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Product Liability, Auto Accident Lawyers – Independence, Kansas City and Surrounding Missouri Areas

The Bottaro, Morefield, Kubin & Yocum, P.C. product liability and auto accident lawyers serve Kansas City, Independence, and all areas of Missouri and Kansas. We can assist with several types of personal injury claims. Our clients come from all walks of life and we treat them as individuals, not as cases. We are selective about the cases we take because we prefer to devote all of our energies to clients and cases we truly believe in.

Our auto accident lawyers serve the Missouri area and work on cases ranging from motorcycle to truck accidents. Our experienced product liability attorneys can also help Independence, Kansas City, and surrounding area residents with their claims. Our lawyers work hard to protect your rights when it comes to accidents caused by defective or dangerous products such as power tools or household chemicals. The legal team at Bottaro, Morefield, Kubin & Yocum, P.C. also handles personal injury claims including wrongful death and medical malpractice cases, as well as business disputes.

Our Attorneys

Our product liability, auto accident, and other experienced lawyers serve Independence and surrounding Missouri and Kansas areas. At Bottaro, Morefield, Kubin & Yocum, P.C. , we are known throughout the region; our attorneys have been elected to numerous leadership positions in local, state, and national attorney organizations including the American Bar Association, the Missouri Bar Association, the Lawyers Association of Kansas City, and the Johnson County Bar Association.

The firm and each of its senior members have been awarded the highest rating for legal ability and ethics by the Martindale-Hubbell Legal Directory. This rating is based on how other lawyers have privately evaluated our ability and ethical standards.

Our personal injury, product liability, and auto accident lawyers have also been listed in the publication Best Lawyers in America and in Who's Who in American Law. Our knowledgeable and experienced lawyers are here to help. To read an attorney profile, select a name below:

Patrick Bottaro
Richard Morefield
Kip Kubin
Rebecca S. Yocum
Todd A. Gangel
Andrew Speicher
Bruce Wendel

Patrick Bottaro

Patrick Bottaro is a managing senior member of Bottaro, Morefield, Kubin & Yocum, P.C. He practices primarily in the areas of personal injury law, wrongful death, workers compensation, and commercial litigation. Mr. Bottaro practices in the state and federal courts of Missouri, in the United States District Court for the District of Kansas, and in the Missouri Division of Workers’ Compensation. He has handled cases in all phases of litigation including trials, appeals, and mediation.

Mr. Bottaro received his B.A. in Political Science from Creighton University in 1982 and his law degree from the University of Iowa in 1985. Following law school, Mr. Bottaro practiced law for eight years with one of the largest law firms in Kansas City, practicing in the areas of insurance defense, workers’ compensation, and financial institution litigation. In 1993, Mr. Bottaro and Mr. Morefield left that firm to begin their own practice representing the interests of individuals injured physically or financially by the wrongdoing of others – such as product liability and auto accident victims.

Mr. Bottaro has served as a Director of the Lawyers Association of Kansas City. He is currently a member of the Lawyers Association of Kansas City, the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, the Missouri Association of Trial Lawyers, and the American Association of Trial Lawyers. Mr. Bottaro has been awarded the highest rating for legal ability and ethics (AV) by the Martindale-Hubbell Legal Directory.

Richard Morefield

Richard Morefield is a senior member of Bottaro, Morefield, Kubin & Yocum, P.C. He practices primarily in the areas of personal injury, wrongful death, workers’ compensation, and business litigation. Mr. Morefield maintains an active trial practice in the state and federal courts of Missouri and Kansas and is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States. He has handled cases in all phases of litigation including trials, appeals, and mediation.

Mr. Morefield received his B.A. in Economics from Rice University in 1983 and his law degree from the University of Kansas in 1986. He was awarded a full scholarship to law school and was selected to be a member of the school's National Moot Court Team in 1986.

Following law school, Mr. Morefield practiced law for seven years with one of the largest firms in the Kansas City area, representing the interests of insurance companies, major corporations, and financial institutions. In 1993, Mr. Morefield and Mr. Bottaro left that firm to begin their own practice representing the interests of those injured physically or financially by the wrongdoing of others – e.g., product liability, auto accident, and fraud victims.

Mr. Morefield has held numerous leadership positions in local, state, and national bar associations. He currently serves on the council of the ABA's Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section, co-chairs the Law Practice Management Task Force and served as editor-in-chief of the quarterly law magazine The Brief. He served two years as an officer in the American Bar Association-YLD, served as president of the Lawyers Association of Kansas City-YLS, and served as the ABA representative for the Missouri Bar YLS. In 2004 -2005, he was President of the Lawyers Association of Kansas City. He has been recognized in Who's Who in American Law and has been awarded the highest rating for legal ability and ethics (AV) by the Martindale-Hubbell Legal Directory. Mr. Morefield has also been selected as a Kansas and Missouri SuperLawyer in each year since 2005. Mr. Morefield has lectured on Missouri tort law, trial techniques, Kansas workers’ compensation law, and the Federal Tort Claims Act.

