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Paul D. Anderson is a trailblazing litigator who has made significant contributions to NFL and NCAA concussion litigation. His legal career began at The Klamann Law Firm, where he collaborated with Wm. Dirk Vandever of Popham Law Firm and Ken McClain of Humphrey, Farrington & McClain. This powerful alliance successfully recovered millions of dollars for injured athletes and retired NFL players.
A notable achievement in Paul's career—shortly after passing the bar—was securing a landmark $1.2 million settlement for the family of Derek Sheely in a wrongful death brain injury lawsuit against the NCAA and other parties. Remarkably, before turning 30, Paul had already amassed over $30 million in settlements for his clients.
Paul's legal prowess extends beyond sports-related cases. He has successfully challenged some of America's largest corporations, most recently spearheading a series of class action lawsuits that compelled the entire power tool industry to enhance the safety of abrasive wheels while securing millions in compensation for consumers.
Throughout his career, Paul has had the privilege of working alongside and learning from some of Kansas City's most distinguished trial lawyers and litigators, including Dirk Vandever, Dennis Egan, Ken McClain, Gene Graham, and John Klamann. This experience has shaped him into the formidable attorney he is today. Paul's decision to join Popham as a partner marks an exciting new chapter in his already impressive legal career.
Areas of Practice
Kansas City Products Liability Lawyers
Traumatic Brain Injury
Kansas City Medical Malpractice Attorneys
Employment Law
Auto Accident Lawsuits
Kansas City, MO Truck Accident Attorney
Catastrophic Injury
Wrongful Death
Consumer Class Actions
Bike Law
Toxic Torts
Sports Law
Housing Defects
Consumer Protection
Medical Malpractice
Paul graduated summa cum laude from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law in May 2012. While in law school, Paul created the nationally-acclaimed website, NFLConcussionLitigation.com. It became the “go-to source” for chronicling the litigation against the NFL and NCAA. Forbes.com described Paul as “one of the nation’s leading experts on concussion law.” The national media regularly seeks his insight, and he has been a panelist at multiple CLEs and sports law symposiums discussing the NFL and NCAA concussion litigation.
Beginning in 2015, Paul became an Adjunct Professor of Law at the UMKC Law where he taught a course entitled, “The Emergence and Transformation of Concussion Litigation.” He also started and taught the first ever law school course in Missouri on Cannabis Law at UMKC. Paul also served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Kansas where he taught Sports Law.
Paul is married to his beautiful wife, Lisa, and has two young boys. They are proud members of the St. Elizabeth Parish. When he’s not working, Paul enjoys mountain biking and gravel riding (especially in Northwest Arkansas), running, and tennis.
Notable Verdicts & Settlements
- $14,844,117.24 verdict in a contested arbitration against Lawrence Kia and its owners relating to an auto loan scheme in violation of the Kansas Consumer Protection Act. The award included $10,000,000 in punitive damages which was confirmed by the Douglas County District Court. In the final award, the arbitrator stated, Paul Anderson “is a lawyer of great ability and reputation.”
- Revolutionized power tool safety through strategic class action lawsuits against multiple corporations, including Black & Decker/DeWalt, Diablo, Milwaukee, Saint Gobain, and others. His legal intervention compelled these companies to pay millions of dollars, place clear expiration dates on bonded abrasive wheels, directly protecting consumers from potential safety risks and transforming industry standards.
- Obtained Landmark Settlement in Derek Sheely v. NCAA, Schutt Sports, et al,2011 Montgomery County MD Circuit Court.
- Millions of dollars recovered for Retired NFL Players alleging chronic brain damage as a result of football.
- $3.2 Million for Deceased NFL Player Diagnosed with CTE.
- $3.12 Million for Retired NFL Player.
- $1.4 Million for Retired NFL Player.
- Numerous confidential, six- seven- and eight-figure settlements involving catastrophic injuries, wrongful terminations, medical malpractice, consumer protection, and sexual assaults.
- In a challenging slip-and fall case against Kelly’s Westport Inn, Paul successfully resolved the case for six figures, which then led to Kelly’s remodeling a portion of its rooftop to fix the dangerous condition.
- In a school-bus-dragging case where the child was miraculously saved from suffering catastrophic injuries (and having less than $5,000 in medical bills), Paul resolved the case for nearly a million dollars.
- In the NFL cases, Paul and his team were the only litigants to successfully defeat the NFL’s “preemption defense.” This result led to an eight-figure settlement.
- In the Derek Sheely case, Paul and his team were the first to obtain a ruling by a court finding that the NCAA owes a legal duty to protect athletes from brain injuries. Also in that case, Paul won a motion to compel the deposition of NCAA President Mark Emmert.
- In an employment case, Paul won a motion to compel the deposition of the CEO of Daily Mail & General Trust, a multi-billion-dollar conglomerate. The case settled immediately after the ruling.
Bar Admissions
- Missouri, 2012
Education
BS, (Political Science) Missouri State University, Springfield, Missouri, 2009J.D., (summa cum laude) University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law, 2012
Honors & Awards
Rising Star — Missouri & Kansas, Super Lawyers Seven CALI Excellence for the Future Awards for obtaining the highest grade in each law school class.
Professional Memberships & Associations
- Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys
- Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association