With a long history in the United States, the railroad industry continues to play a vital role in transporting cargo across our nation. Our attorneys have an in-depth understanding of the railroad industry and are well-versed in navigating the special rules and regulations of the industry. Several of our attorneys have years of experience representing the railroad industry, including one with over 10 years of prior experience as a General Attorney with a Class 1 railroad.

We have represented major, regional, and short line railroads in state and federal courts and before administrative bodies in Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, New York and Oklahoma, in a wide variety of matters, including:

• FELA matters (both traumatic incidents and occupational diseases)
• Crossing closures
• Grade crossing accidents
• Labor & employment
• OSHA violations
• Personal injury claims
• Property damage claims
• Trackage rights disputes

Some of our attorneys have been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America publication, as being among the best railroad litigators in the nation.  Additionally, our attorneys are active members of the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) and the National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel (NARTC), with one of our attorneys serving as the current Chair of the ASLRRA General Counsel Committee, a committee consisting of in-house counsel for railroads throughout the country and the outside counsel representing them.

For more information about the services we provide to the Railroad industry contact John Patterson in Kansas City at 816.471.2121 or John Lord in St. Louis at 314.345.5000.

Blog Posts

Eighth Circuit Refuses to Punish Employer for History of Granting Special Treatment to Disabled Employee with Poor Attendance Record

01.08.19 | The Eighth Circuit affirms summary judgment in an employer's favor in a disability discrimination case, where the employee's excessive absenteeism was attributed to a disability and other family medical issues.

City of St. Louis - Still A Judicial Hellhole

12.26.18 | Defense attorneys beware. The 2018-2019 American Tort Reform Foundation's (ATRF) Judicial Hellholes Report is out, and the City of St. Louis landed fourth on this list because of its massive verdicts, forum shopping, and legislative failures.

Federal Preemption Doesn't Bar Railroad's Suit Against Locomotive Seat Manufacturer

08.24.18 | The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals recently held that a railroad's products liability and breach of contract claims that were based on federally-imposed standards of care are not preempted. BNSF Railway Co. v. Seats, Inc., (No. 17-1399, 8th Cir. 2018).