Also active in his church, Mr. Morefield serves as Clerk of the Session for Covenant Chapel Evangelical Presbyterian Church. He is an avid soccer fan and enjoys playing classic rock and blues guitar.

Kip Kubin

Kip A. Kubin is a senior member in the law firm. He has been practicing law since 1983, primarily in litigation involving workers’ compensation, employment, Native American, administrative, and personal injury law including product liability and auto accident claims.

Mr. Kubin has represented clients through all phases of litigation involving jury and court trials on both the state and federal levels in Kansas and Missouri. He has argued cases before the appellate courts in Missouri and Kansas as well as in the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals on the federal level. Mr. Kubin has also handled cases in the administrative courts of Kansas and Missouri, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the National Indian Gaming Commission, and the NCAA.

Mr. Kubin attended the University of Kansas where he graduated in 1980. He received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Kansas in 1983. Mr. Kubin is admitted to practice before the state, district, and appellate courts in Kansas and Missouri, the Federal District Court in Kansas, and the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.

He is a member and past president of the Johnson County Bar Association,and is a member of the Kansas and Missouri Bar Associations, the Kansas Association of Defense Counsel, and the Defense Research Institute.

Mr. Kubin speaks frequently at seminars and continuing legal education conferences and is listed in Best Lawyers in America.

For more information on personal injury, product liability, or auto accident lawyers, contact our Kansas City firm – serving Independence and other areas of Missouri and Kansas.

Rebecca S. Yocum

Rebecca S. Yocum joined the law firm as a senior member in August 2008. Prior to joining BMK&Y, Ms. Yocum was a partner at Stinson Morrison Hecker LLP. Ms. Yocum has extensive experience in civil litigation in state and federal courts throughout the country, having tried many cases to successful jury verdict. Ms. Yocum focuses her litigation practice in the areas of Business, Employment, Construction and Real Estate law.

Ms. Yocum earned her undergraduate degree from Missouri Southern State College before receiving her Juris Doctorate from the University of Missouri – Kansas City School of Law. She is admitted to practice in Missouri and Kansas state courts, the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri and the United States District Court for the District of Kansas.

Ms. Yocum has held numerous leadership positions in local and state bar associations. She currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Lawyers Association of Kansas City.

Ms. Yocum is a former president of the Advisory Board of Directors for Research Medical Center and currently sits on that board. She previously held a three- year term on the Board of Trustees for the Village Presbyterian Church, serving as Chair of the Board in her third year.

Recent Experience

Obtained a defense verdict in Jackson County Circuit Court on behalf of an employer in a MHRA retaliation claim.
Successfully obtained summary judgment as a plaintiff on fraud claims in Jackson County Circuit Court for a bank client.
Achieved a major trial victory in Jackson County Circuit Court on behalf of the client involving claims of mortgage fraud and inflated appraisals in conspiracy with the mortgage broker and other to defraud plaintiff in a mortgage transaction.
Successfully obtained dismissal of a class action against a bank client in the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska. Plaintiffs alleged the client violated the National Bank Act, the Bank Holding Company Act and the Depository Institutions Deregulation and Monitoring Control Act by, among other things, charging usurious interest. The dismissal was recently affirmed by the 8th Circuit.
Obtained a defense verdict for a property management company in a damage claim whereby plaintiff alleged defective wiring caused a fire in her apartment.
Successfully represented a Kansas bank client in a case of first impression involving competing liens and the effect of the homestead exemption on property exceeding one acre.
Obtained a defense verdict in the United States District Court of Kansas on behalf of a university in a Title VII and Equal Pay Act claim.

Todd A. Gangel

Todd Gangel

Todd A. Gangel joined BMK&Y as a Senior Associate in April 2010. Before joining the Firm, Mr. Gangel was an associate at Shook, Hardy & Bacon, L.L.P., where he gained extensive experience representing Fortune 500 companies and other large corporate clients in all aspects of product-liability and commercial disputes.

Mr. Gangel has prepared numerous motions that disposed of cases before trial, including complex motions that prevented expert medical and scientific witnesses from espousing “junk science” theories against a medical-device manufacturer in state and federal court. Mr. Gangel has also briefed appeals before the Missouri and Kansas supreme courts; and he managed large dockets of personal-injury and wrongful-death claims involving drugs and medical devices, as well as property-damage claims involving consumer products.

Born and raised in Kansas, Mr. Gangel graduated summa cum laude from the University of Missouri School of Journalism and worked as a television reporter for two years before going to law school. He received his law degree from the University of Kansas, where he was an articles editor for the Kansas Law Review and a member of the Order of the Coif honor society.

Mr. Gangel is admitted to practice before state and federal courts in Missouri, and Kansas, and is a member of the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association and American Bar Association.

Andrew Speicher

Andrew Speicher Andrew L. Speicher is an senior associate with the firm and has focused his practice in the areas of personal injury, product liability, and workers' compensation.

