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Anthony Bologna
Trial Attorney
Areas of practice:
•Criminal law
•Personal Injury / Auto Accident
•Municipal / Traffic Law
Professional Experience:
1996
Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies, University of Missouri, Kansas City, MO
1999
Juris Doctor, University of Missouri, Kansas City, MO
1999 - 2008
Trial Attorney, Clay County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, Clay County, MO
2008 - present
Founder, Bologna & Blair, LLC, Liberty, MO
Anthony graduated from the University of Missouri Kansas City in 1996 with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies. Anthony continued his studies in Kansas City completing his Juris Doctor at the University of Missouri in 1999. While a law student, Anthony served on the UMKC Student Bar Association Board of Governors and served as President of Delta Theta Phi legal fraternity. Anthony is a member of the Kansas City Metropolitan and Clay County Bar Associations. Anthony is licensed to practice law in Missouri and Kansas, as well as the Federal Court for the Western District of Missouri.
Anthony joined the law firm when it was formed in April 2008, after leaving the Clay County, Missouri Prosecuting Attorney's Office where he worked as a trial attorney for over nine years. In that position, Anthony handled the litigation of charges ranging from traffic offenses to felonies, including drug possession, forgery, theft, DWI, robbery, rape manslaughter and murder. With this type of experience, insight, and training, Anthony knows how to aggressively represent you throughout the litigation process, keeping you informed and offering you practical counsel concerning your situation.
Anthony also works in the area of Civil Litigation. Anthony spent over a year, prior to working as a criminal trial attorney, working at Stigall, Humphrey, Lucas, Henry, Stigall and Dollar, now Dollar, Burns and Becker, a downtown Kansas City Civil Litigation law firm. There, he worked researching legal issues and drafting settlement demands on various personal injury type cases. Since that time he has handled many personal injury lawsuits obtaining awards for his clients, including a settlement of $850,000.00.
Anthony is also active in the community and is currently a board member on the City of North Kansas City Police and Fire Pension Board and the Clay County Election Board.
Shawn L. Blair
Trial Attorney
Areas of practice:
• Criminal law
• Personal Injury, Wrongful Death, Auto Accident
• DWI Law
• Municipal/Traffic Law
Professional Experience:
2000
Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, University of Missouri at Columbia, MO
2003
Juris Doctorate, Washington University in St. Louis, School of Law, St. Louis, MO
Trial Attorney, Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, Union, MO
Trial Attorney, Hartstein and Bleisch, P.C., Clayton, MO
Deputy Chief Trial Attorney, Clay County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, Liberty, MO
Trial Attorney, Bologna & Blair, LLC
Shawn completed his undergraduate degree at Mizzou in the May of 2000 with a degree in Political Science. After college, Shawn next attended Washington University School of Law and obtained his law degree in May of 2003. Washington University is widely recognized as a premiere trial school and is consistently ranked as one of the top ten trial schools in the nation. While in his third year as a law student at Washington University, Shawn clerked at the Clay County Prosecutor's Office, in Liberty, Missouri, and tried three felony jury trials as a law clerk.
After law school, Shawn continued his legal career as a traffic prosecutor at the Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney's Office in Union, Missouri. In Union, Shawn prosecuted cases ranging from
felony driving while intoxicated to drug possession to careless and imprudent driving.
In the Spring of 2004, Shawn left criminal law to work as a trial attorney for the law firm of Hartstein and Bleisch. At Hartstein and Bleisch, Shawn worked as an insurance defense attorney and learned to handle complex personal injury lawsuits including wrongful death, severe injury auto accidents, and slip and fall cases. During this time in his career, Shawn was successful in handling complex civil cases at trial, summary judgment hearings, and depositions.
When Shawn left St. Louis to return to his home of Kansas City, Shawn left the world of insurance defense to once again enter criminal law at the Clay County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. While at Clay County, Shawn quickly developed a reputation as an excellent and skilled trial attorney. While at Clay County, Shawn handled complex criminal cases ranging from vehicular manslaughter to rape to murder. Shawn tried over twenty felony jury trials including but not limited to forgery, assault, robbery, statutory rape, child molestation, burglary, and murder. During his time at Clay County, Shawn was promoted to Deputy Chief Prosecuting Attorney and was the lead prosecutor of the County handling sex crimes and violent crimes against children. While in this position, Shawn received the training to become an expert at crimes involving head injuries and/or shaken baby. While at the Clay County Prosecutor's office, Shawn received training and handled cases involving complex issues including but not limited to d.n.a. identification and analysis, crime scene processing, motor vehicle accident reconstruction, firearm and ammunition identification and analysis, eye-witness identification/mis-identification, and fingerprint technology.
In 2010, Shawn once again entered private practice at the law firm of Potter, Gahagan & Bologna. Shawn became a partner in May 2011. Shawn handles criminal cases ranging from rape to murder, traffic cases ranging from speeding to vehicular manslaughter, and civil cases ranging from soft tissue injury auto accidents to wrongful death. Shawn's knowledge and experience in criminal cases allows him to immediately recognize if the arresting officer has violated his client's Constitutional rights. Shawn's knowledge and experience in dealing with insurance companies allows him to effectively advocate fair settlements for his clients. Above all else, Shawn takes the most pride in his large number of repeat clients that return and/or refer their friends and family.