HUGH O’Donnell has been practicing family law in the Kansas City area for over twenty-five years.
Though his practice is now primarily family law, he has also tried numerous civil and criminal jury cases.
It was his experiences in the courtroom in family law cases, though often successful, which has led him to collaborative law.
In addition to his family law practice, in the past five years Hugh O’Donnell has developed a significant mediation practice.
He is also a charter member of the Association of Missouri Mediators.
During the last 25 years, Hugh has handled countless family law cases and has had hundreds of trials involving a wide range of issues. Family law cases may involve issues of a complex financial nature such as the valuation of a small business, and at the same time emotionally personal issues such as access and time with children.
Hugh has taken over 100 hours of basic and advanced mediation training and has mediated hundreds of cases. He and Peter Schloss have conducted an advanced mediation training on behalf of the Jackson Family Court for its mediators; and as well as acting as a coach for mediation training conducted by the Johnson County Community College. Hugh has spoken on the subject of mediation on the Walt Bodine Show on KCUR radio. His mediation training and practice is another contributing factor which led him to collaborative law.
Hugh is active in the Missouri Bar and a member of the Family Law Committee. He is also the present Chairman of the Missouri Lawyer’s Assistance Committee and has been the recipient of the Warren Welliver Award.
Earlier in his legal career, he worked as an assistant attorney general in the area of consumer protection for Missouri Attorney General, John Danforth. He’s always felt that he should be making some positive contribution to society in his practice and believes that collaborative law is a great way of doing so. Collaborative law enables people to resolve their own problems in a non-adversarial atmosphere without intervention of a court. With the assistance of able legal counsel, couples can chart the course of their family’s future. Collaborative law makes ending a marriage a problem to be solved rather than a fight to be won.