Craig S O'Dear

Practice Areas

Craig is a trusted business and legal advisor who partners with clients and advises them in high-stakes business and class action litigation throughout the United States and internationally. He helps his clients achieve their business goals and prosecutes and defends cases involving a wide range of claims, including breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, minority shareholder rights, fraud and misrepresentation, antitrust law violations, negligence, federal and state wage and hour law violations, and alleged violations of consumer protection and other state and federal statutes.

Craig has extensive experience in intellectual property litigation where he helps clients protect the valuable information underlying the establishment and growth of their business. He has handled restrictive covenant and misappropriation of trade secrets disputes in many jurisdictions across the country. His experience in this area includes a restrictive covenant enforcement program for a national propane retailer, extensive experience in the insurance industry, and a number of cases involving accelerated litigation and injunctive relief.

Craig has substantial experience in product liability litigation where he helps clients manage risks associated with the manufacture and distribution of products. He has handled lawsuits involving a variety of products, including airplanes, helicopters, turbine and piston aircraft engines, grade-crossing warning systems, racquetball safety eyewear, farm equipment, multipiece truck wheels, automobile tires, chainsaws, playground equipment, and rigging equipment for stunt and sailing applications.

Craig is consistently recognized by Chambers USA, The Best Lawyers in America, Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers, and The Kansas City Business Journal as “Best of the Bar” in business and product liability litigation. He was also named one of the “Top 500 Leading Litigators in America” by Lawdragon magazine and a Missouri Litigation Star by Benchmark Litigation.