Polsinelli

Headquarted in Kansas City, Missouri, Polsinelli has undergone a particularly rapid expansion within the past five years, with 19 additional offices throughout the US. "Polsinelli has really made its mark," observes one peer. "The growth strategy of that firm has been enormously successful and frankly, it surprised a lot of people. Firms that expand that fast don't usually get Polsinelli's consistency of quality among the ranks." More than 800 attorneys provide legal counsel in approximately 100 practice areas and 70 industry areas, making it one of the most comprehensive firms serving individuals, corporations, and institutions. Nancy Rafuse, Chair of the Labor and Employment Practice Group based out of the firm's Atlanta office, is a seasoned litigator who is often called upon to counsel clients in the most high-stakes, high-profile employment-related disputes. Fellow Atlanta partner William "Hill" Hill regularly represents clients in complex commercial litigation matters, with a focus on contract disputes and business torts. His expertise also includes effective early case resolution and alternative dispute resolution, such as mediations and arbitrations. William Quirk, hailing from the Kansas City office, serves as Chair of the Appellate Practice Group, to which he brings more than 30 years of experience. He recently represented the National Federation of State High School (NFHS) Associations, the national umbrella organization for high school athletics, in a high-profile case involving college athletics and the issue of whether student athletes should be entitled to compensation for their participation in college sports. The NFHS was asked by the NCAA to file an amicus brief to the Ninth Circuit in support of its position on amateurism, an idea that athletes should not receive any material reward for taking part in sports. Both sides sought Supreme Court review after the Ninth Circuit agreed with the NCAA on most of its determination, but ruled that certain restrictions for compensation on incidental college expenses were still subject to detailed antitrust challenge. The Supreme Court denied both petitions for certiorari and the NCAA was forced to modify its existing rules to allow for incidental expenses. The Supreme Court rejected the plaintiff's argument that the NCAA's restriction on paying additional compensation to college athletes was an unreasonable restraint of trade. Roy Bash has significant litigation experience and currently heads the Construction, Energy, Real Estate Litigation practice group, as well as serves as the Industry Litigation Division chair. He was lead counsel representing Kansas City Power & Light on an appeal from a favorable jury verdict in an electrical injury case involving a utility's responsibility for trimming trees adjacent to high-voltage transmission lines and for warning about the dangers those lines posed. The Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court's judgment and the Missouri Supreme Court denied the petition for certification, resulting in another victory for the client. Todd Bartels served as lead attorney representing Info-Data Services Inc. where he secured a victory in the amount of $1.479 million on claims of breach of contract, breach of confidentiality provision, and breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing. R. Dan Boulware is lead attorney in a mass class action brought by property owners along the Missouri River for unconstitutional taking of their property without just compensation due to recurrent flooding along the river dating back to 2006. The losses are anticipated to exceed $750 million in trials for 44 bellwether plaintiffs. Commercial trial lawyer Thomas Kokoruda represents HCA HealthOne d/b/a Swedish Medical Center where he helped obtain a dismissal in both federal court and in the District Court in Denver on a putative class action arising out of an alleged fentanyl diversion potentially exposing thousands of patients to HIV, and Hepatitis B and C. Kokoruda also represents HCA Healthcare in a litigation that arose out of the acquisition of the not-for-profit Health Midwest System by HCA Acquisitions in 2003.