 | E. Wayne Taff
Sherman Taff Bangert Thomas & Coronado
Ste 2001 City Center Square
Kansas City, MO 64196
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Committees
The Governmental Liability Committee is comprised of professionals who devote a substantial amount of their time working with governments and their employees. Our membership includes attorneys in private practice and in the public sector, as well as insurance industry representatives involved in underwriting and in adjusting public entity claims.
The focus of the committee is litigation under 42 U.S.C. §1983, which over the years has become a labyrinth of procedural and substantive rules. Complicating matters further is the fact that the constitutional rights at the root of all §1983 litigation are themselves fluid concepts that are continually being revisited by the circuit courts as well as the Supreme Court. Given the vagaries of §1983 claims and defenses, and the creativity of our adversaries in court, we aim to stay on the “cutting edge” of the evolving standards in this challenging area of the law.
The Committee’s annual Civil Rights and Governmental Tort Liability seminars provide opportunities for professionals engaged in the defense of governmental entities to hear from leading litigators, professors, and other industry experts who share valuable insights and strategies in defending government. The success of this Committee and its annual seminar is based in large part on the quality and well-known reputations of many of its speakers who come from a variety of backgrounds, including the top professors and professionals in the field.
The Governmental Liability Committee is also regularly featured in the Committee Section in For The Defense. The Committee also provides the latest information to its members and clients through a semi-annual newsletter, Governmental Liability. We are developing a “Circuit Liaison” program as well to monitor developing case law in the circuits to be included in the semi-annual newsletter, along with substantive articles of interest to our members.
Through our membership and marketing efforts, we continue to increase the number of volunteers to fill important leadership positions. We strongly encourage anyone who is interested in getting involved to sign up for available positions, including publications, website, expert database and circuit liaisons.
Our success is realized through the invaluable support and unyielding efforts of our members. With assistance, we will continue to grow as the pre-eminent resource for tort liability exposures of governmental entities and their employees.
Subcommittee of Product Liability
Registration is now open for the hallmark event of the Products Committee, its annual seminar, April 7-9, 2010. This year's program, The Masters of Product Liability Litigation: The Stars Come Out is sure to be a great program. There will be presentations by outside and in-house counsel experienced in issues such as trial tactics, jury selection, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, warnings, and Daubert issues to name a few. In addition, there will be 18 Specialized Litigation Group Workshops where you can hone your skills in specific practice areas. The Young Lawyers have a stellar slate of presenters designed for our less experienced attorneys to hone their more basic skills. Not only will the seminar offer 18.5 hours of outstanding CLE, but this is THE place to network with the elite in house and outside products counsel in the country. And we cannot ask for a better setting of The Palazzo, the new hotel on the Venetian property in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Products Liability Committee is one of the largest and most active committees within DRI. The committee is comprised of 18 Specialized Litigation Groups (SLG). As the name suggests, each SLG is focused on either a specific type of product, group of products or particular issues within products liability law. Each SLG is guided by a steering committee comprised of knowledgeable and talented practitioners. With over 3200 members the Products Liability Committee is as diverse as the practice areas it encompasses.
The committee actively seeks individuals looking to become involved. Committee participation provides the opportunity to speak at the annual conference and during webconferences throughout the year. The webconferences are tailored to address the ever changing products liability landscape with presentations by seasoned litigators.
In addition to its annual conference and webconferences additional stand alone seminars are presented annually by various SLGs. Most frequently, the Fire and Casualty and Food Law SLGs have held such seminars.
The committee also provides excellent opportunities to showcase your writing skills. The committee’s newsletter, Strictly Speaking, is published quarterly and many of the SLGs publish their own newsletter. Also, each year the committee submits a series of articles to DRI’s monthly magazine, For The Defense. These articles offer in depth scholarly analysis of recent developments and trends in the law. Additional special publication projects are taken on by the committee from time to time.
The Products Liability Committee provides many exciting opportunities to become actively involved. We invite you to join our energetic and enthusiastic committee.
