Kirk Presley Founding Attorney

With more than 40 years of legal experience in and out of the courtroom, Kansas City personal injury attorney Kirk Presley serves clients facing the most complex and significant plaintiff’s personal injury cases involving trucking, aviation, and automobile accidents, as well as premises and product liability.

Meet Kirk

Kirk Presley’s litigation practice seeks to help his clients while applying pressure on industries that have a history of wrongful and negligent actions to take corrective action. Kirk has significant expertise in the complex insurance issues that are often a part of these significant injury and wrongful death cases. This includes obtaining the two largest insurance bad faith verdicts in the State of Missouri, one against Allstate for $16.5 million and one against American Family for $11 million. While volunteering with Trial Lawyers Care, Kirk represented five clients with claims before the Victim’s Compensation Fund following the 9/11 attacks, including one recovery in excess of $4,000,000. A longtime supporter of the LEAP Foundation (Lawyers Encouraging Academic Performance), Kirk was elected King of that group's annual Mardi Gras luncheon for his work with the designated beneficiary, Operation Breakthrough. A previous participant in the mentor program, Kirk has continued to support Operation Breakthrough’s mission of providing daycare and after-school programs for at-risk children.

Admissions

Missouri, 1983
California, 1990
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, 1983

Education

University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law, Juris Doctorate, 1983
Drury College, Bachelor of Arts, 1980

Published Works

Closing Argument (Chapter 11), Missouri Trial Tactics Handbook, 1986
Carbon Monoxide: Stalking the Silent Killer, Trial Magazine
Trial Magazine, The ATLA Aviation Section Newsletter, as well as MATA and KCMBA publications

Awards

Recognized by Best Lawyers, 2023
Best Lawyers, Lawyer of the Year, Litigation – Insurance, 2021
AV Rating, Martindale Hubble
Influential Lawyer Award, Missouri Lawyers Weekly, 2020
Super Lawyers, 2005 - Present
The National Trial Lawyers, Top 100
Drury University’s Distinguished Alumni Award for Community Service in 2009
UMKC Law Foundation’s President’s Award in 2007
Pat Kelly Service Award, UMKC Law Foundation in 2012
Selected to Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers, 2005 – 2013
Chosen Best of the Bar, Kansas City Business Journal, 2002 to Present

Representative Cases

Lowery v. Horvath, 689 S.W. 2d 625 (Supreme Ct. of Mo. 1985)
Augspurger v. MFA Oil Company, 940 S.W. 2d 934 (Mo. Ct. of Appeals 1997)
Purtell v. Cunningham, 1396 CC 068083
Johnson v. Allstate, 262 S.W. 3d 655 (Mo. W.D. 2008)
Estes as Next Friend for Doe v. MOPERM, 623 S.W. 3d 678 (Mo. W.D. 2021)
Masters v. City of Independence, 998 F.3d 827 (8th Cir. 2021)