Rick is an experienced personal injury attorney in the Kansas City area. Rick was born in Frankfurt, Germany, where his father was stationed as a military policeman in the U.S. Army. Kansas City has been Rick’s home since his family moved here when he was a child. Rick’s educational achievements are outstanding. He studied economics at the Institute of Economics and Political Studies, held at the University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England. After returning to the states, Mr. DeVault obtained his B.A. in Economics from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Since earning his law degree at UMKC-Law, he has practiced personal injury law in the Kansas City area. Today, Rick helps a wide variety of people obtain compensation for their personal injuries throughout Missouri and Kansas. He is committed to fighting for the rights of the injured.

Mitchell Burgess is originally from Southwest Missouri. Mitch completed his undergraduate degree at Drury University in Springfield double majoring in History and Political Science. He graduated in 1995, magna cum laude and as a member of the Honors Program. Mitch attended Law School at the University of Missouri - Columbia and received his Juris Doctorate in 1998. While at M.U., Mitch was a member of the Missouri Environmental Law & Policy Review and was published in 1997. After graduating from law school, Mitch clerked for the Honorable Judge Laura Stith on the Missouri Court of Appeals – Western District. Judge Stith now sits on the Missouri Supreme Court. Prior to opening his own law firm in the fall of 2004, Mitch worked for a highly successful Kansas City Plaintiffs litigation firm where he gained tremendous experience handling case across the county involving personal injury, pharmaceutical and product liability litigation. Since founding his own law firm in 2004, Mitch has repeatedly been recognized as one of the top Plaintiffs' Attorneys in the region. He has been named one of the "Best of the Bar" by the Kansas City Business Journal, a "SuperLawyer" by Superlawyers Magazine, and one of the "Top 40 Under 40" by the National Trial Lawyers Association. In 2010, Mitch was named one of the "Winningest" plaintiffs' attorneys by Missouri Lawyers Weekly and also was recognized for securing one of the Top 10 Plaintiffs wins that year. Mitch has had numerous successes in personal injury and class action litigation and has been appointed class counsel on dozens of class action cases.

Tamara Putnam has been practicing law for over 25 years in the Kansas City metropolitan area. She attended the University of Missouri at St. Louis to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics with Cum Laude Honors. She earned a four year athletic scholarship as a member of the University of Missouri–St. Louis NCAA Women’s Basketball team. Tamara then attended Washburn University School of Law to obtain her Juris Doctorate. While attending Washburn Law School, Tamara Putnam became a published author. The Washburn Law Journal published her law review article with co-author Jonathan Lautt. Will Debtors Win the Battle as Creditors Win the War?: Retroactive Recovery of Attorney Fees in Consumer Credit Contracts in Kansas, p. 556-572 (1.5 MB PDF) Tamara I. Putnam & Jonathan J. Lautt Tamara worked for the Jackson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. She worked as a drug prosecutor. She was promoted to the lead prosecutor of the Violent Gang Crime Unit. She worked closely with the Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU) and Street Narcotics Unit (SNU) to prosecute crimes related to illegal production, transfer, sale and possession of controlled substances. As head of the Gang Unit, she focused on the prosecution of violent offenses committed by suspected gang members, including assaults, robberies, armed criminal action and shooting into a dwelling. After a successful term as a prosecutor, Tamara moved into private practice with a focus on criminal defense. As a former prosecutor, she has a deep understanding of the strategies used by the prosecution and law enforcement to obtain convictions. She prepares for the prosecutor’s tactics and walks into court prepared to defend her client’s case. Tamara later expanded her practice to include personal injury. She litigates personal injury cases in both Missouri and Kansas from a simple slip and fall to wrongful death. She has an unwavering commitment to assist people who have been injured due to the negligent actions of others. She takes great pride in taking on the profit motivated insurance companies and holding them accountable to fully compensate her clients. Tamara has focused her practice on criminal defense and serious personal injury her entire career. She has handled countless felonies charges in State Court as a prosecutor and now as a criminal defense counsel. She also focuses her practice on litigation of serious personal injury accidents. Tamara has a fierce reputation as an outstanding advocate excelling in both criminal defense and personal injury.

WHEN IT MATTERS The trial lawyers at Votava Nantz & Johnson specialize in claims involving catastrophic injury and wrongful death. It attorneys have consistently secured for their clients many verdicts and settlements totaling millions of dollars since the law firm was founded. We focus on cases involving trucking and commercial motor vehicle crashes, worksite and construction accidents, bad faith insurance claims and other cases involving death or catastrophic injury. Call or email us when you or a loved one suffers injury or is killed due to someone else’s negligence. We happily provide free consultations to potential clients. Contact us at 816.895.8800 or help@vnjlaw.com to request your FREE consultation to get started.