Mr Kirk J. Goza | Partner

Goza is a founding partner of Goza & Honnold, LLC. Prior to starting at Goza & Honnold, LLC he spent eight years as a partner in a nationally recognized products liability firm and for three years was head of the firm's Tort Section.  Before that, he spent fifteen years at another major Kansas City law firm where he served as a director and a was on the firm's executive, hiring and associate committees.

Mr.Goza has over 20 years experience trying lawsuits and managing significant pieces of litigation including class action claims of consumer fraud, antitrust violations, pharmaceutical and other mass tort product liability, toxic torts, professional negligence claims and general business litigation. During his career, he has represented both plaintiffs and defendants and has represented some of the largest corporations inAmerica in jurisdictions around the country. His primary focus now is representing plaintiffs in personal injury and mass tort claims. Mr. Goza also works extensively as a mediator and has fulfilled the training requirements set out in Missouri Supreme Court Rule 17.

In 1993, by recommendation of Missouri Judges, Mr. Goza received the Lon O. Hocker award as one of the three outstanding young trial lawyers in the state. Ten years later, in 2003, he was inducted as a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers. Mr.Goza is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates and served five years on the Board of Directors of the Western Missouri/Eastern Kansas chapter of that organization, and was President of the chapter in 2003. He is a Board Certified Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (Missouri has no approved certification process). He has been listed on numerous occasions in the Best Lawyers in America,Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers, and Kansas City's Best of the Bar.  He is a frequent writer and lecturer on the topics of trial practice and technique and presently serves as an at-large member of the Kansas City Bar Association.

ACADEMIC AWARDS AND HONORS

Associate Editor and Staff Member of University of Kansas Law Review, 1980-82.

Recipient 1981-82 Robert E. Edmonds Award in Corporations and Securities Law (highest award given to corporate and securities student).

Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi (upper 10 percent of class only).

American Jurisprudence Award (highest grade given) -- Business Associations I & II.

National Spanish Honor Society of Sigma Delta Pi

Co-Captain KU Rugby Football Team

Delta Upsilon Social Fraternity

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS AND PUBLICATIONS

Winning With Experts, Trial Demonstration) Missouri Bar, Marriot Hotel , Kansas City, Mo. (June 26, 2008)

War Stories From Leaders of the Local Trial Bar Lawyers Association (April 9, 2008)

Kansas Trial Lawyers, Trial Advocacy Seminar, Closing Argument JCCC (June 1, 2007)

Solo and Small Firm Conference, Getting Started and Keeping It Going, KCMBA, (October 13, 2006)

Effective Direct and Cross- Examination Of Lay and Expert Witnesses, MOBAR and American College of Trial Lawyers, Kansas City (June 15, 2006)

Direct Examination of the Expert Witness MoBar CLE Kansas City , MO (June 16, 2006)

KCMBA Plaintiff's Opening Statement in a Pharmaceutical Case, (February 10, 2006).

Jury Selection An American College of Trial Lawyers Presentation, Columbia , Missouri (November 29, 2005)

KCMBA, Cross-Examination Do's & Don'ts (October 28, 2005)

MoBar Annual Meeting, Collateral Source, Changes under Tort Reform Statute (September, 2005)

American Trial Lawyers, Opening Statement, Causation In a Birth Trauma Case ( Toronto , Canada , July 23, 2005)

MATA Trial Tips Seminar, Persuasion in a Birth Trauma Case, Kansas City , MO (May 6, 2005)

ACTL, Trial Skills for Public Interest Lawyers, Cross-Examination and Demonstrative Evidence, Cape Girardeau , MO (April 29, 2005)

ATLA's Litigating Catastrophically Insured Infant Cases Seminar, Persuasion in Birth Trauma Cases, Atlanta , GA (February 25-26, 2005)

UMKC, Civil Jury Trial Demonstration, (June 11, 2004)

KCMBA, Effective Techniques of Cross-Examination, (June 28, 2002 )

MATA, Representing Your Client - A Perspective of What the Other Side Looks for in Cases, (June 21, 2002 )

ABOTA, Masters in Trial, Trial Demonstration, (September 28, 2001)

Medical Protective, Risk Awareness, (October 5, 2000 )

ABOTA, Masters in Trial, Trial Demonstration, (September 29, 2000 )

KCMBA, Techniques for Effective Cross-Examination, (June 20, 2000 )