Mr. Speicher graduated Magna Cum Laude from MidAmerica Nazarene University in 1998. He went on to graduate with honors from Drake University School of Law in 2000. Mr. Speicher was also named in Who's Who Among American Law Students.

Mr. Speicher worked as a public defender for the State of Missouri, where he gained valuable trial experience. He then practiced with a prominent insurance defense firm in Kansas City for a year before joining Bottaro, Morefield, Kubin & Yocum, P.C. in 2004.

In keeping with the firm's core commitments to high-quality client representation and public service, Mr. Speicher is an active member of the Kansas, Missouri, and American Bar Associations, as well as the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association and the Johnson County (KS) Bar Association.

Mr. Speicher believes that an attorney's primary responsibility is to represent the interests of his clients to the best of his ability, while promoting the practice of law as an honorable profession.

To find out more or to schedule a consultation, contact the product liability and auto accident lawyers at our Kansas City firm. We are proud to help Independence, Overland Park, and surrounding Missouri and Kansas area residents.

Bruce Wendel

Bruce Wendel Bruce L. Wendel joined BMK&Y as a Senior Associate in June 2011. Mr. Wendel has extensive trial experience in the Missouri and Kansas state courts and Divisions of Workers Compensation Courts. He has also argued numerous workers compensation appeals. Mr. Wendel maintains an active trial practice, and continues to concentrate his practice primarily in the area of workers' compensation in Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska.

Prior to joining BMK&Y, Mr. Wendel worked at Fox Stretz and Quinn, and Liberty Mutual Insurance Company. At Liberty Mutual, he gained extensive experience in the trial of motor vehicle accidents, premises liability cases, and workers compensation cases.

Originally from Lincoln, Nebraska, Mr. Wendel earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Nebraska. He earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He is a member of the Kansas and Missouri Bar Associations. He is admitted to practice in the state courts of Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska.

Our Lawyers in the News

Our product liability and auto accident lawyers have been recognized in several organizations in the Kansas and Missouri area.

Bottaro, Morefield, Kubin & Yocum, P.C. Named U.S. News & World Report Best Law Firm

Bottaro, Morefield, Kubin & Yocum, P.C. was honored as one of America’s Best Law Firms for 2011-12 by U.S. News & World Report. Kip Kubin and Rebecca Yocum received individual recognition as Best Lawyers in the areas of workers compensation, and labor and employment law respectively.

Bottaro, Morefield, Kubin and Yocum Named 2011 SuperLawyers

Patrick Bottaro, Richard Morefield, Kip Kubin and Rebecca Yocum were named Missouri and Kansas SuperLawyers for for 2011. The SuperLawyers designation is reserved for less than 5 percent of the attorneys in Missouri and Kansas.

Bottaro, Morefield, Kubin & Yocum, P.C. Earns Highest Rating by Martindale-Hubbell

Patrick Bottaro, Richard Morefield, and Kip Kubin have each been awarded the coveted AV Rating by the Martindale-Hubbell legal directory. This designation means that other lawyers have given them the highest possible rating for legal ability and ethics. In recognition of the honor bestowed on the firm’s senior members, Martindale-Hubbell has also given the firm its highest rating.

Bottaro, Morefield and Kubin Named 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 SuperLawyers

Mr. Bottaro, Mr. Morefield, and Mr. Kubin were awarded the designation of SuperLawyers for Kansas and Missouri in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. The SuperLawyers designation is reserved for less than 5 percent of the attorneys.

Morefield and Kubin Named 2005 Super Lawyers

Members Rick Morefield and Kip Kubin were honored for 2005 as two of Missouri’s SuperLawyers by Law & Politics magazine. Selection is made based on a survey of more than 25,000 active lawyers in Missouri, and is awarded to those who have attained a high degree of professional achievement and peer recognition. We congratulate them on their honor.

Kubin Elected to KBA Board of Governors

Kip Kubin has been elected to serve on the Kansas Bar Association Board of Governors for the 2005-2007 term. Mr. Kubin will join other elected members on the Board in promoting the interests of the legal profession, encouraging public understanding of the law, advocating positions on law-related issues, and promoting the effective administration of our system of justice. We congratulate him on this honor and are confident that his knowledge, experience, and commitment will make him a valuable addition to the board.

Morefield Selected as Editor in Chief of Quarterly Law Magazine

The American Bar Association’s Tort, Trial, and Insurance Practice Section has selected Richard Morefield to serve as the Editor in Chief of The Brief, a quarterly magazine focused on personal injury, insurance law, and trial practice issues. His selection follows five years as a member of the Editorial Board of the magazine.

If you have a personal injury, product liability or auto accident claim, contact our experienced Kansas City attorneys today. We serve Overland Park, Independence and surrounding Missouri and Kansas communities

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913-948-8200

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Bottaro, Morefield, Kubin & Yocum, P.C.
11300 Tomahawk Creek Parkway Suite 190
Leawood, Kansas 66211

Phone: 913-948-8200
Toll Free: 866-699-5141
Fax: 913-948-8228

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