From the outset, the Trucking Law Committee leadership envisioned creating a committee dedicated to addressing the concerns of the trucking industry. Over the years, the committee addressed those needs by producing seminars, writing articles for the committee perspective issues of For The Defense dedicated to trucking law, a periodic newsletter to keep our members and clients informed about current developments and a compendium of the law of spoliation for all fifty states, the federal courts and U.S. territories. The Committee also held its first teleconference addressing hours of service requirements and driving fatigue issues. On the horizon we plan to work with other DRI committees to produce additional projects of interest to our committee members and clients.
The Trucking Law Committee has always taken pride in finding and recruiting the best talent to help it reach its goal to be the standard bearer for education in the trucking industry, to influence change and growth in the motor carrier industry and to have a positive impact on the public’s perception of the industry. To achieve this goal, we encourage participation of members from diverse backgrounds to serve in leadership positions and help in a variety of ways with the Committee activities. Opportunities abound for those committee members who are willing to volunteer. Simply put, we need and want your help!!
We are proud of what the Committee has accomplished, mindful of how much is yet to be done and excited by the many challenges and opportunities facing us. Please consider joining us on this journey.
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Practice Areas
Products Liability |
Member Bio
Following completion of his tour of duty in Vietnam for the U. S. Marine Corps, Wayne received his B.A. degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, graduating in the top five percent of his class. He received his J. D. from the University of Missouri-Kansas School of Law, graduating third in his class. Wayne was a member of the Order of Bench and Robe and Law Review.
He is admitted before the United States Supreme Court, all Missouri courts, the 8th and 10th United States Circuits Court of Appeals, and the United States District Courts for the Western District of Missouri, the District Court of Kansas, and the Western District of Wisconsin.
After achieving great success as a plaintiff's lawyer, Wayne started defense practice in 1981. He has served as national, regional and local counsel for numerous product and chemical manufacturers and presently serves as national counsel for a client with asbestos matters pending throughout the United States. He has tried jury trials throughout the United States. His primary areas of practice include products liability, aviation, toxic torts, trucking, commercial litigation and insurance coverage. He has substantial experience in trying a wide variety of high exposure cases.
Wayne has been very active in the Defense Research Institute, serving as Secretary Treasurer, Director, Chair of the Products Liability Committee, Chair of the Expert Witness Committee, and Chair of the Law Institute, with responsibility for all educational programs presented by DRI. Wayne recently completed service as Chair Emeritus of DRI's Law Institute in which capacity he was responsible for all international educational programming. He is also a member of the International Association of Defense Counsel and the Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers.
Wayne has extensively lectured and published nationally and internationally on products liability, expert witnesses, trial tactics, toxic torts and ethics. He was the first recipient of the Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers' Outstanding Service Award, and was honored by DRI with the Louis Potter Award for lifetime professional achievement and the Rich Krochock Award for his work in training and educating young lawyers.
Wayne, his wife Mary, his three children and their spouses and his eleven grandchildren live on the family compound in the country near Independence, Missouri.
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Firm Information
SHERMAN TAFF BANGERT THOMAS & CORONADO, P.C. takes great pride in its ability to staff and handle cases in an effective and economical manner. Our primary goal is to achieve the best result on a given case at the least defense and indemnity payment cost. At inception of the defense engagement, our lawyers immediately confer with the client and jointly identify those attorneys within the firm who are best suited to handle the matter. The individuals selected immediately assume the exclusive responsibility for handling the case from start to finish. We are mindful that claims do not arise, and are not resolved, in a commercial vacuum. Accordingly, we work with our clients to minimize the impact of any claim on their business operations, and seek to avoid unnecessary disruption of their ongoing business activities.
OUR HISTORY AND BACKGROUND
Sherman, Taff & Bangert, P.C., was originally founded by Joseph A. Sherman 30 years ago. The firm's president and managing shareholder, E. Wayne Taff, left a distinguished career in plaintiff s practice to join the firm 20 years ago. Vice-president, Jack Bangert, is an accomplished trial lawyer with over 20 years of practice experience. We are primarily a defense trial firm, proficient in the areas of product liability, aviation law, premises liability, governmental liability, retailer liability, transportation law, employment law, commercial litigation, environmental law, toxic tort liability and insurance defense and coverage.
