The law firm of Kirkland Woods & Martinsen LLP is very pleased to announce the promotions of Alice M. Haseltine and Andrew M. Mitchell to Partners of the firm. Ms. Haseltine will continue to focus on estate planning, transfer tax planning, and advising fiduciaries in trust and probate administration from the firm’s Overland Park, Kansas office. Mr. Mitchell will continue to focus on estate, wealth transfer, asset protection, and business succession planning as well as advising fiduciaries in trust and probate administration from the firm’s Clayton, Missouri office.
 
"We are absolutely thrilled to recognize Alice and Andrew as Partners in the firm, and we look forward to their continued excellence in providing legal services to our clients,” said Robert Kirkland, Founding Partner of Kirkland Woods & Martinsen LLP.
 
Ms. Haseltine received her J.D. from the University of Missouri, cum laude, in 2015, and has practiced with the firm since her graduation. She is licensed to practice in Missouri and Kansas.
 
Mr. Mitchell received his J.D. from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 2006, where he served on the Kentucky Law Journal. Andrew was selected by Super Lawyers in 2020 and by Best Lawyers for their 2021 edition. He is licensed to practice in Missouri, Illinois, and Kentucky.
 
Kirkland Woods & Martinsen LLP has offices in Liberty, Missouri, Springfield, Missouri, Clayton, Missouri and Overland Park, Kansas. The firm has, since its founding in 2000, concentrated its practice in trusts and estates law, with capacity in closely-held corporate and real estate law as well. Six of the firm’s eighteen attorneys are active Fellows of the American College of Trust & Estate Counsel (“ACTEC”).

Li b e r t y | O v e r l a n d P a r k | S p r i n g f i e l d | S a i n t L o u i s
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Our offices will be closed on Thursday, December 24th and Friday, December 25th, and on Friday, January 1, 2021.

From our Kirkland, Woods & Martinsen family to yours, we wish you a wonderful and safe holiday season! 

Kirkland Woods & Martinsen is pleased to announce that Rochelle B. Falk has earned the President’s Award from the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association (KCMBA). Each year, the award goes to those individuals who have contributed significantly to the work of the bar, have added value to the organization and provided leadership during the past year.

It is given based upon service to the profession, reflecting favorably on the mission and objectives of the KCMBA.

Rochelle is the 2020 Chairperson of the Probate and Estate Planning Committee for KCMBA and spearheaded the PowerUp! Free Power of Attorney Services for Healthcare Heroes pro bono initiative at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic to serve healthcare providers on the front line by connecting them with volunteer attorneys to advise and prepare power of attorney documents.  Additionally, she presented two CLE’s: one with fellow attorney and probate committee member, Maureen Lester to satisfy the MO Bar’s new CLE requirement for diversity and inclusion, as well as a CLE to help more attorney’s learn about preparing Power of Attorney documents and encourage participation in the PowerUp! Pro bono program.
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The President’s award will be given on Friday, December 4th during the KCMBA Annual Meeting.

https://kcmba.org/web/KCMBA_Website/Events/Annual_Meeting.aspx
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https://www.facebook.com/KansasCityMetropolitanBarAssociation/posts/3874510625893905

​https://www.linkedin.com/posts/kansas-city-metropolitan-bar-association_kcmba-activity-6739671046703640576-UCrB

Our offices will be closed on Thursday, November 26th and Friday, November 27th for the Thanksgiving holiday.
We are grateful for our clients and professional colleagues.  We wish you and your loved one a lovely and safe Thanksgiving! 

We are pleased to announce eight attorneys from our law firm have been selected to the 2020 Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers list: Bob Kirkland, Dick Woods, Scott Martinsen, Dan Wheeler, John Challis, Aaron Kirkland, Rochelle Falk, and Andrew Mitchell.

Additionally, Bob Kirkland, Dick Woods, and Scott Martinsen are being recognized for their 15th year as a Thomson Reuters Super Lawyer. John Challis is being recognized for his 5th year as as a Thomson Reuters Super Lawyer, well as Top 50 in St. Louis, and Top 100 in the Kansas-Missouri Super Lawyer region.

