Mark combines years of success defending class actions and handling other major litigation with the practical experience of leading an AmLaw 125 firm and a career's worth of focus in legal ethics and professional responsibility.
Overview
Following a very successful 11-year service as Managing Partner of Stinson, Mark enthusiastically returns to practice with the goal of using his legal and practical experience and expertise to better service the firm's business clients as well as other lawyers and law firms. Mark already had an impressive resume of commercial litigation success, leading teams defending cases with up to 10 figures at issue. During his tenure as managing partner of the firm, he added the business and practical experience of serving as CEO of a professional organization with $270M in revenues and 500 lawyers. Throughout his career, Mark has also maintained an expertise in legal professional responsibility and ethics, writing, speaking and having served as the Firm's general counsel. With Mark's return to active practice in mid-2021, he intends to build on these areas to provide leadership in commercial litigation for clients, and to build and expand on a practice in legal ethics and professional responsibility, both within the firm, assisting the firm's current general counsel; and to service other lawyers and law firms with "second opinions," training programs, expert witness services, legal malpractice defense and mediation/arbitration.
Experience
Mark served as managing partner of the firm from July 1, 2010 – June 30, 2021, deputy managing partner from July 1, 2008 – June 30, 2010. In this role, Mark served as full-time CEO of the firm responsible for leadership of and strategy relating to all business and practice operations.
Before being asked to assume the managing partner role, Mark served as one of the firm's leading trial lawyers, routinely handling eight to ten figure matters for key clients across the United States. In recognition of his experience and success, he was inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers while still in his 40s. He served as national Chair of the ACTL's Attorney-Client Relationships Committee.
Committed throughout his career to professional responsibility, he frequently writes and presents on the subject, and served for a period of years as general counsel or co-general counsel of the firm.
Mark co-founded and presents "Ethics for Good," which uses humor, skits and real-world scenarios in stage productions to teach legal ethics to lawyers. All proceeds (about $850,000 so far) go to charities and legal scholarships.
News & Insights
News
Speaking Engagements
Mark has been a frequent speaker (more than 100 presentations) and author on legal ethics and professional responsibility. He is a co-founder of "Ethics for Good," a benefit series of lively stage show ethics presentations whose net proceeds go entirely to local charities and law school and paralegal scholarships. Following its twenty-first year in 2021, approximately 11,000 lawyers have attended, generating nearly $850,000 in charitable contributions.
Publications
Mark is the author of law review and journal works appearing in the Kansas Law Review, Washburn Law Journal and the Journal of the Kansas Bar Association. In addition, Mark has served as a chapter author of the Kansas Bar Association’s Ethics Handbook and Construction Law Handbook.
Recognitions
Recognitions
University of Kansas Law School "Distinguished Alumni Award" 2020
Recognized as "Lawyer of the Year" by The Best Lawyers in America© in Litigation-Construction
Received 2015 Law Firm Leader Award from Missouri Lawyers Weekly
Named in The Best Lawyers in America for Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Construction Litigation, Intellectual Property Litigation and Municipal Litigation
Recognized as a Best Lawyers' 2013 and 2021 Kansas City Litigation – Intellectual Property "Lawyer of the Year" , 2012 Kansas City Litigation – Construction "Lawyer of the Year" and 2015 Kansas City Bet-the-Company Litigation "Lawyer of the Year"
Listed as a Super Lawyer in the Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers Magazine for Business Litigation
Ranked as a Local Litigation Star in Benchmark Litigation for General Commercial, Intellectual Property, Competition, Professional Liability, Securities and White-Collar Crime.
Professional & Civic Activities
Professional & Civic Activities
American College of Trial Lawyers, Fellow and Chair, Attorney-Client Relationships Committee
Kansas Bar Association
- Ethics Advisory and Ethics 2000 Committees
- Outstanding Service Award, 2003
- Outstanding Young Lawyer Award, 1994
Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association
Former Board Member: Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, Board of Directors
University of Missouri - Kansas City Board of Trustees: Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault (MOCSA)
Admissions
- Kansas, 1982
- Missouri, 2006
- U.S. District Courts for the District of Kansas (Member, Bench-Bar Committee 2000 - 2004) and Western District of Missouri
- U.S. Courts of Appeal for the First, Fourth, Eighth, Tenth and Federal Circuits
- U.S. Court of Federal Claims
Education
University of Kansas, J.D., 1982
- Kansas Law Review, Associate Editor
University of Kansas, B.A., with distinction, 1979
- Phi Beta Kappa
