Daily Record (Kansas City, MO) articles from August 2004

Daily Record (Kansas City, MO) archives from August 2004

KC's legal community weighs in on arena issue.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Stephanie Mitchum Murphy When Stinson Morrison Hecker LLP was deciding where to headquarter its offices following a recent merger, the managing partners decided they wanted to be in downtown, Kansas City, Mo. "At the end of the...

Commentary: Primarily It's About The Vote.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Erika Wirken Tomorrow is the beginning of a new day for the young lawyer's of Missouri. The Missouri Primary Election takes place tomorrow and with it may come an opportunity for all of the young lawyer's in our state to speak...

KC's first female City Prosecutor living her dream.
August 3, 2004... Byline: Eddie Higgens Beth Murano has always wanted to work in a prosecutor's office. The Iowa native was recently appointed to the position of City Prosecutor for Kansas City, MO. In the process of attaining the job she always...

Commentary: Tips for collecting the tools you need to get the work done.
August 3, 2004... Byline: Jim Wirken We are continuing to talk about the third part of every business in the world which is "Getting the work done." As you know from reading these articles on a week to week basis, there are five things that make up every...

Couple merges movies and law for CLE course.
August 4, 2004... Byline: Stephanie Mitchum Murphy Butch Rigby loves movies, so he left his law practice and built a theater. "My passions are real estate and movies," Butch Rigby said. "I have a tremendous respect for attorneys and I know the hard...

Commentary: What to know when your boss goes to Iraq.
August 4, 2004... Byline: Christine Ann Hughes When I attended the Missouri Association of Legal Secretaries (now known as "NALS of Missouri") annual meeting in West Plains, Missouri last spring, I was given the opportunity to hear member of the JAG Corps,...

'Daily Record' now features Jackson County verdicts.
August 5, 2004... Byline: Staff Writer The Daily Record has introduced a new feature in today's paper called Verdicts & Settlements Report. This feature will appear every Thursday in the newspaper and will highlight recent verdicts and settlements...

MO Court of Appeals reverses prejudgment interest.
August 6, 2004... Byline: Stephanie Mitchum Murphy The message is clear: If you don't pay your property owners' association dues, you will pay later. The Missouri Court of Appeals for the Western District affirmed in part a Jackson County Circuit Court...

Commentary: When is a Virtual Private Network (VPN) the right choice?
August 6, 2004... Byline: Doug Washington The Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a hot topic for companies that want to reduce costs and allow employees to safely log into company networks from home. Telecommuters and business travelers can use a VPN as a...

Attorney recovers fees; fights malpractice counterclaim.
August 6, 2004... Byline: Sheila M. Thiele Like most business people, attorney Debra Snoke only wanted to be paid for the services she rendered to her client. After her client failed to pay after a year of representation, she brought this action against...

Unexpected death not the result of medical malpractice.
August 6, 2004... Byline: Sheila M. Thiele An unexpected death isn't always the result of malpractice by the deceased's physicians, as attorney Stephen Brown was able to show a Jackson County jury last month. The medical malpractice claim was brought by...

Commentary: Are your dreams losing luster?
August 9, 2004... Byline: Chris Wirken After law school, weren't you really excited to seek justice, help victims, fight off wrongful claims and claimants, get a criminal convicted/acquitted, collect huge judgments from reckless companies, protect the...

District may terminate charter without hearing.
August 10, 2004... Byline: Stephanie Mitchum Murphy In the first charter school appellate case since the legislature wrote the charter schools act in 1998, the Missouri Court of Appeals for the Western District ruled a district can terminate a charter...

Commentary: Using a trial outline for litigation and non-litigation matters.
August 10, 2004... Byline: Jim Wirken Some weeks ago we began to talk about the third part of every business in the world, as one of the five parts that makes every business operate and that is "getting the work done." The other four areas are as follows:...

Women lawyers join forces.
August 11, 2004... Byline: Stephanie Mitchum Murphy When Jennifer Kyner and Elizabeth Reefer opened the doors to their new law firm, Kyner & Reefer, P.C., they didn't think of themselves in terms of being a women-owned law firm. To them, going into...

