About the Firm
Wagstaff & Cartmell is a litigation boutique focused on handling high-stakes and complex litigation matters nationwide. Our practice spans a wide range of matters, from professional liability to business litigation to product liability, mass actions, class actions, and catastrophic personal injury.
In all areas, we thrive in the courtroom and in preparing to get there. We have served in leadership roles in major, multi-district litigation and have been lead counsel in bellwether and other jury trials in prominent cases, nationally and locally. We have been selected to represent state governments and other public entities.
We value efficiency, creativity, and most of all, credibility. Our team includes many lawyers trained in large law firms, former federal law clerks, and attorneys consistently recognized by peers as among the best in the profession.
$2 Billion+
in recoveries
50+
favorable jury verdicts
30+
court-appointed leadership positions in MDLs and class actions
80+
attorneys, paralegals, and support staff handling complex litigation nationwide
We approach all cases with a simple philosophy:
from day one, we prepare for trial.
Our resources, capabilities, and experience equip us for major litigation cases against the largest national law firms, and our repeated successes have earned us a reputation as one of the top boutique trial firms in the Midwest. With ongoing trial victories in federal and state courts, we’re rapidly establishing ourselves as a nationally leading firm, too.
Transcending the traditional law firm.
We’re proud to champion clients in cases spanning the spectrum of law and we define “winning” by attaining the best possible outcomes. While we’ve recovered more than two billion dollars on behalf of our plaintiff clients, we’ve also protected some of Kansas City’s leading companies with trial victories or favorable settlements in defendant cases.
Cases & ResultsWe’ll let our docket do the talking.
We regularly represent small businesses and individuals on a contingency fee and have recovered seven and eight figure amounts by prevailing in contentious litigation. Our lawyers have been appointed by judges to leadership positions - in national multi-district litigation, state court consolidations and class actions - more than 30 times. We’ve also been hired on behalf of government entities, including the Attorneys General of several states, as private counsel to pursue claims or protect the state’s interests.
Record-breaking results from award-winning lawyers.
Among our ranks are attorneys who are or have been awarded the following honors and accolades:
- Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers
- Fellow, International Society of Barristers
- Past President, Kansas City Chapter, American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA)
- Best Lawyers in America
- Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business
- The Kansas City Business Journal’s “Best of the Bar”
- Kansas and Missouri Super Lawyers
- Partner in large national or regional law firm
- Law clerk to federal judge
We credit our success to our culture.
Building good rapport with our clients, our colleagues and our community has always been our top priority, and this widely contributes to the strong culture that sets us apart from other firms. We foster a positive working environment, support local charities and demand that people are treated with respect in any capacity. .