Medical Protective, Malpractice Prevention-Beyond the Basics (October 12,1999)

KCMBA, Rain Making and Practice Development (February 25, 1999)

KCMBA, Federal Lifesaver, Voir Dire Issues In Federal Court (August 29, 1998)

Medical Protective Company, Risk Management for Medical Office Professionals (July 23, 1998)

KCMBA Techniques for Effective Cross-Examination (June 24, 1998)

Shook, Hardy & Bacon Daubert 1998:  An Update on the Federal Court's Standard for Admissibility of Expert Testimony, Panel Discussion (June 18, 1998)

American Hotel & Motel Association, Instructor, Hospitality Law

UMKC Mastering The Medical Malpractice Case -- Obstetrical Malpractice and Birth Trauma Litigation (October 3, 1997)

KCMBA, How To Conduct The Purposeful and Strategic Cross-Examination (June 25, 1997 )

UMKC Practicing Law Institute, Examining The Expert Witness- Evidence and Technique, The Interactive Courtroom (May 30, 1997)

Clubhouse Inns Training Workshop Employment Discrimination & Sexual Harassment In The Workplace  (May 1, 1997)

ABA National CLE Program Advisory Committee, The Experts Analyze Bad Baby Cases (April 18-19, 1997, San Francisco, CA)

KCMBA, Personal Injury Cases: A Practical Approach - Jury Selection Strategies (April 17, 1997)

KCMBA, Effective Motions - Motions in Limine, (June 27, 1996 )

KCMBA, How to Conduct the Purposeful and Strategic Cross Examination, (May 24, 1996)

Medical Protective Company, Malpractice Prevention - A Lawyer's Perspective, (May 22, 1996)

Greater Kansas City Medical Managers Association and HFMA, Medi-Vision 2000

Seminar, Medical Malpractice - Exposure Control, (April 5, 1996)

KCMBA, Fair and Reasonable Damages, (April 28, 1995 )

Shughart Thomson & Kilroy, P.C., Update on Labor and Employment Law, Jury Verdicts and What they Mean, (April 21, 1995)

KCMBA, Fair and Reasonable Damages, (June 16, 1994 )

KCMBA, Depositions, (June 15, 1994 )

OMIC, Risk Management Seminar (Westin Crown Center,  June 4, 1994).

UMKC, The New But For Test For Causation in Missouri (May 6, 1994 ).

KCMBA, Comparative Fault (May 21, 1993).

National Osteopathic Health Conference, Mock Trial (April 15, 1993).

UMKC Medical Malpractice Seminar; Direct and Cross-Examination of The Expert Neuroradiologist -- Trial Demonstration (September 25, 1992).

MATA's Trial Advocacy Seminar (March 6, 1992)

Second Annual Defense Tactics Institute, What Makes an Effective Cross-Examination of Both Non-Experts and Experts (February 27, 1992)

Fourth Annual Valuation & Settlement Negotiations Seminar, Medical Malpractice Defendant (November 22, 1991)

Dealing with Experts -- UMKC/KCMBA 1991 Medical Malpractice Seminar (September 6, 1991)

Preparation for Trial; Discovery; Motions, UMKC 15 Hour Review of Law (June 28, 1991)

MATA's Basic Trial Series Pleadings:  Stating the Cause of Action, the Answer, Affirmative Defenses, Motions to Dismiss (February 22, 1991)

UMKC Medical School , Depositions (April 17, 1990)

Workshop, Jury Selection, Opening Statements and Closing Arguments in Medicolegal Cases, 30th Anniversary Conference of the American College of Legal Medicine (March 14-17, 1990, Orlando, Florida)

MATA's Medical Malpractice Seminar, Case Investigation:  A Defense Perspective (March 9, 1990)

Direct and Cross-Examination of Expert Witnesses UMKC/KCMBA 1989 Litigator's Tutorial (November 10, 1989)

Trial Aspects of Liability -- A Defense Perspective -- UMKC/KCMBA 1989 Medical Malpractice Seminar (September 27, 1989)

Co-Chairperson UMKC/KCMBA 1988 Medical Malpractice Seminar (September 7, 1988)

KCMBA Bench Bar Presentation, OurDay In Court (May 14, 1988 )

UMKC School of Nursing , Mock Trial, Nursing Practice and the Law (1986)

Kansas City Claims Association, Luncheon speaker on Tort Reform (1987)