Kansas City attorney honored for her public service.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Stephanie Mitchum Murphy On a sunny Saturday morning, Melissa Taylor stood in front of a Johnson County t-ball field cheering for her two sons. "Great job, Sergio," she shouted as her seven year-old crossed home plate. ...

Commentary: Let your voice be heard.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Dana McFarland In my first article, I detailed suggestions on how to deal with a law clerk. Since I received some positive feedback, I thought another "how to" article might be helpful. To help all of us, I asked court reporters...

Petition reinstated in work-related injury case.
August 17, 2004... Byline: Stephanie Mitchum Murphy A Jackson County trial court must reinstate a women's petition alleging a cause of action against a co-worker in a work-related personal injury claim, the Missouri Court of Appeals for the Western District...

Commentary: Tips for using a trial outline to your advantage.
August 17, 2004... Byline: Jim Wirken I have been writing articles that talk about the five parts that make up every business in the world for over a year and a half. Yes, the practice of law is a profession, but it is also a business. If you do not operate...

Commentary: Courtrooms - Wasted space?
August 18, 2004... Byline: Bob Barton I was in Springfield last week visiting family when I came across an op ed piece in the Springfield News and Leader about a bill that Governor Holden had vetoed last month. Senate Bill 1081 dealt with construction...

Policy holder prevails in breach of contract case.
August 19, 2004... Byline: Stephanie Mitchum Murphy Material misrepresentation was not applicable when an insurance company could not prove a man intended to deceive the company on his credit disability insurance policy, the Missouri Court of Appeals for the...

New classrooms open at Univ. of Missouri at Kansas City School of Law.
August 20, 2004... Byline: Stephanie Mitchum Murphy Interim Dean Ellen Suni of the University of Missouri at Kansas City School of Law knows how it feels to negotiate steps in a classroom while on crutches. Last year, she spent several months on crutches...

MO Court of Appeals remands cemetery sale dispute to trial court.
August 23, 2004... Byline: Stephanie Mitchum Murphy A dispute that arose following a dissolution of marriage over a cemetery has been sent back to the trial court. In Dwane Allen Wills,II, et al., Appellants v. Julie R. Whitlock, et al., Respondents, the...

Commentary: 527 activities may be good for democracy.
August 23, 2004... Byline: Tony Miller Many of us have heard of the McCain-Feingold Bill that was intended to limit "soft-money" in federal elections and also limit the large one-time gifts from the wealthiest donors. I should warn you that I am not...

Attorneys prepare for Supreme Court hearing.
August 24, 2004... Byline: Stephanie Mitchum Murphy An ongoing dispute between the Kansas City, Mo. School District and the Westport Charter School is on its way to the state's High Court. The original issue in the case was whether or not the school...

Commentary: A few more trial outline forms you to consider.
August 24, 2004... Byline: Jim Wirken We are currently talking about the area of "getting the work done" as one of the five parts of every business in the world. As you know, the other four parts are "clients or customers," "administration," "billing," and...

Display in Courthouse lobby not prejudicial.
August 25, 2004... Byline: Stephanie Mitchum Murphy A Domestic Violence Awareness display at the Jackson County Courthouse did not prejudice a defendant found guilty for the murder of his girlfriend, the Missouri Court of Appeals for the Western District...

Jackson Co. Delinquent Tax Sale totals $1.2M.
August 30, 2004... Byline: Stephanie Mitchum Murphy Rain didn't keep the crowds from gathering on the Jackson County Courthouse steps in downtown Kansas City last week for the Delinquent Land Tax Sale. By 11 a.m. on Thursday in Kansas City, the county...

Commentary: Volunteering for Our Future.
August 30, 2004... Byline: Erika Wirken The spirit of volunteering and philanthropy are alive and well among young lawyers. If nothing else, besides happy hours, volunteering seems to be the common thread that brings many young lawyers together. There...

Commentary: Stay on track by using a time line.
August 31, 2004... Byline: Jim Wirken We are continuing to talk about the area of "getting the work done" as one of the five parts of every business in the world. As you know, the other four parts are "clients or customers," "administration," "billing," and...