CASE MANAGEMENT
We take great pride in our ability to staff and handle cases in an effective and economical manner. Our primary goal is to achieve the best result on a given case, whether by early settlement or disposition by trial, at the lowest possible overall cost. Upon accepting the defense of a claim, we immediately confer with the client and jointly identify those individuals within the firm best suited to handle the matter. The individuals selected are then designated to handle the case from start to finish. We are mindful that claims do not arise in a vacuum. For that reason, we work with our clients to minimize the impact of any claim on their business interests, and avoid unnecessary interruptions of their daily and long-term objectives.
EXPERIENCED TRIAL LAWYERS, NOT "LITIGATORS"
Although recent surveys indicate that approximately 95 percent of all cases settle, our trial lawyers have collective experience in over 500 jury trials. Nevertheless, we do not consider ourselves "litigators." It has been our experience that those individuals or firms who promote themselves as "litigators" are quick to squander client resources in pursuit of pre-trial motion practice and discovery, while they are reluctant to proceed with a jury trial when a given case cannot be settled to the client's advantage. Although we recognize that many cases will be best resolved by early evaluation and settlement, we also believe it important that claims and cases be developed by attorneys who have the ability and willingness to enter the courtroom if required. Furthermore, recognizing that our clients generally "hire lawyers and not law firms," the attorney selected by the client as the primary lawyer on a given case serves as lead counsel. Where our clients agree to involve other members of the firm, the lead counsel is responsible for supervising all activity taken in pursuit of the defense.
PROACTIVE APPROACH
When dealing with adverse parties we believe in taking an aggressive approach, endeavoring to initiate action rather than reacting to the developments of a case. However, we recognize the distinction between strategic aggressiveness and wasteful belligerence. We believe the filing of unnecessary and unwarranted motions, the unilateral scheduling of depositions without efforts of cooperation, and the unwillingness to be flexible, where appropriate, ultimately leads to a "war" among counsel, which substantially increases the client's costs with little or no offsetting gain.
CLAIMS AVOIDANCE
We firmly believe the best claims handling consists of claim avoidance. Accordingly, we offer "Preventive maintenance" advice and service to numerous clients on a local, regional and national basis, assisting them in implementing procedures and techniques to avoid claims in the areas of employment practices, retailer and mercantile liability, premises liability, governmental (civil rights) liability, environmental liability and product liability.
CURRENT SERVICE
We place a strong emphasis on tailoring our services to meet the goals and objectives of the client. We strive to deliver those services our clients actually want, as opposed to providing those services we think they want. We understand that a good working relationship with a client requires excellent service, compliance with reporting guidelines, prompt attention, responsiveness and accessibility. For example, we do not screen our telephone calls, and whenever possible, it is our policy to return all calls on the same day.
COMPUTER SUPPORT SERVICES
The attorneys and support staff at Sherman, Taff & Bangert, P.C., are equipped with state-of-the-art computers with internal and external desktop communication capabilities via the Internet, Westlaw, and facsimile.
LARGE CASE-MANAGEMENT HANDLING
With an experienced paralegal staff and computerized filing system, we are capable of handling mass tort litigation claims including class action lawsuits.
CUSTOMIZED INDIVIDUALIZED BILLING
We understand the importance of providing our clients with detailed, customized bills. Our billing department will tailor the bills so they contain the information each client needs in a comprehensive, yet understandable, format. Realizing the volatile nature of your business we strive to understand and cater to the specific needs of our clients. We are committed to facilitating the difficult responsibilities undertaken by the business managers, claims professionals and in-house counsel served by our firm. We believe that by following a "team concept" our clients' cases can be handled on an economical, professional, and even enjoyable basis. We look forward to the opportunity of associating with your company and demonstrating the quality of our legal representation.
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