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Andy DeMarea

Partner

816.339.9301

Andy DeMarea

Andy DeMarea has been an active trial lawyer for over three decades, appearing in courtrooms throughout the Midwest. Andy’s trial experience is diverse and has built his expertise in three main areas — (1) personal injuries and claims by individuals; (2) disputes and lawsuits related to construction projects and issues; and (3) business disputes, including issues between business owners.

The keys to Andy’s success are his work ethic, which ensures he is thoroughly prepared for every appearance, his creative legal mind, and his special combination of being a tenacious advocate for his clients while remaining practical and grounded in his approach. Andy actively learns about our clients’ needs, objectives, and thought processes and quickly comes to understand not only their short-term goals but their long-view strategies and objectives. He works with them to solve their legal problems and becomes a trusted advisor to them in the process.

Andy’s approach is the same whether he is representing an individual or a business. He is committed to being collaborative, approachable, and responsive for his clients; to being eminently prepared in his cases and arguments; and to advocating vigorously for the firm’s clients through the highest levels of professionalism. Clients see that Andy listens to them and observes the landscape, then digs into the legal nuances of a matter and crafts an approach that aligns with their best interests.

Andy was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, graduating from Center High School in 1986. He attended one year at the University of Texas before transferring to Kansas University, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering. He stayed at KU for law school and has remained in the Kansas City area since graduating.

Andy’s trial experience is extensive. He tries cases in the federal and state courts of Missouri, Kansas, and surrounding states, including jury trials and trials to the court; he also regularly handles arbitration hearings. He also briefs and argues appellate cases in both the state and federal court systems. Andy was recognized for membership to the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and is named to the Missouri “Power 30” List of Construction Attorneys, recognizing the top 30 lawyers in Missouri in that practice area.

Once a lawsuit is filed, Andy prepares the case as though it will reach trial, even though the majority of cases ultimately settle. Being prepared and ready for trial presents the strongest position from which to make decisions and negotiate, as settlement opportunities present themselves.

Andy and Forsgren Fisher seek opportunities to represent people and businesses on a contingency fee basis or an alternative fee basis in each of his practice areas, where possible. The dollar cost of a client’s search for justice can sometimes feel unreachable, if the client has to pay an attorney out–of–pocket on an hourly–rate basis as a case proceeds. Often it is possible for us to represent claiming parties on a contingency fee, where the client does not pay an attorney fee unless and until our firm recovers actual dollars for them on the claim, and the fee is then taken as an agreed percentage of the recovery. Sometimes, an alternative “hybrid fee” arrangement makes sense, where the attorney’s fee is a combination of a reduced hourly rate fee plus a reduced contingency fee percentage. Please ask Andy about this opportunity, to see if contingency fee representation might be the right fit for your specific case.

Personal Injury

  • Wrongful death
  • Trucking accidents and injuries
  • Car accidents and injuries
  • ATV and dune buggy injuries
  • Products-liability claims and injuries
  • Medical-device injuries
  • Fall injuries
  • Fire and electrical burns and injuries, and electrocution
  • Insurance-coverage disputes regarding personal-injury claims

Medical Malpractice and Nursing-home Liability

  • Birth injuries and injuries to the mother during labor
  • Negligent diagnosis and failure to diagnose
  • Negligent treatment and failure to properly treat
  • Surgical errors and wrongful amputation
  • Radiology and imaging errors
  • Nursing home wrongful death
  • Nursing home injuries, abuse, and neglect
  • Nursing home failure to properly treat illness
  • Fall injuries and excessive-movement injuries
  • Prescription errors and pharmacy liability

Construction Litigation

  • Defective construction claims
  • Defective design claims
  • Delay claims and damages, including liquidated damages claims
  • Disruption/interruption, loss of efficiency, and loss of productivity claims
  • Payment claims
  • Mechanic’s lien claims
  • Insurance coverage disputes regarding construction projects and claims
  • Performance bond and payment bond claims

Business Disputes

  • Breach of contract claims
  • Tortious interference with contracts or business
  • Breach of fiduciary duty claims against managers or officers
  • Theft of corporate opportunity claims
  • Shareholder disputes and shareholder derivative suits
  • Shareholder class actions
  • Fraudulent stock pricing and valuations
  • Negligent/fraudulent management claims
  • Non-compete agreement claims
  • Intellectual property claims, including trademark infringement, copyright infringement, and theft, misappropriation, or protection of trade secrets
  • Insurance coverage disputes regarding business disputes

  • Listed in Best Lawyers in America
  • Missouri Lawyers Weekly POWER List for Construction Law (since its first year, 2023)
  • Million Dollar Advocates Forum
  • Super Lawyers
  • Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers (2005, 2013-present)
  • Martindale Preeminent AV Rating
  • KCMBA President’s Award (2013)

  • Kansas
  • Missouri
  • U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Eighth and Tenth Circuits
  • U.S. District Courts
    • District of Kansas
    • Western District of Missouri
    • District of Colorado

  • Federal Court Liaison Committee, U.S.D.C., Western District of Missouri
  • Kansas Bar Association
    • Construction Litigation Section, Past President
  • Missouri Bar Association
  • Missouri Bar, Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel (OCDC)
    • Chairman, Kansas City-area ethical complaint Investigative Committee
  • Kansas Trial Lawyers Association (KTLA)
  • Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys (MATA)
  • Johnson County Bar Association
  • Johnson County Bar Foundation
    • Past President/Board Member
  • Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association (KCMBA)
    • KCMBA Federal Court Advocacy Section