Myers Longhofer, LLC

Civil litigation across Kansas and Missouri

Business clients form the center of Myers Longhofer, LLC's work. The Overland Park firm represents companies in Kansas and Missouri, including proceedings in state and federal courts. Its stated service area includes the Kansas City area and communities such as Johnson County, Leawood, Olathe, and Shawnee.

The practice covers business litigation, employment law, insurance defense, and medical malpractice defense. It also handles construction litigation, professional liability, architect and engineer liability, shareholder disputes, and business contract matters. Transactional work includes business formation, acquisitions, and sales.

In my opinion, the firm's clearest feature is its defined business focus. The listed services address disputes within companies, claims against professionals, workplace conflicts, and liability cases. That mix gives business clients access to counsel across several related areas of civil law.

Insurance and medical malpractice defense

Insurance defense appears among the firm's main practice areas. These cases often require counsel to review the policy, the underlying claim, the available evidence, and the damages sought. The insurer, the insured party, and other participants may have separate duties or interests during the case.

Defense work can involve pleadings, document exchange, depositions, expert evidence, motions, settlement talks, and trial preparation. State law, policy language, and the facts of the loss can each affect the dispute. Federal court may also apply when the parties and claims meet jurisdictional rules.

Claims involving health care providers

The firm also defends medical malpractice claims. Rachael D. Longhofer includes this field in her practice, and Sarah C. Stevens assists clients with these matters. Such claims usually require close review of medical records, the alleged standard of care, causation, and claimed harm.

Medical malpractice litigation often brings physicians, nurses, administrators, insurers, and retained professionals into the same case. Courts set deadlines for disclosures, written discovery, depositions, and motions. The record must connect the medical facts with the legal issues that the parties ask a judge or jury to decide.

Business disputes and company matters

The firm's commercial work includes contract cases and shareholder disputes. A contract case may turn on the agreement's wording, the parties' conduct, payment records, notices, and claimed losses. Shareholder litigation may concern ownership rights, management decisions, company records, or duties among those who control the business.

Myers Longhofer also lists business formation, acquisitions, and sales. Those matters commonly call for review of governing documents, purchase terms, existing obligations, and closing records. The precise work depends on the transaction and the structure of the company.

Employment law

Employment disputes are another stated part of the practice. Rachael Longhofer handles employment cases, while Sarah Stevens previously worked in employment and higher education departments at a national law firm. Stevens now assists Myers Longhofer clients with employment law and business litigation.

Workplace cases may involve policies, personnel files, contracts, internal communications, and agency records. Some claims begin before an administrative body, while others proceed directly in court under the law that governs the issue. Early document preservation can shape the evidence available later in the matter.

Construction and professional liability work

Design and construction disputes add a technical branch to the firm's civil practice. Myers Longhofer lists construction litigation as well as architect and engineer liability. These matters may involve contracts, plans, specifications, project correspondence, inspection records, change orders, and payment documents.

A construction case can include owners, contractors, subcontractors, architects, engineers, insurers, and suppliers. Each participant may have a different contract and a separate role in the project. Courts and arbitrators often need a clear timeline to assess responsibility, claimed defects, delays, and costs.

Professional liability is also among the listed services. These cases generally examine the professional's assignment, the applicable duty, the work performed, and the link between that work and the alleged loss. Records created during the engagement often carry much of the factual weight.

How the attorney team is built

Four lawyers make up the team described on the firm's website. James D. Myers is the Managing Member, and Rachael D. Longhofer is a Member. Sarah C. Stevens and Michael Lydon-Lorson are Associates.

Members with courtroom experience

James Myers has more than 25 years of experience. He represents business clients in state and federal court litigation across Kansas, Missouri, and the surrounding region. His work includes business disputes.

Rachael Longhofer has about a decade of legal experience and practices in Kansas and Missouri. She defends medical malpractice claims and handles employment disputes and commercial cases. Her work includes matters in both state and federal courts.

Associates with academic and judicial backgrounds

Sarah Stevens graduated from UMKC Law School. She was Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review and worked as a teaching assistant. Before joining Myers Longhofer, she worked for a national law firm in its employment and higher education departments.

Michael Lydon-Lorson completed a two-year clerkship for Chief Judge Gary Witt of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District. He attended the University of Missouri Kansas City School of Law and was Managing Editor of the UMKC Law Review. He also worked as an immigration law caseworker with Catholic Charities in Houston.

As a reviewer, the combination of long-term litigation work, commercial and medical defense experience, law review leadership, and an appellate clerkship gives a useful picture of the team's backgrounds. The published biographies connect individual lawyers to named fields and prior roles. They also identify who holds management and associate positions within the firm.

Courts and paths to resolution

The firm states that it takes cases to trial and uses mediation, arbitration, or negotiation when appropriate. Each path places different demands on the parties. Litigation follows court rules, while arbitration follows the governing agreement and the procedures selected for the proceeding.

Mediation lets a neutral mediator help the parties discuss settlement. The parties retain control over whether they reach an agreement. Negotiation can occur through counsel at many points, including before a filing, during discovery, or while the parties prepare for trial.

The proper course depends on the contract, the governing law, the evidence, and the client's objectives. Myers Longhofer identifies state and federal court litigation in Kansas and Missouri as a core part of its work. Its named attorneys cover business, employment, medical malpractice, insurance, construction, and professional liability matters.