Joseph J. Roper

Principal
Joe Roper focuses his practice as a trial lawyer in successfully representing insurance and business clients at trial and in arbitrations, throughout Missouri and Kansas concentrating on catastrophic injury cases, construction defects and business disputes.
photo of attorney Joseph J. Roper

Overview

Joe Roper is a trial lawyer, with over 60 jury trials to verdict as lead counsel.  He has successfully handled seven and eight figure cases, in areas as diverse as product liability, business litigation, construction defect litigation, fraud, premises liability and a wide array of catastrophic personal injury cases.

Mr. Roper’s numerous awards and professional distinctions include being the 2018 recipient of the Ben Ely Jr. Award, naming the outstanding defense lawyer in the State of Missouri.  He was also recently named “Dean of the Trial Bar” by the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association.  He is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, and a member of the International Association of Defense Counsel.  He has served on two national IADC trial academies, both at the University of Colorado and Stanford University.  He is listed in Best Lawyers in America and has been named a “Super Lawyer” each year for more than a decade.  He carries the preeminent designation by Martindale Hubbell, Judicial Edition.

Joe is a past president of the Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers, and a past president of the Western Missouri/Eastern Kansas Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates, as well as previously serving on the national board of ABOTA.  He currently serves as a Distinguished Pro Bono Fellow for the American College of Trial Lawyers, for his work with Military Matters, a Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Foundation initiative providing free legal services to veterans and active duty service personnel.

Recent Results

Professional Affiliations

  • Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, inducted 2007
  • American Board of Trial Advocates – Past President Western Missouri/Eastern Kansas chapter, former National Board member
  • Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers – Past President
  • International Association of Defense Counsel
  • Missouri Bar Association
  • Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association

Awards & Achievements

  • Named "Dean of the Trial Bar": by the Kansas City Missouri Bar Association, 2021.
  • Recipient of the Ben Ely Jr. Award, 2019, from the Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers. The Ben Ely Jr. Award is presented annually to the outstanding defense lawyer in the state of Missouri.
  • Inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers in 207.
  • Past president of the Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers.
  • Named to two trial academy faculties fir the International Association of Defense Counsel Trial Academy, University of Colorado and Stanford University.
  • 2019 Presidents Recognition Award, Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Foundation for outstanding contribution to the Foundation’s Legal Connection, Military Matters, providing free legal assistance to veterans and active duty personnel.
  • Selected to SuperLawyers more than ten years in a row.

Practices

Education

  • University of Tulsa School of Law (J.D.)
  • Northeastern Oklahoma State University (B.S.)

Bar Admissions

  • Missouri
  • U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri
  • U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas