PRACTICE AREAS

Corporate Directors & Officers Liability Litigation

Employment Litigation

Labor and Employment

James C. Sullivan is a lead shareholder of the Firm's Labor and Employment Practice. He focuses his practice on the defense and trial of a wide variety of employment claims and business/commercial disputes, including discrimination and wrongful termination claims, FSLA and other wage payment claims, officer and director liability claims and contract disputes. Mr. Sullivan has successfully represented employers throughout the country in defeating attempts to certify employment and consumer cases as class actions. In addition to large complex litigation, he has also successfully tried claims alleging sexual harassment, race discrimination, age discrimination and breach of employment agreements, including restrictive covenant issues.

DISTINCTIONS

Named a Future Star by Benchmark Litigation, 2008

Kansas City Tomorrow Class XX graduate (a leadership program of the Civic Council of Greater Kansas City)

Successfully completed the trial academy of the Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers (Class of 1994) and the International Association of Defense Counsel (Class of 1996)

Mr. Sullivan was selected for inclusion in Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers 2008 for Employment Litigation: Defense

COMMUNITY AND BAR INVOLVEMENT

The Missouri Bar

Lawyers Association of Kansas City

Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association

Labor and Employment Law Committee, Former Chair

Federal Court Committee

Transportation Lawyers Association

Missouri Motor Carriers Association

Former General Chair of Division One Missouri Supreme Court Region IV Disciplinary Committee

NOTABLE EXPERIENCE

Van Portfliet v. H&R Block Mortgage, Inc., 2007 WL 2773995 (M.D. Fla. Sept. 21, 2007),

aff'd, 2008 WL 3864439 (11th Cir. August 21, 2008).

Thomas v. Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department, 2006 WL 27117 (W.D. Mo. 2006), aff'd, 483 F.3d 516 (8th Cir. (Mo) 2007).

Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Ass地, Inc. v. Swift Transp. Co., Inc., 367 F.3d 1108 (9th Cir. (Ariz.) 2004).

Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Ass'n, Inc. v. New Prime, Inc., 133 S.W.3d 162 (Mo. App. S. D. 2004).

Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Ass地, Inc. v. New Prime., Inc., 339 F.3d 1001 (8th Cir. (Mo.) 2003).

Jenkins v. KLT, Inc., 308 F.3d 850 (8th Cir. (Mo.) 2002).

Huffman v. New Prime, Inc., 2004 WL 1401967 (W.D. Mo. Jun 22, 2004), and, 2003 WL 22424878 (W.D. Mo., Jul. 24, 2003).

Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Ass地, Inc. v. Swift Transportation. Co., Inc. (AZ), 288 F. Supp. 2d 1033 (D. Ariz. 2003).

Madrigal v. Kansas City Power & Light Co., Civ. No. 99-CV-0526-FJG (W.D. Mo. 2002).

Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Ass地, Inc. v. New Prime, Inc., 213 F.R.D. 537 (W.D. Mo. 2002).

Brown-Mitchell v. Kansas City Power & Light Co., 267 F.3d 825 (8th Cir. (Mo.) 2001).

Lang v. Kansas City Power & Light Co., 199 F.R.D. 640 (W.D. Mo. 2001).

Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Ass地, Inc. v. New Prime, Inc., 250 F. Supp. 2d 1151 (W.D. Mo. 2002).

Bowles v. National Steel Corp., Case No. 00-CV-0448-SOW (W.D. Mo. 2001).

Gateway 2000, Inc. v. Livak, 19 F. Supp. 2d 748 (E.D. Mich. 1998).

Gateway 2000, Inc. v. Kelley, 9 F. Supp. 2d 790 (E.D. Mich. 1998).

Old Colony Ventures I, Inc. v. SMWNPF Holdings, Inc., 968 F. Supp. 1422. (D. Kan. 1997)

Old Colony Ventures I, Inc. v. SMWNPF Holdings, Inc., 1966 WL 707025 (D. Kan. 1996)

Old Colony Ventures I, Inc. v. SMWNPF Holdings, Inc., 1966 WL 378285 (D. Kan. 1996)

Old Colony Ventures I, Inc. v. SMWNPF Holdings, Inc., 924 F. Supp. 1076 (D. Kan. 1996)

Old Colony Ventures I, Inc. v. SMWNPF Holdings, Inc., 910 F. Supp. 543 (D. Kan. 1995)

Sight v. Resolution Trust Corp., 852 F. Supp. 28 (D. Kan. 1994)

Resolution Trust Corp. v. Gibson, 829 F. Supp. 1121 (W.D. Mo. 1993)

Resolution Trust Corp. v. Gibson, 829 F. Supp. 1110 (W.D. Mo. 1993)

Resolution Trust Corp. v. Gibson, , 829 F. Supp. 1103 (W.D. Mo. 1993)

PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS

September 2007

Owner-Operator Issues

2008 Truckload Carriers Association, Independent Contractor Division Annual Meeting

September 2006

Case Filing and Jury Trial Trends in Kansas City Metropolitan Area.

2006 Labor, Employment and Benefits Symposium

April 2006

Comment on the Hyatt Regency Class Action Lawsuit

UMKC School of Law Class Action Symposium

October 2005

Owner-Operator Issues

2005 Truckload Carriers Association - Independent Contractors Division Annual Meeting

August 2005

Current Trends in Owner-Operator Litigation

Truckload Carriers Association

Spring 2005

Private Rights of Action to Enforce the Truth-in-Leasing Regulations in Court

Transportation Law Journal

July 2004

Owner-Operator Class Actions: Big Trouble for Unwary Carriers

ATA Litigation Center General Counsel Forum

April 2004

Juries in Missouri

Labor, Employment and Benefits Update 2004

November 2003

Cross Examining Plaintiffs

Associated Industries of Missouri, 2003 Human Resource Conference

October 2003

Leasing Rules Litigation: Is your Company a Target for an Owner-Operator Lawsuit?

2003 ATA Management Conference

February 2002

Counsel on Education in Management, Managing Employee Discipline, Discharge and Documentation in Kansas

2003 Truckload Carriers Association - Independent Contractors Division Annual Meeting

August 2001

Preventing Retaliation Claims Before They Even Occur: Strategies to Stop the Onslaught of Punitive Damages

Counsel on Education in Management, Personnel Law Update 2001

June 2001

Title VII and Section 1981 Issues - Promotions, Pay, Harassment and Conditions of Employment

Lorman Education Services, Introduction to Employment and Labor Law in Kansas

June 2001

Issues of Admissible and Inadmissible Evidence from the Plaintiff's and Defendant's Perspective

Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, Current Developments in Labor and Employment Law

June 2000

Discovery in Employment Litigation - How You Can Help Your Attorney Win the Case

Lorman Education Services, Introduction to Employment and Labor Law

January 2000

Owner/Operator Suits: Is Your Company a Target?

ATA Litigation Center General Counsel forum

June 1999

Enforcement of Covenants Not to Compete and Non-Solicitation Agreements in Missouri

Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association

1989

The Government Contractor Defense: Extending Sovereign Immunity to the Limits

University of Missouri-Kansas City Law Review, Vol. 5, No. 3, 1989.

EDUCATION

J.D., University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law, 1990, University of Missouri-Kansas City Law Review

B.S., Business Administration, University of Kansas, 1987

BAR ADMISSIONS

Missouri, 1990