Personal

    Married to Wendy Dees Monsees

    Children: Benjamin, Samuel, Megan, Lauren Dees and Morgan Dees

 

Education History: 

    University of Missouri at Columbia

       Bachelor Science, Public Administration 1977

    University of Missouri at Columbia

       Juris Doctor, 1981

 

Bar Admissions:

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Missouri Bar and the U.S. District Court, Western District of Missouri, 1981; Texas, 1986; United States Court of Appeals, 8th Circuit, 1987;  Kansas, 1994; United States Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit, 1994; U.S. District Court, District of Kansas, 1996; U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Missouri, 1998; U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas, 2006; U.S. District Court, Western District of Oklahoma, 2010; United States Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit, 2014; United States Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit, 2014; United States Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit, 2016; United States Supreme Court, 2017; Colorado 2018. 

 

Professional History:

 

1981 - 1985      Attorney, Morris, Larson, King, Stamper & Bold, (KCMO)

1985 - 1986      Attorney, Stradley, Schmidt, Stevens & Wright (Dallas, Texas)

1986 - 1995      Attorney, Myerson, Monsees & Morrow, P.C. (KCMO)

1995 - 2024 Attorney, Monsees &  Mayer, P.C. (KCMO)

 

Corporate Title:  Attorney/Shareholder/Director

 

Job Description:  Civil Litigation Attorney

 

Areas of Practice:

 

General civil litigation, product liability, medical malpractice, personal injury, professional negligence.  

 

Member of the following bar associations:

 

The Missouri Bar Association; Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association; Tort Law Committee, (Chairman, 1999); Lawyers Association of Kansas City; Kansas Bar Association, State Bar of Texas; Missouri Association Trial Attorneys, Kansas Trial Lawyers Association, Eagle; American Association for Justice, Sustaining Member; Volunteer Attorney Project (Chairman, 2003); American Trial Lawyers Association, American Board of Trial Advocacy (ABOTA); Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Foundation (President, 2012); Missouri Bar Association, Solo & Small Firm Conference Committee, Vice Chair, 2016-2018.

  

Member of other organizations and honors:

 

2021 Missouri Media Honoree as an Icon of the Legal Profession

2022 Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association Honoree as a “Dean of the Trial Bar”

Martindale Hubbell rated A/V, 1995-present

American Trial Lawyers Association, Top 100 Trial Lawyers

Missouri/Kansas Super Lawyers, 2006-present

American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys, 10 Best Attorneys in Client Satisfaction

Kansas City “Best of the Bar”

Best Lawyers in America, Medical Malpractice, 2007-present

Million Dollar Advocate’s Forum, 2000-present

Who’s Who in American Law

National Registry of Who’s Who, 1999

Order of the Coif

Order of the Barristers

National Finalist, Association of Trial Lawyers of America Student Trial Competition, 1981.

Jefferson Club, University of Missouri at Columbia

Kansas City 3&2 Baseball, Board of Directors (1999-2001)

PADI Advanced Open Water Scuba Certification

NAUI Nitrox Certification

SSI Stress and Rescue Scuba Diving Certification

SSI Assistant Instructor

SSI Dive Master

SSI Scuba Open Water Instructor

 

Publications and Presentations:

 

The Intentional Acts Exclusion, Missouri Bar CLE, “1993 - The Year in Review.”

Federal Practice: Rule 26(a) in the Real World, An Outline for Maximizing its

Virtues and Minimizing the Pitfalls, KCMBA Federal Court CLE, 1995.

Laying the Foundation - Update on Demonstrative Evidence Case Law, Missouri

Association of Trial Attorneys CLE, “Maximizing Damages in Personal Injury

Cases,” 1995.

Missouri Tort Law Update, UMKC CLE, “15-Hour Review of the Law,” 1996.

Accident Reconstruction, KCMBA CLE, “Personal Injury Cases: A Practical Approach,” 1997.

Discovery of the Plaintiff’s Medical and Employment History, University of Missouri - Columbia CLE, “Hot Topics in Personal Injury Litigation,” 1997.

