Connors, James F

Professional History

Rick specializes in complex business, bankruptcy, product liability, and employment litigation, typically involving multi-parties, class or mass actions or bankruptcy estates. Rick graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law, where he served as Associate Managing Editor of the Missouri Law Review. After law school, Rick was a judicial law clerk at the Missouri Supreme Court and the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District. In 1996, he began private practice with the firm formerly known as Shughart Thomson & Kilroy, a large Kansas City law firm with offices in Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, and Arizona. In 2002, the Board of Directors of Shughart Thomson elected him a Shareholder and Director. In May 2008, Rick moved his practice to Stueve Siegel Hanson.

Rick has recovered more than $200 million for his clients through trial or settlement. In these roles, Rick has been appointed by numerous courts across the country to serve as lead class counsel in class actions and MDL proceedings and as special litigation counsel for bankruptcy trustees in numerous bankruptcy estates.

Rick enjoys being in the courtroom and has tried and won many types of cases in jury trials, bench trials and arbitrations. He has repeatedly been brought to a case shortly before trial for just that purpose.  He has been lead trial counsel in two class arbitrations, and prevailed in both. He has also argued more than 40 appeals to various state and federal courts of appeal across the country.

Rick has been active in the local bar, including the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association and the Lawyers Association of Kansas City. In 2004, he served as the Chair of the Appellate Courts Committee of the KCMBA. He has also served as Vice-Chair on the Business Torts Committee, where he authored the Chapter on Fiduciary Duties for the Business Torts Handbook. Rick is a frequent speaker and moderator at seminars and presentations on handling appeals, electronic discovery, and the use of technology in the courtroom. In 2006, Missouri Lawyers Weekly named Rick as one of eight "Up and Coming Lawyers." He has also been named a "Missouri/Kansas Super Lawyer." He has an AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating with Martindale-Hubbell and is listed a a 2012 Top Rated Lawyer in Appellate Law.

Representative Cases

In re Oak Hills Drilling & Operating Co. (United Sates Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma) Obtained judgment after trial for more than $1.5 million on behalf of bankruptcy estate.

Rees v. Masco Retail Cabinet Group. Successfully tried case for two weeks in arbitration on behalf of a class of current and former Masco account representatives, alleging employment misclassification in violation of the Federal Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Final award granting substantial damages to each class member.

Sanchez v. DISH Network LLC. Successfully arbitrated case on behalf of a class of nearly 3,000 current and former DISH call center employees seeking unpaid overtime wages under the Federal Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Resulting in judgment of more than $2.9 million.

In re Mountain Energy Corporation (United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Missouri) Negotiated 14-party settlement providing a recovery of more than $60 million to the bankruptcy estate.

Teeter v. NCR Corporation (United States District Court, Central District of California) Negotiated settlement for nationwide class of employees for back wages totaling more than $10 million.

In re General Motors Dex-Cool Cases (Alameda County Superior Court, California; Jackson County Circuit Court, Missouri) Negotiated cash reimbursements from $50 to $800 per class member for vehicle repair.

Stephenson v. Information Providers, Inc. (United States District Court, District of Minnesota) Settled misclassification case on behalf of certified class of current and former Premium Auditors seeking unpaid overtime wages.

In re Eclipse Aviation Depositor Litigation (County of Bernalillo, State of New Mexico) Served as co-lead counsel in litigation involving hundreds of millions of dollars in claims for the return of aircraft deposits based on negligent misrepresentations. Obtained substantial confidential settlement.

Community

Rick spends a significant amount of time coaching his two kids' various sports teams. In 2006-2007, Rick was the Assistant Tennis Coach for the men's and women's tennis teams at William Jewell College. Rick is also an active tournament tennis player and volunteers his time to give tennis lessons to kids. Rick is a member of Liberty Christian Fellowship.