Michael (Mike) Matula concentrates his practice in the areas of employment litigation and counseling. He is a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers and has served as Co-Chair of the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association’s Employment and Labor Committee. Mike has tried more than 15 jury trials and has been named as a “Lawyer of the Year” in Best Lawyers in America for Labor and Employment – Litigation.
In addition to representing employers in a wide variety of employment matters ranging from discrimination and harassment cases to noncompetition/trade secrets disputes, Mike also has significant experience in commercial, tort, and insurance litigation, and continues to handle select matters in those areas. Mike, who has an AV Martindale-Hubbell rating, also represents attorneys in disciplinary proceedings, serves on the firm’s Ethics Committee, was appointed by the Missouri Supreme Court as a Disciplinary Hearing Officer, and is a co-author of the ABA treatise “Professional Responsibility in Litigation.” He is also on the Steering Committee for the firm’s Unfair Competition and Trade Secrets Practice Group.
Chambers USA stated that Mike “has a very accomplished skill set” with “a great reputation for his broad knowledge base” and is regarded as “responsible and flexible.” Mike’s trial experience includes a case resulting in the fourth most significant defense verdict in Missouri in 2001, and being part of a trial team in one of the most significant defense verdicts in Missouri in 2006, both as reported by The Missouri Lawyers Weekly. He has argued before both the Eighth and Tenth Circuit Courts of Appeal, and taught as an adjunct professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law.
Mike has authored numerous publications including “The Law of Jury Selection in Missouri State Courts,” published in the Journal of the Missouri Bar. Mike has also been selected to speak on a variety of employment law topics, notably being asked by The Federal Judicial Center to speak on employment law issues at the National U.S. Magistrate Judges’ Workshop.