J. Kent Emison

660-259-9902

For almost 30 years Kent Emison has dedicated his practice to representing individuals and their family members in personal injury cases.

A Fellow in the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and a frequent lecturer to bar associations and trial lawyer groups nationwide, Kent devotes 100 percent of his practice to litigation in product liability, motor vehicle accidents, and other cases involving personal injury and wrongful death. In that role he has served as lead trial counsel in numerous multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements and has handled cases all across the United States, from Florida to Hawaii.

Video: Langdon & Emison attorney Kent Emison

Best Lawyers in America named Kent “Lawyer of the Year” for 2018 for personal injury plaintiffs’ litigation for the Kansas City metro area.  In 2017 he received the Thomas G. Strong Trial Attorney Award from the Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys for his leadership in the profession.  Kent’s reputation in the field is due to his track record of obtaining the maximum compensation for injured individuals and for families who have lost loved ones. Throughout his career he has been an advocate of trial by jury and is seen as a leader in the profession.

For the past three consecutive years Kent has been selected as one of the top 100 lawyers in Missouri and Kansas by the peer review process Super Lawyers. American Lawyer magazine and Martindale-Hubbell named him a “Top rated personal injury lawyer” for 2013, and in 2012 he was honored by Missouri Lawyers Weekly as part of its “Lawyer of the Year” program. This award was for his leadership of Langdon & Emison and his service to the profession and the community.  Best Lawyers in America named Kent the “Lawyer of the Year” for plaintiff’s personal injury litigation, Kansas City region, for both 2011 and 2014.

Kent has presented a variety of seminars to several national associations of attorneys, and has spoken at the University of Missouri-Columbia and University of Missouri-Kansas City. He is a dedicated board member in several organizations in his local community, and has been a supporter of several philanthropic organizations for decades, both locally and nationally. Many of these positions of nonprofit leadership focus on his particular passions of charities benefitting children, education, and the funding of research for consumer safety.

Kent graduated with distinction from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law where he served as Business Editor of the Law Review from 1979-1981. Though he spends less time farming than he did in his youth as the son of a dairy farmer, he enjoys spending time outdoors when he can.

He served as President of the Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys (MATA) from 2005-2006, and was on the MATA Executive Committee from 1997-2007.  In recent years he has earned leadership posts with various American Association for Justice committees and the Attorneys Information Exchange Group.

Education

  • J.D., With Distinction, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law (1981)

  • B.S., Cum Laude, University of Missouri, Columbia (1978)

Admissions

Publications

  • “Defense Expert Depos,” Trial, February 2024.
  • “Plug In:  Virtual Mediations,” Trial, August 2020.

  • “Evaluating and Litigating the Fuel-Fed Fire Cases,” Illinois Trial Journal, Summer 2019.

  • “Litigation Trends and Tips for Your Distracted Driving Case,” AIEG Voice, Spring 2019.

  • “When Guardrail Manufacturers Pursue Profits Over Safety, Consumers Pay the Price,” AIEG Voice, Winter 2018.

  • “Defective guardrails in serious injury and death cases,” Thomson Reuters’ Automotive Journal, April 18, 2018.

  • “Theories of Recovery in Trucking Accident Cases Involving Insufficient Insurance,” Thomson Reuters’ Automotive Journal, May 3, 2017.

  • “How Lack of Visibility Can Become a Major Theme in a Trucking Accident Case,” AIEGVoice, April 2016.

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

  • “Asleep at the Wheel; Truck Driver Fatigue,” AIEGVoice, Fall 2013.

  • “Recent Developments in Conspicuity Issues in Truck Accident Litigation,” Thomson Reuters’ Automotive Journal, April 9, 2013.

  • “Higher Standards for Semi-Truck Underride Guards Needed to Save Lives, Reduce Manufacturers’ Liability” Thomson Reuters’ Automotive Journal, November 6, 2012.

  • “Trial Strategies with Negligent Trucking Companies,” AAJ Interstate Trucking Litigation Group 2012 Newsletter.

  • “Trial Strategies for Holding Trucking Companies Responsible for their Employees’ Negligent Conduct,” Illinois Trial Journal, Summer 2012.

  • “Danger on the Open Road (Defects in Campers, RV’s),” Trial magazine, August 2012.

  • “Electronic discovery report on truck accident litigation,” National Law Journal, August 22, 2011.

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • American Association for Justice

  • Attorneys Information Exchange Group (Member, Board of Directors)

  • Bench & Robe Honor Society

  • Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association

  • Kappa Alpha Order

  • Lafayette County Bar Association (Past President)

  • Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys (Past President)

  • Missouri Bar Association

  • Missouri Trial Attorney Magazine (Editor, 1997 – 2002)