Honored to Be Named to Missouri Lawyers Media's 2026 Medical Malpractice Power List

Here's the complete post:

Honored to Be Named to Missouri Lawyers Media's 2026 Medical Malpractice Power List

Missouri Lawyers Media recently published its 2026 Power List for Medical Malpractice Litigation, and I am genuinely humbled to have been included. Recognition like this is not something I take lightly, particularly when the company is this good.

I have spent the last 25 years doing one thing: representing patients and families who have been harmed by medical negligence. Early in my career I handled general personal injury work, but for a quarter century now my practice has been exclusively medical malpractice — always on the side of the patient. That focus has shaped everything about how I approach this work — from the way I evaluate cases to the way I prepare for trial.

Over those 25 years, I have developed a particular emphasis on orthopedic, surgical, and emergency medicine cases. Medical malpractice cases live or die on the details, and I have always believed that mastering the medical records — truly understanding what happened and why — is the foundation of effective advocacy for injured patients. When I take a case, I commit to giving the client an honest assessment of its strengths and weaknesses, even when that is not what they want to hear. The clients I can genuinely help deserve that candor.

Among the cases I am most proud of is the BioJoint litigation, which I handled along with co-counsel Kip Robertson. That matter involved patients who suffered failed knee surgeries at the Mizzou BioJoint Center, and it resulted in more than $16.2 million in settlements — recognized as one of Missouri's top reported settlements in 2021. Cases like that one represent exactly what this work is about: real people, real harm, and accountability.

I want to take a moment to congratulate my fellow honorees. I know almost every attorney on this list, and I can tell you that this is a remarkable group of lawyers. Whether they represent plaintiffs or defendants, every person named has earned their standing in this field through hard work and genuine skill. The list includes, among others, James Bartimus of Bartimus Frickleton Robertson Rader, one of the most accomplished plaintiff trial lawyers in Missouri history; Roger Johnson of Johnson, Vorhees & Martucci, who has been fighting for patients for 35 years; Ken Vuylsteke of Fox and Vuylsteke; Amy Gunn of Gunn | Slater; Elizabeth Lenivy of Simon Law; Alvin Wolff of Wolff Trial Lawyers; and Leland Dempsey of Dempsey Kingsland Osteen. These are serious lawyers doing serious work, and I am proud to be mentioned alongside them.

Medical malpractice litigation is difficult and demanding. Cases take years. The science is complex. The opposition is well-funded. And the stakes for the families we represent could not be higher. Every attorney on this list understands that, and every one of them shows up to do the job anyway. That commitment deserves to be recognized.

Thank you to Missouri Lawyers Media for putting this list together. And thank you to the clients who have trusted me with their most difficult moments over the past 25 years. This recognition belongs to them as much as anyone.