​Kirkland Woods & Martinsen is pleased to announce that John Challis, a partner in the firm's St. Louis office, has been elected as a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation (ABF). Membership in the ABF is limited to no more than one percent of all lawyers licensed to practice in each jurisdiction.  Members are nominated by their peers and selected by the ABF Board.

The ABF Fellows is a global society consisting of attorneys, judges, law faculty, and legal scholars whose public and private careers have demonstrated outstanding dedication to the highest principles of the legal profession and to the welfare of their communities.  ABF Fellows hail from nearly forty countries and hold a wide variety of influential roles.

The ABF Fellows serve as stewards of the American Bar Foundation, an independent, nonprofit research organization which conducts short- and long-term socio-legal research projects.  The ABF’s mission is to serve the legal profession, the public, and the academy through empirical research, publications, and programs that advance justice and the understanding of law.  

To learn more about John's practice, visit his bio here or contact him at jchallis@kwm-law.com or 314-944-5200.

Kirkland Woods & Martinsen attorney Michelle Burge will be co-presenting with J. Brett Milbourn of Horn Aylward & Bandy, LLC at the 123rd Annual Arkansas Bar Association Meeting.  Michelle and Brett will be discussing Virtual Trial Tips at the Association's 2021 virtual annual meeting. 

Michelle will be drawing from her extensive experience learned during a nine-day virtual trial in Johnson County, Kansas.  It was one of the first all-virtual trials in Johnson County, Kansas during the COVID-19 pandemic in the fall of 2020.

To learn more about the Arkansas Bar Association's 2021 Annual Meeting, including how to register and watch Michelle's presentation, please visit their website or review the meeting brochure. 

To learn more about Michelle's practice, please visit her bio or contact her at mburge@kwm-law.com or 913-469-0900.

  

​Michelle Burge will be co-presenting with the Honorable Chris Jayaram of Johnson County Kansas 10th Judicial Court at the 2021 Johnson County Bench/Bar Conference. They will be discussing their nine day virtual trial in Johnson County, Kansas. It was one of the first all virtual trials in Johnson County, Kansas during the COVID-19 pandemic in the fall of 2020. 

To learn more or for attorneys interested in "attending" the virtual bench/bar conference and to hear their presentation: "Virtual Trials in the Pandemic Environment - Is This a View of the Future in Civil Litigation?" visit the Johnson County Bar Association website: 
​https://www.jocobar.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=1487752
​
​

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
​ www.kwm-law.com

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.
​
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
​
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.
​
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!