The total amount in controversy of...

It is a privilege and a passion for me to serve clients throughout the Kansas City metro who deserve thorough and principled legal representation for criminal defense and traffic matters. People make mistakes. Whether they are charged with drugs, violent crimes, traffic tickets or a DUI, they still deserve proper representation in an often confusing legal system. The Kansas City metro is home to multiple courts, cities, counties, state, and federal jurisdictions. Knowing these systems well helps me to help clients effectively. Through my firm, The Wichman Law Firm with offices in Kansas City,...

Maya King is a distinguished attorney who graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School with Cum Laude honors, showcasing her dedication and commitment to the legal field. With a strong foundation in law, Maya has dedicated her career to advocating for her clients in various immigration matters. Maya’s expertise spans a wide spectrum of immigration issues. She has a proven track record of representing clients in challenging removal trials and appeals, where her legal acumen and determination shine through. Additionally, Maya excels in handling both immigrant and non-immigrant visa cases, including student and visitor visas, demonstrating her commitment to helping...

Virginia Cullan, attorney and business manager of Cullan & Cullan, earned her law degree from Creighton University School of Law in 1983. Virginia has over 35 years of extensive experience working on cases involving semi-truck and trailer wrecks, automobile wrecks, birth injury, medical malpractice, and nursing home abuse. She is licensed to practice law in Missouri, Iowa, and Nebraska and is a member of a number of distinguished legal organizations including the American Association for Justice, Missouri Bar Association, and the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association.

At the Kiske Law Office, LLC, my philosophy is to empower my clients through compassionate representation. I do this first by creating a low-key and casual office environment that encourages you to “come as you are.” The changes you are facing in your life as a result of the issues that have caused you to seek a Family Law Attorney are stressful enough without the additional worry about the pretense of “going to the lawyer’s.” My clients are usually very happy with this approach because it allows them to worry only about the immediate situation...

I helped form PEAK for the same reason I became an attorney, I like solving problems and I’m not afraid to take risks or think outside the proverbial “box.” I am very fortunate to be surrounded by other lawyers at PEAK who feel the same. If you are reading this, I hope it means we will be working together.

I graduated from UMKC law school with highest honors and was fortunate to be hired by Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP in 2007, where I was promoted to Partner seven years later. As an attorney at Shook, I spent most...

Suzanne Hale Robinson leads Hale Robinson & Robinson LLC’s domestic litigation team, practicing domestic law and personal injury. Suzanne has lived in the Kansas City area for over 30 years and has developed a deep connection with the community and its residents. Suzanne represents clients in multiple areas of domestic law. From a simple divorce to a complex child custody dispute to negotiating a high net-worth asset distribution, Suzanne has the experience and ability to help get your case resolved. Suzanne also represents clients in personal injury cases. Taking on insurance companies and getting clients life changing results is one of...

Samuel M. Wendt of Wendt Goss, P.C. is a Kansas City personal injury attorney. Before attending law school, he received his Bachelor of Science in Cellular Biology, which now serves to benefit his complex litigation cases. He has received the honor of an AV Preeminent™ Rating on Martindale-Hubbell® as well as other distinctions such as “Best of the Bar” in 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2012 by Kansas City Business Journal and listed to both the Kansas and Missouri Super Lawyer® list. He is admitted to practice law in Kansas, Missouri and Illinois. Mr. Wendt has handled a wide array of...