Each year, no more than five percent of the lawyers in the state are selected by the research team at Super Lawyers to receive this honor.
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Super Lawyers, part of Thomson Reuters, is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The annual selections are made using a patented multiphase process that includes a statewide survey of lawyers, an independent research evaluation of candidates and peer reviews by practice area. The result is a credible, comprehensive and diverse listing of exceptional attorneys. The Super Lawyers lists are published nationwide in Super Lawyers Magazines and in leading city and regional magazines and newspapers across the country. Super Lawyers Magazines also feature editorial profiles of attorneys who embody excellence in their practice of law. For more information about Super Lawyers, go to SuperLawyers.com

Scott K. Martinsen was recently recognized by Best Lawyers as the 2021 "Lawyer of the Year" for Trusts and Estates.
Only a single lawyer in each practice area and designated metropolitan area is honored as the "Lawyer of the Year," making this accolade particularly significant. These lawyers are selected based on particularly impressive voting averages received during the peer review assessments.
Receiving this designation reflects the high level of respect a lawyer has earned among other leading lawyers in the same communities and the same practice areas for their abilities, their professionalism, and their integrity.
In addition to the "Lawyer of the Year" award, Scott K. Martinsen was also listed in the 2021 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America in the following practice areas:

• Litigation - Trusts and Estates

Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence.

Congratulations Scott!

Kirkland Woods & Martinsen LLP has been ranked in the 2021 U.S. News - Best Lawyers® "Best Law Firms" list regionally in 3 practice areas.
In addition, the firm has been named "Law Firm of the Year" in:Firms included in the 2021 "Best Law Firms" list are recognized for professional excellence with persistently impressive ratings from clients and peers. Achieving a tiered ranking signals a unique combination of quality law practice and breadth of legal expertise.
The 2021 Edition of "Best Law Firms" includes rankings in 75 national practice areas and 127 metropolitan - based practice areas. Additionally, one "Law Firm of the Year" was named in each nationally-ranked practice area.
Ranked firms, presented in tiers, are listed on a national and/ or metropolitan scale. Receiving a tier designation reflects the high level of respect a firm has earned among other leading lawyers and clients in the same communities and the same practice areas for their abilities, their professionalism and their integrity.
Kirkland Woods & Martinsen LLP received the following rankings in the 2021 U.S. News – Best Lawyers "Best Law Firms":

• Regional Tier 1
  • Kansas City-KS
    • Trusts & Estates Law
  • Kansas City-MO
    • Litigation - Trusts & Estates
    • Trusts & Estates Law
• Regional Tier 2
  • St. Louis
    • Litigation - Trusts & Estates
• Regional Tier 3
  • St. Louis
    • Commercial Litigation

Kirkland Woods & Martinsen LLP is pleased to announce that 7 lawyers have been included in the 2021 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America. Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence.
Best Lawyers has published their list for over three decades, earning the respect of the profession, the media, and the public as the most reliable, unbiased source of legal referrals. Its first international list was published in 2006 and since then has grown to provide lists in over 75 countries.
"Best Lawyers was founded in 1981 with the purpose of highlighting the extraordinary accomplishments of those in the legal profession. After three decades, we are proud to continue to serve as the most reliable, unbiased source of legal referrals worldwide," says CEO Phillip Greer.
Lawyers on The Best Lawyers in America list are divided by geographic region and practice areas. They are reviewed by their peers on the basis of professional expertise, and undergo an authentication process to make sure they are in current practice and in good standing.
Kirkland Woods & Martinsen LLP would like to congratulate the following lawyers named to 2021 The Best Lawyers in America list:

• Robert K. Kirkland - Litigation - Trusts and Estates and Trusts and Estates
• Scott K. Martinsen - Litigation - Trusts and Estates and Trusts and Estates
• Daniel P. Wheeler - Litigation - Trusts and Estates and Trusts and Estates
• Emily J. Kembell - Litigation - Trusts and Estates and Trusts and Estates
• John M. Challis - Commercial Litigation and Litigation - Trusts and Estates
• Richard D. Woods - Trusts and Estates
• Andrew M. Mitchell - Litigation - Trusts and Estates and Trusts and Estates

We would like to congratulate our St. Louis partner, John Challis, for being the 2020 recipient of the W. Oliver Rasch Award for his article Electronic Wills in Missouri: The Future is Now. This award is given to a lawyer who has contributed and authored the best Journal of The Missouri Bar article of the year.  John will receive the award in September at the Missouri Bar Virtual Annual meeting. 

Please read more about this honor: https://news.mobar.org/john-challis-honored-for-legal-writing/