Richard T. Bryant, Claims Attorney

I was affiliated from my admission to the Missouri Bar until December 1, 1995 with the general practice law firm of Copilevitz, Bryant & Schmid, P.C. This firm was originally known as Harding & Copilevitz, P.C. and thereafter known as Copilevitz, Bryant, Gray & Jennings, P.C. Because of the departure of two partners from active practice in the firm, the firm was renamed.

From December 1, 1995 until the present, I have been affiliated with Richard T. Bryant & Associates, P.C. (formerly Bryant & Picerno, P.C.). This firm continues to be a general practice firm with specialties in Constitutional law, insurance investigation and defense, domestic relations, municipal and land use law.

I have engaged in the preparation and trial of the Circuit Court cases in all areas of the law, including family law and domestic relations, insurance, and Constitutional law, and also Associate Circuit Division cases and Municipal Court cases. I have also prepared and presented cases in administrative matters on local and state levels. I have experience in criminal and juvenile cases.

Practice before the Circuit of Jackson County, Missouri includes both bench and jury-tried cases, both as lead counsel and as a secondary counsel. I am familiar with applicable rules of court governing civil procedure in the U.S. District Courts for both the Western and Eastern Districts of Missouri, as well as rules promulgated by the Jackson County Circuit Court and various other Missouri Circuit Court divisions, the Kansas Supreme Court and a number of municipalities and administrative boards.

I have served as the Administrative Hearing Officer of the Housing Authority of Kansas City, Missouri since November 14, 1988. I conduct and hear cases concerning issues involving tenant selection and termination of tenancy, and I also conduct hearings with respect to cases involving interpretation of lease provisions for all persons involved in Section 8 and Public Housing cases. Further, I was selected by the position of the Judge of the Municipal Court of Kansas City, Missouri.

From May 15, 1976, until my enrollment with the Missouri Bar, I was affiliated with the Lenexa, Kansas Police Department as a police legal advisor intern. My primary areas of responsibility included training police officers as assisting in the preparation and prosecution of municipal ordinance cases under the supervision of the City Prosecutor. I provided similar service to the City of Westwood, Kansas and its police department between January 15, 1977, and September 3, 1978 under the supervision of the City Prosecutor. During that time I was also responsible for codifying, revising, and drafting city ordinances relating to public offenses and training police personnel in arrest procedures and matters of legal interest. As you may know, the City of Kansas City, Missouri recently codified and revised its city ordinances, much in the same fashion that I did for the City of Westwood, Kansas.

Between January 1978 and June 1982, I served with the Investigations Division of the Lenexa, Kansas Police Department, assisting in legal aspects of major cases and in Internal Affairs Investigations.

From May 15, 1976, until September 3, 1978, I was employed with the law firm Stoup & Thompson, engaging in legal research, investigation and case preparation. From April 1, 1978 until admission to the Missouri Bar, I was also affiliated with the firm of Harding & Copilevitz, P.C., as a law clerk.