Attorney Profiles

Lynn joined the firm as an associate in 1970 and became a partner in 1974. He quickly became nationally recognized as a trial attorney for his life-long devotion to the protection of individual rights and the enforcement of individual and corporate responsibility. As a trial attorney he has devoted his career to representing individuals by fighting for their rights for safe products, safe health care and safe lives through the civil justice system.

Raised on the family farm in western Kansas, Lynn learned the importance of individual responsibility. He learned early on to be responsible and to take responsibility for his own conduct. If something that he did had an impact on someone else, he took responsibility for it. That basic moral and legal concept directly relates to Lynn's work as a trial attorney fighting to protect the rights of individual consumers when they are injured as a result of irresponsible conduct by others.

Lynn's formal education – which began in a one-room country school house in Kanona, KS – led to an undergraduate degree from Kansas State University in 1967 and Juris Doctorate degree with honors from Washburn University School of Law in 1970. He is a life member of the Alumni Associations of both universities and has served as President of the Washburn Law School Association. Lynn has been married for more than 25 years to Jacqueline Lovelace Johnson. Jackie has served for many years as Chair of the Board of Directors of Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute in Albuquerque, NM – the second largest respiratory research institute in the United States. Jackie and Lynn have one son, William Randolph (Randy) Johnson Lovelace who is currently a junior at Connecticut College.

Lynn has been recognized for many years by his peers in Kansas, Missouri and the United States as one of the best trial attorneys in the country. Lynn is currently rated AV Preeminent by Martindale Hubbell and has been rated AV by Martindale Hubbell since 1976. (Click here for Martindale Hubbell rating process.) He has been listed in the Best Lawyers in America for 24 straight years – from the 2nd edition in 1987 through the 16th edition, 2010. (Click here for Best Lawyers selection process information.) Lynn has also been selected to Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers from 2005 – 2009 including top 10 and top 50 Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers in 2007 and 2009. (Click here for Super Lawyers selection process information.) Lynn has also been recognized by the Kansas City Business Journal as one of the Best of the Bar from 2002 – 2009. Lynn also serves on the Executive Committee of the American Association for Justice (Click here for more information concerning the American Association for Justice) and is currently a member of the National Advisory Board of the Association of Interstate Trucking Lawyers of America. (Click here for more information concerning APITLAmerica.)

Lynn is one of a handful of trial attorneys in the United States who have been invited to membership in The Inner Circle of Advocates, International Academy of Trial Lawyers and American College of Trial Lawyers. Membership / fellowship in these prestigious trial lawyer organizations is by invitation only. Membership in The Inner Circle of Advocates is limited to 100 plaintiffs trial attorneys in the United States. Lynn has been a member of The Inner Circle since 1997. (Click here for more information concerning the Inner Circle of Advocates.) Membership in the International Academy of Trial Lawyers is limited to 500 trial attorneys in the United States. Lynn has been a fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers since 1994. (Click here for more information concerning the International Academy of Trial Lawyers.) Membership in the American College of Trial Lawyers is limited to the top 1% of the attorneys within each individual state. Lynn has been a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers since 1995. (Click here for more information concerning American College of Trial Lawyers.) Currently, there are less than 30 trial attorneys in the United States that are members of all three of these prestigious trial lawyer organizations – and Lynn is one of them.

Lynn's success as a trial attorney is based on a long track record of successful jury verdicts in the states and federal courts of Kansas and Missouri. Since 1982, Lynn has been lead trial counsel in trials that have resulted in 17 jury verdicts in excess of $1,000,000 with 3 jury verdicts in excess of $10,000,000. Most recently he and Scott Nutter obtained a $23,500,000 verdict in November of 2008 in the U.S District Court in Wichita, Kansas and he and David Morantz obtained a $5,200,000 verdict in February of 2009 in state court in southwest Kansas.

Lynn shares his expertise by being a frequent lecturer/presenter at trial attorney continuing legal education events throughout the country. Over his career he has made more than 100 CLE presentations.

PEER RECOGNITION, HONORS AND AWARDS

Martindale Hubbell

• Rated AV Preeminent (5.0 out of 5)
• Rated AV since 1976
• www.martindale.com

Best Lawyers in America

• Listed for 24 years
• 2nd Edition, 1987 through 16th Edition, 2010
• www.bestlawyers.com

Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers

• 2005 – 2009
• Top 50 Kansas City Area Super Lawyers 2006
• Top 100 Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers 2006
• Top 50 Kansas City Area Super Lawyers 2007
• Top 100 Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers 2007
• Top 50 Kansas City Area Super Lawyers 2008
• Top 100 Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers 2008
• Top 50 Kansas City Area Super Lawyers 2009
• Top 100 Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers 2009
• www.superlawyers.com

Kansas City Business Journal, Best of the Bar

• 2002 – 2009

The Inner Circle of Advocates

• Member, 1997 – present
• Invitation Only
• Membership limited to 100 plaintiffs trial attorneys in the United States
• www.innercircle.org

International Academy of Trial Lawyers

• Fellow, 1994 – present
• Invitation Only
• Membership limited to 500 trial attorneys in the United States
• Admissions Committee (1998 – 2001; 2004 – 2007)
• Budget and Finance Committee (2007 – 2010)
• International Relations Committee (2008 – 2011)
• State Chair Committee (2001 – present)
• www.iatl.net

American College of Trial Lawyers

• Fellow, 1995 – present
• Invitation only
• Membership limited to top 1% of attorneys within each individual state
• www.actl.com

American Board of Trial Advocates

• Diplomat, 1987 – present
• Invitation only
• www.abota.org

American Association for Justice

• Member, 2008 – present
• Invitation only
• Membership limited to top 100 plaintiffs trial attorneys within each state
• Executive Committee (2009 – present)
• www.theatla.com

Kansas Supreme Court Nominating Commission

• Chair, July 1, 1993 – June 30, 2001
• Elected Chair by Kansas attorneys

KTLA / KsAJ Arthur  C. Hodgson Award

• 1999
• Kansas Trial Lawyers Association / Kansas Association for Justice Highest Award

Washburn Law School Association Distinguished Service Award

• 2001

Association of Plaintiff Interstate Trucking Lawyers of America (AITLAmerica)

• Member, 2009 – present
• National Advisory Board, 2009 – present
• www.APITLAmerica.com