David R. Buchanan

Principal
2345 Grand Blvd.
Suite 2100
Kansas City, MO 64108
(816) 472-0800
(816) 421-1183

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Mr. Buchanan practices in the areas of complex products liability matters, professional liability claims, and transportation law. He practices in the firm’s Kansas City office and has been a resident of Kansas City most of his adult life. He is active in both the Bar and local community, and is a board member of Brown & James.

Mr. Buchanan has tried over 90 jury trials to verdict as lead counsel and has extensive experience in product liability and professional liability litigation. He has also defended transportation companies in catastrophic injury lawsuits throughout the states of Missouri and Kansas. Additionally, he presently defends a number of companies in asbestos litigation in Missouri and Illinois as well as acting as national coordinating counsel for a manufacturer/ supplier of ceramics products. Mr. Buchanan’s practice also involves the representation of insurers on coverage disputes, bad faith claims, and direct actions against the insurer by insureds.

Mr. Buchanan has lectured frequently on trial techniques and has served as a faculty member for many years at the Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers’ Trial Academy. He has presented lectures to The Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys on “Liability for Inherently Dangerous Conditions on Construction Sites” and to the Missouri Bar Association on “Preparation, Taking and Presentation at Trial of Deposition Testimony.” He has also presented lectures to various claims associations and insurance organizations on “Bad Faith Claims and Extra Contractual Exposure.”

Mr. Buchanan has been listed as a Super Lawyer by Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers Magazine in every year since its inception in 2005. He has also been listed in The Best Lawyers in America, published by Best Lawyers, in the Personal Injury Litigation-Defendants and Product Liability Litigation-Defendants practice areas for 2014 through 2022. He is rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell, which is the highest possible rating in both legal ability and ethical standards.

More About David

Education

  • Washington University in Saint Louis (J.D., 1978)
  • University of Memphis (B.A., cum laude, 1975)

Bar Admissions

  • Missouri
  • Kansas
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri
  • U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia
  • U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas
  • Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals
  • Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals
  • Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals
  • U.S. Supreme Court

Recent Achievements

  • Best Lawyers - Personal Injury Litigation-Defendants, The Best Lawyers in America (2014-2024)
  • Best Lawyers - Product Liability Litigation-Defendants, The Best Lawyers in America (2015-2024)
  • Best Lawyers - Litigation – Insurance (2024)
  • Top Defense Win, 2022 Missouri Lawyers Media
  • Super Lawyers - Personal Injury - Products: Defense, Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers (2005-2023)
  • Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent

Professional Affiliations

  • American Bar Association
  • American Board of Trial Advocates
  • Claims & Litigation Management Alliance
  • Defense Research Institute
  • International Association of Defense Counsel
  • Kansas Bar Association
  • Kansas City Claims Association
  • Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association
  • Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers, Board of Directors