Richard T. Bryant

profile
  • Managing Partner

Location :

Kansas City, MO
Phone :
Fax :
816-221-9010
Email :

I was affiliated from my admission to the Missouri Bar until December 1, 1995 with the general practice law firm of Copilevitz, Bryant & Schmid, P.C. This firm was originally known as Harding & Copilevitz, P.C. and thereafter known as Copilevitz, Bryant, Gray & Jennings, P.C. Because of the departure of two partners from active practice in the firm, the firm was renamed.

From December 1, 1995 until the present, I have been affiliated with Richard T. Bryant & Associates, P.C. (formerly Bryant & Picerno, P.C.). This firm continues to be a general practice firm with specialties in Constitutional law, insurance investigation and defense, domestic relations, municipal and land use law.

I have engaged in the preparation and trial of the Circuit Court cases in all areas of the law, including family law and domestic relations, insurance, and Constitutional law, and also Associate Circuit Division cases and Municipal Court cases. I have also prepared and presented cases in administrative matters on local and state levels. I have experience in criminal and juvenile cases.

Practice before the Circuit of Jackson County, Missouri includes both bench and jury-tried cases, both as lead counsel and as a secondary counsel. I am familiar with applicable rules of court governing civil procedure in the U.S. District Courts for both the Western and Eastern Districts of Missouri, as well as rules promulgated by the Jackson County Circuit Court and various other Missouri Circuit Court divisions, the Kansas Supreme Court and a number of municipalities and administrative boards.

I have served as the Administrative Hearing Officer of the Housing Authority of Kansas City, Missouri since November 14, 1988. I conduct and hear cases concerning issues involving tenant selection and termination of tenancy, and I also conduct hearings with respect to cases involving interpretation of lease provisions for all persons involved in Section 8 and Public Housing cases. Further, I was selected by the position of the Judge of the Municipal Court of Kansas City, Missouri.

From May 15, 1976, until my enrollment with the Missouri Bar, I was affiliated with the Lenexa, Kansas Police Department as a police legal advisor intern. My primary areas of responsibility included training police officers as assisting in the preparation and prosecution of municipal ordinance cases under the supervision of the City Prosecutor. I provided similar service to the City of Westwood, Kansas and its police department between January 15, 1977, and September 3, 1978 under the supervision of the City Prosecutor. During that time I was also responsible for codifying, revising, and drafting city ordinances relating to public offenses and training police personnel in arrest procedures and matters of legal interest. As you may know, the City of Kansas City, Missouri recently codified and revised its city ordinances, much in the same fashion that I did for the City of Westwood, Kansas.

Between January 1978 and June 1982, I served with the Investigations Division of the Lenexa, Kansas Police Department, assisting in legal aspects of major cases and in Internal Affairs Investigations.

From May 15, 1976, until September 3, 1978, I was employed with the law firm Stoup & Thompson, engaging in legal research, investigation and case preparation. From April 1, 1978 until admission to the Missouri Bar, I was also affiliated with the firm of Harding & Copilevitz, P.C., as a law clerk.

Areas of Practice

  • Hotel, restaurant , liquor and bar licensing
  • Business formation and tax registrations
  • Administrative Law-Liquor

Certified Legal Specialties

  • Approved Mediator, Circuit Court of Jackson County, MO

Bar Admissions

  • Missouri, 1978
  • Kansas, 1996
  • Iowa, 2002
  • Virgin Islands, 1999
  • Washington, 1995
  • U.S. District Court Western District of Missouri, 1978
  • U.S. District Court Eastern District of Missouri
  • U.S. District Court District of Kansas

Education

  • University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law, Kansas City, Missouri
    • J.D. - 1978
  • University of Missouri, Kansas City, Missouri
    • M.P.A. - 1977
    • Major: Urban Administration
  • Longview Community College
    • A.A. - 1972
  • University of Missouri at Kansas City
    • B.B.A. - 1974

Published Works

  • "Criminal Corrections: Reform in the Community", The UMKC Business and Public Administration Student Review, Fall, 1975
  • "Child Abuse Legislation - Preserving the Family Unit", The UMKC Business and Public Administration Student Review, Summer, 1978

Representative Cases

  • Billboard Case: Passions Video, Inc. et al. v. Nixon, Case No.04-0760-CV-W-GAF, Appellate Case No.:05-3847
  • BZA Case: State of Missouri, ex rel., Gebhardt v.Strawn, et al, Case No. CV96-13585
  • Senate Bill 32 Case: Missouri Association of Club Executives v.State of Missouri, SC87154
  • Scope Pictures of Missouri v. City of Kansas City, Missouri Case No.96-0488-CV-W-8

Representative Clients

  • Mid-Century Insurance Company
  • Truck Insurance Company
  • Farmers Insurance Group of Companies
  • General Media, Incorporated (Penthouse)
  • Clarence M. Kelley & Associates of Kansas City, Inc.
  • Federated Insurance Companies
  • St. Maarten 12 Meter Enterprises, N.V.
  • Shopper's Haven, N.V.
  • Alliance Insurance Companies
  • Miles Smith, PLC

References

  • United Missouri Bank
  • Ifft & Co. Accountants
  • John M. Bowen & Associates Shorthand Reporters
  • Jason Pottenger, Esq.
  • Bill Reynolds
  • Farmers Insurance Company Inc.

Classes/Seminars

  • "Police Officer Liability for Computer Based Arrests", Kansas Division, Associated Public Safety Communications Officers, 00/00/1978 to 00/00/1978
  • "Kansas Privacy and Security Act", Johnson County Bar Assn., 00/00/1977 to 00/00/1977

Honors and Awards

  • Directors Community Leadership Award-FBI Director Robert Mueller III

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, Member, 1978 to Present
  • Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, Chairman, Municipal Courts Committee, 1994 to 1996
  • The Missouri Bar, Young Lawyers Association, Member, 1978 to Present
  • The Missouri Bar, Administration of Criminal Justice, Member, 1977 to 1978
  • The Missouri Bar, Family Law Section, Member, 1978 to Present
  • First Amendment Lawyers Association, Member
  • Missouri Association of Trial Lawyers, Member
  • National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys, Member
  • Circuit Court of Jackson County, Missouri
  • City of Kansas City, Missouri, Chairman, Drug Prosecution Committee
  • Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, Family Law Section, Member, 1978 to Present
  • American Bar Association, Member, Standing Committee, Association Standards for Criminal Justice, 1977 to 1978
  • Housing Authority of Kansas City, Missouri, Administrative Hearing Officer, 1988 to Present

Past Employment Positions

  • Copilevitz Bryant Gray and Jennings, Partner, 1978 to 1995
  • Lenexa, Kansas Police Department, Police Legal Advisor Intern
  • Investigations Division of the Lenexa, Kansas Police Department, 1978 - 1982
  • Stoup & Thompson, 1976 - 1978

Pro Bono Activities

  • FBI National Citizens Academy Alumni Association, General Counsel, 2012 to 2017
  • Caribbean Region-National Society Sons of the American Revolution, Chairman, 2014 to 2017

Languages

  • English

Fraternities/Sororities

  • Phi Delta Phi
  • Omicron Delta Kappa
  • Phi Theta Kappa