Departments

Phone: 816.374.0535

Timothy D. O'Leary

Of Counsel

After 20 years of public service as a Jackson County Circuit Judge, Mr. Timothy O’Leary returned to private practice where his experience as a trial judge, in trying hundreds of cases, makes him valuable to clients in the resolution of disputes. His practice concentrates on alternative dispute resolution, including arbitration and mediation, in cases of all degrees of complexity, often involving millions of dollars. Mr. O’Leary has mediated and arbitrated to conclusion many hundreds of cases since his return to practice. He has engaged in the general practice of law representing both plaintiffs and defendants and his experience has taken him all over the world, including Auckland, New Zealand, and Perth, Australia, where he arbitrated 36 cases.

 

Mr. O’Leary also served as Special Judge on the Supreme Court of Missouri, the Missouri Court of Appeals-Western District, and the Missouri Court of Appeals-Southern District.

Memberships and Affiliations

  • The Missouri Bar
  • The Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association
  • Lawyers Association of Kansas City
  • University of Missouri Law Foundation
    • Board of Trustees
  • Supreme Court Appointee: Missouri Citizens Commission on Compensation
    (established to set the salaries for the General Assembly, state elected officials and the Judiciary)
  • Governor's Advisory Commission on the Organization of the Judicial Department, 1995
  • Supreme Court Committee on Criminal Instructions for 16 years, 1978-1994
  • Supreme Court Appointee: Task Force on Gender Justice, 1993
  • Inns of Court
    • Program President, 1984-1989

Professional Affiliations
  • Missouri Association of State Trial Judges
    • Past President
  • State Trial Judges Section of Judicial Conference of Missouri
    • Past President
  • Missouri Judicial Conference
    •  Executive Committee
  • Supreme Court Judicial Liaison Committee
    • Co-Chair
  • The Missouri Bar
  •  Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association
  •  The Lawyers Association of Kansas City
  •  The American Bar Foundation, Fellow

Distinctions

  • Dean of the Trial Bar Award, KCMBA
  • Charles Evans Whitaker Award, The Lawyers Association of Kansas City
  • Spurgeon Smithson Award, The Missouri Bar Foundation
  • Judicial Achievement Award, The Missouri Association of Trial Lawyers
  • Special Achievement Award, The Women Lawyers of Kansas City
  • Special Achievement Award for Contribution to Administration of Justice, Supreme Court of Missouri
  • Selected for inclusion in Best Lawyers in America® 2010-2012
    • Mediation 
    • Arbitration
  • Selected by the Supreme Court of Missouri as Designee to study the Missouri Judicial System
  • Selected by the Supreme Court of Missouri as a member of the Gender Bias Task Force
  • Member of  the Supreme Court Committee on Charges and Instructions-Criminal, for 16 years
  • Appointed by the Missouri Ethics Commission to investigate wrongdoing of public offices
  • Selected by the Supreme Court of Missouri to be its representative on the Missouri Citizens Commission on Compensation for Elected Officials

Experience

  • Tried hundreds of jury cases as state trial judge for 20 years in Jackson County, Missouri.
  • Managed the Hyatt Hotel skywalk litigation in state court involving hundreds of cases. The lawsuits were settled in a class action settlement and disposed of in record time for a mass disaster. In addition, Judge O’Leary decided the Declaratory Judgment action which was filed to determine coverage disputes involving the 23 insurance companies who insured the parties in that disaster.
  • Managed The Kansas City Star newspaper litigation with 300 carriers alleging breach of contract and antitrust violations.
  • Managed extensive litigation on insurance coverage in asbestos litigation.

Publications & Presentations

June 1994
Supreme Court of Missouri Committee
May 1994
Journal of the Missouri Bar
01/01/1990
American Arbitration Association, Kansas City, Missouri
September 1989
01/01/1989
Inns of Court, State and Federal - 20 Years
01/01/1988
Law Society of Ireland - Dublin, Ireland