Brett A. Emison

660-259-9903

Brett’s practice focuses almost exclusively on catastrophic injury and death cases, as well as class action and other complex tort cases, including automobile defects, railroad crossing accidents, trucking accidents, dangerous or defective drugs, and a variety of other cases.

He regularly presents at seminars and other educational events teaching other attorneys the strategies learned in trials and cases across the country. Brett has been honored by the Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers, Missouri Lawyers Weekly’s Up and Coming Lawyers, among others. For his successful representations of people injured in train accidents, Brett was selected the “Lawyer of the Year” for the Kansas City metro area for the 2019 edition of Best Lawyers in America, in the category of railroad law for plaintiffs.

As a partner at Langdon & Emison, Brett and his colleagues have tried cases against some of the largest corporations in the world, including all major auto manufacturers, railroad companies and trucking companies, as well as major pharmaceutical and medical device companies. Brett is dedicated to this area of the law because he is well aware that his clients’ lives have been destroyed and turned upside down because of someone else’s actions.

Brett is a past president of the Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys (2019-2020).  He is currently a member of the Board of Governors of the American Association for Justice (AAJ), where he also chairs the Publication Committee, is a member of the National Finance Council, and serves as a Trustee of the AAJ PAC.  Brett is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) and numerous other legal organizations.  He is frequently published in national legal publications and presents on trial practice skills and other legal topics to attorneys across the country.

During law school at the University of Missouri – Columbia, Brett served as Associate Editor-in-Chief of the Missouri Law Review and received Order of the Coif honors. Following graduation, Brett worked as judicial law clerk for the Honorable William Ray Price, Jr. of the Supreme Court of Missouri. He then practiced in the area of commercial litigation for a renowned Kansas City law firm before joining Langdon & Emison, where the firm’s collective experience, focus, and resources have maximized the recovery for his clients, with total verdicts and settlements exceeding half a billion dollars.

Education

  • J.D., University of Missouri – Columbia School of Law

  • Order of the Coif

  • Missouri Law Review, Associate Editor-in-Chief

  • B.S., cum laude, Business Administration, University of Missouri, Columbia

Bar Admissions

Publications

  • “Keeping Defense Expert Depos on Track,” Trial, February 2024.
  • “A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words”, Trial, February 2022.

  • Don’t Overlook a Product Defect, Trial, October 2020.

  • Defective Guardrails on America’s Roads, Trial, February 2015.

  • Stryker Metal-on-Metal Hip Cases Moving Forward, Westlaw Journals Medical Devices, October 21, 2014.

  • Testosterone therapy’s link to heart attack, stroke and death: What you need to know. Available on iTunes, May 23, 2014.

  • Testosterone Therapy: Litigation Commences After Studies Link Hormone to Heart Attack, Stroke. Bloomberg BNA, March 24, 2014.

  • Actos litigation: A comprehensive look at the litigation landscape for Takeda’s diagetes drug, as studies link its long-term use in some to bladder cancer. Forum Magazine, March/April 2012.

  • Altered Reality: The Hidden Dangers of Modified Vehicles and Aftermarket Components. Trial Journal, Winter 2012.

  • Toner Shoes are Well-Marketed, Poorly Designed. The Safety Report magazine, Fall 2011.

  • Get Educated: The Dangers of Aftermarket Vehicles. The Safety Report magazine, Summer 2011.

  • Aftermarket Parts and their Consequences in Litigation, Equipment and Leasing (American Lawyer Media), February 2011.

  • Social Media and the Law, Missouri Trial Attorney, Winter 2010.

  • Deadly Trap or Reasonable Danger: What Standard of Care Applies to Non-Electrical Injuries from Power Lines? 66 Mo. L. Rev. 453, 2001.

  • Comparative Fault in Crashworthiness Cases (Co-Author with Stephen R. Bough), Kansas Trial Lawyers Association Journal, Vol. XXV, No. 2, at 12, November, 2001.

  • Legal Issues in Missouri Products Liability Cases (Co-Author with Stephen R. Bough), The Daily Record, Vol. 186, No. 214, at 3, April 25, 2002.

  • Opinion: Toyota’s Acceleration Problem and Carwashes, Modern Car Care, 2010.

  • Social Media and the Law: Cautions and Challenges, The Missouri Trial Attorney, 2010.

  • Do You Know How To Select A Child Safety Seat, The Safety Report, 2010.

  • What You Need To Know About Toyota Sudden Acceleration, The Safety Record, 2010.

  • Toyota Recall: A Time Line Of Toyotas Checkered Safety History, The Safety Record, 2010.

  • Cause Is King: Challenging Jurors For Cause, The Missouri Trial Attorney, 2010.

  • Burned Alive: What You Need To Know About Fuel Fed Fire Defects, Injury Board – The Nation’s Safety Magazine, 2010.

  • Buckle Up For Winter Safety Injury Board – The Nations Safety Magazine, 2009.

  • Legal Issues In Missouri Products Liability Cases, The Daily Record (Kansas City), 2002.

  • Deadly Trap or Reasonable Danger: What Standard of Care Applies to Non-Electrical Injuries from Power Lines? Missouri Law Review, 2001.

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • Co-chair Capital Campaign, Starlight Theatre (2024)

  • President, Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys (2019-20)

  • American Association for Justice: Board of Governors, National Finance Council, PAC Board of Trustees, Publications Committee (Chair)

  • Attorneys Information Exchange Group

  • Eastern Jackson County Bar Association

  • Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association

  • Kappa Alpha Order

  • Missouri Bar Association

  • Missouri Trial Attorney Magazine (Editor, 2015-Present)