Of Counsel

Ms. VanBebber has practiced law for more than 30 years, including in the offices of United States Attorneys and the United States Department of Justice (“DOJ”) from 1980-1998.  After nine years as an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Kansas, she was appointed Deputy United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri where she served as Chief of the Civil Division and supervised appellate litigation.  She was a frequent teacher at the Attorney General’s Advocacy Institute in Washington, D.C., helping to train new attorneys with the Department of Justice and U.S. Attorney’s Offices, and she has been an adjunct instructor at the University of Kansas School of Law on several occasions.  She was a member of the DOJ Evaluation Team, participating in peer review for U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country.  In 1997-1998, she was selected as a Senior Litigation Counsel for DOJ and she focused on development of a civil fraud litigation unit.

Prior to law school, Ms. VanBebber was a high school and college teacher, a newspaper reporter, and a technical writer in a large hospital system.

Appellate Practice.  Civil and administrative appeals in federal and state courts.  Civil and criminal appeals in federal courts. 

Federal Litigation.  Civil litigation, including tort and State claims, civil rights actions, discrimination claims, and claims under the Administrative Procedures Act. 

Employment and Labor Law.  Representation in wage and hour disputes, ADA compliance, discrimination claims, and general employment practices.

Probate and Trust Litigation.  Petitions for appointment of guardians and conservators.  Representation of petitioners, creditors, claimants, heirs, and distributees in uncontested and contested probate proceedings.  Representation of trustees and claimants in trust disputes.

 

Licensed to practice in Kansas and Missouri
Admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court; United States Courts of Appeal for the Eighth and Tenth Circuits; United States District Court for Kansas and Western District of Missouri; Appellate Courts of Kansas and Missouri
Fellow, American Bar Foundation*
Member, American Bar Association
Member, Kansas Bar Association
Member, Missouri Bar Association
Member, Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association
Member, Kansas Women Attorneys Association
Member, Association of Women Lawyers, Metropolitan Kansas City
Member, Earl E. O’Connor Inn, American Inns of Court* (past president)
Member, Historical Society of the United States Tenth Judicial Circuit (President & member of Board of Directors)
AV^® Preeminent^™ Rated by Martindale-Hubbell*
Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register of Preeminent Women Lawyers

* Click for selection information.

University of Kansas (J.D., 1980, Member, National Moot Court Team, Student Director, Juvenile Justice Clinic; Teaching Assistant, Legal Research and Writing Classes)
Memphis State University (Graduate Assistant, graduate studies in English)
University of Nebraska (Graduate Assistant, graduate studies in Theatre)
Pittsburg State College (B.A., 1964, Speech)

Ms. VanBebber is active in various nonprofit organizations, including Southwest Boulevard Family Medical Services, Wyandotte County, Kansas, which serves low-income families with legal and medical issues. She is certified as a Kansas State University Extension Master Gardener and is a past member of the Johnson County Extension Service Board. She presently serves on the Americans With Disabilities Act Committee and the Civil Service Board for Prairie Village, Kansas.