1997 Torts and Civil Actions Update, Missouri Bar CLE, “Annual Law Update,” 1997.

Missouri Tort Law Update, UMKC CLE, “15-Hour Review of the Law,” 1997.

1998 Torts and Civil Actions Update, Missouri Bar CLE, “Annual Law Update,” 1998.

Missouri Tort Law Update, UMKC CLE, “15-Hour Review of the Law,” 1998

Defending Your Client, the Independent Witness and Your Expert Witness, UMKC CLE, “Taking and Defending Depositions,” 1998.

Trial Strategy – The Beginning of the End, National Business Institute CLE, “Bad Faith Litigation in Missouri,” 1998.

Gun Storage Liability in the Wake of Long v. Turk, Kansas Trial Lawyers Association Journal, September, 1999.

Trial Tips – Find the Dastardly Deed, The Missouri Trial Attorney, Winter, 1999.

Ethical Considerations & Settlement, National Business Institute CLE, “Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Law in Missouri,” June, 2000.

Trial of the Wrongful Death Case, Lorman Education Services CLE, “Successful Handling of Wrongful Death Cases in Missouri, 2001.

Use of Paralegals at Trial,Practical and Ethical Considerations, Missouri Bar Association Solo and Small Firm Conference, 2003. 

Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage in Missouri, National Business Institute, June 2005.

Navigating the Troubled Waters of Tort Reform, Missouri Bar Association Solo and Small Firm Conference, June 2005.

Trial Lawyer’s Successful Trial Tips:  What They Learned, Missouri Bar Association, October 2005.

Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage in Kansas, National Business Institute, November 2005.

Evidence Deskbook – Expert Testimony, Missouri Bar Association CLE Publications, 2006. 

Demystifying Third-Party Liens in Personal Injury Cases, Missouri Bar Association Solo and Small Firm Conference, June 2007.

Evidentiary Essentials for Small Firms, Missouri Bar Association Solo and Small Firm Conference, June 2008.

Cross Examination of Expert Witnesses, Missouri Bar Association Solo and Small Firm Conference, June 2008.

The Art of Persuasion, Missouri Bar Association Solo and Small Firm Conference, June 2009.

Preparing for a Personal Injury Case: What You Need to Know, Thomson Reuters, 2017.

10 Commandments of Legal Malpractice Claims and Avoidance, Missouri Legal Aid-Volunteer Attorney Project, August 2010.

How to be Successful in Mediation, Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association 38th Annual Bench-Bar & Boardroom Conference, May 2011.

When the Insurance Company Says “No”: First Party and Third Party Remedies, Missouri Bar Association Solo and Small Firm Conference, June 2011.

How to Avoid a Legal Malpractice Suit and Defend Yourself if it Happens, Missouri Bar Association Solo and Small Firm Conference, June 2011.

Opening Statements, UMKC CLE, May, 2013

Opening Statements, Missouri Bar Association Solo and Small Firm Conference, June 2014

Sources of Proof Deskbook – Exhibits and Demonstrative Evidence, Missouri Bar Association CLE Publications, 2014.

“I just Got Sued For Malpractice, Now What?”, Missouri Bar Association Solo & Small Firm Conference, June 2016.

Appellate Tips: The View fom the Podium, Missouri Bar Association Solo & Small  Firm Conference, June 2016.

Stop Child Sexual Abuse:  A Victim’s Civil Rights, 2019. 

Prepare to Win, Practical Tips and Strategies for Preparing a Client to Survive Even the Toughest Deposition, Missouri Bar Association Solo & Small Firm Conference, August 2020. 

Voir Dire:  An Extension of Your Opening Statemeent, Missouri Bar Association Solo & Small Firm Conference, June 2021.

Elimination of Explicit and Implicit Bias in the Legal Profession, Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, CLE by the Hour, June 2021. 

Elimination of Explicit and Implicit Bias in the Legal Profession, Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, CLE by the Hour, June 2024. 

               

Hobbies/Special Interests/Activities: 

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Scuba Diving, Snow Skiing, Golf, Youth Athletics, Travel, Cattle and Horse Ranching and Breeding.