JOHN J. GATES

816-448-8530

john@gateswestering.com

John handles a wide variety of legal issues ranging from disputes between business owners to personal injury lawsuits to non-compete allegations to defective construction claims to interpreting insurance policies. It is his broad practice that enables him to see all sides of a client’s problems and help develop effective solutions.

John’s caseload over the years has been filled with every type of personal injury case imaginable. He has litigated a number of high-exposure wrongful death and personal injury claims from workplace accidents, product defects, trucking accidents, and insufficient security.

Aside from his business and personal injury practice, John handles insurance claims, defective construction, and non-compete matters. With regard to insurance claims, he performs coverage analysis and litigates bad faith claims, declaratory judgment actions, subrogation claims, and equitable garnishments.

John’s defective construction cases involve the design, materials and construction in residential and commercial projects.

John's experience with insurance litigation make him well suited to mediate complicated personal injury and construction defect cases involving complex insurance coverage issues.

Finally, John represents both employers and employees in cases involving non-competes and trade secrets. His article, “25 Questions Before Enforcing a Non-Compete,” was recently published by US Law Magazine.

John has tried several high-exposure jury trials in Missouri and Kansas, including three of the largest defense verdicts in Missouri and Kansas in the last fifteen years. He has also obtained dismissals in large-loss personal injury and commercial litigation cases. John routinely speaks at continuing legal education seminars on trial tactics, ethics, and civil procedure.

During law school, John successfully second-chaired first-degree murder and first-degree armed robbery trials in the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office in Kansas City, Missouri.

Awards

AV® Preeminate Rating, Martindale-Hubbell
"Lawyer of the Year," 2026, Construction Law, Best Lawyers
Super Lawyers® in Missouri and Kansas, Thomson Reuters
Best of the Bar, Kansas City Business Journal, 2012-2014
Fellow of the Bar, Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association

Admissions

Missouri
Kansas
U.S. District Court, Western District of Missouri
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Missouri
U.S. District Court, Kansas
U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit

Education

Vanderbilt University
- BA, Philosophy
University of Kansas School of Law
- Judicial Intern, Magistrate Judge Gerald L. Rushfelt, D. Kan.
- Articles Editor, Kansas Journal of Law and Public Policy

Professional Organizations

The Missouri Bar
Kansas Bar Association
Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association (KCMBA), Construction Law Committee
Legal Aid of Western Missouri, Volunteer Attorney Project
Military Matters, KCMBF, Volunteer Attorney
The Missouri Bar Fee Dispute Resolution Program, Facilitator, Mediator & Arbitrator
Board of Directors, Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers (MODL), 2018-2019

John J. Gates