Traffic, Municipal & Family Law in Independence, Missouri
I’ve been practicing law in Missouri for 28 years, licensed since 1998. You call, you get me. You text, you get me. No gatekeepers, no handoffs, and no surprises about who will actually walk into court for you.
Both reach me directly. If you’d rather not text, there’s a form below that does the same thing.
I know these courts
I’ve been standing in front of the same judges, prosecutors, and clerks for most of my career. I know how each court handles a case like yours: what they amend, what they don’t, and what your realistic options look like.
An answer on the first call
You’ll hear the likely outcome and the likely cost while we’re still on the phone. If the case is not worth hiring an attorney for, I will tell you that, too.
The same attorney, start to finish
The person you call is the person who files the entry of appearance, shows up on the docket, and calls you back when it’s over.
Two blocks from the courthouse square
My office is in the Spring Street Law Building in Independence. Most days I’m running between municipal dockets across the Kansas City metro and family cases in circuit court, but when you call, I answer. Usually the same day. And before you decide whether to hire me, you’ll get a plain, honest reading of exactly where your case stands.
Traffic, municipal, and family law
Traffic tickets don’t have to turn into a headache. I handle traffic and municipal cases throughout the Kansas City area, and I represent families in dissolution, custody, and support matters. Two practices, one attorney, both run from the same office on Spring Street.
If you’ve got a ticket, text me a photo or just call. I’ll look at the citation, see which court filed it, check your driving record, and tell you what can realistically be done and what it will probably cost. If it’s not worth hiring an attorney for, I’ll tell you that, too.
Traffic & Municipal
- Speeding
- No Insurance
- Driving While Suspended or Revoked
- License Problems
- Warrants
- Municipal Violations
- Misdemeanors
Family Law
- Dissolution of Marriage
- Child Custody
- Child Support
- Modifications
- Paternity
- Guardianship
- Orders of Protection
Where I appear
Courts around Kansas City
I regularly cover municipal and associate circuit courts around Kansas City. If the court on your ticket is not on this list, call and ask. It’s usually one I can handle.
Jackson County
Kansas City, Independence, Blue Springs, Lee’s Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Grain Valley, Oak Grove, Buckner, and the Jackson County Circuit Court in both the Kansas City and Independence divisions.
Clay & Platte
Liberty, Gladstone, North Kansas City, Kearney, Riverside, Parkville, and Platte City.
Cass, Ray & Lafayette
Belton, Raymore, Harrisonville, Richmond, and Lexington.
What happens after you call
You call, or you text me a photograph of your ticket. I look at the citation, the court it is filed in, and your driving record, and I tell you what outcome is realistically available and what it will cost.
In most traffic cases, you will not need to appear in court. If yours is one of the cases where your appearance is required, I will tell you that at the beginning rather than the week before.
When the case is resolved, I will tell you exactly what it was resolved to and what that means for your license and your insurance. If you have a question in the meantime, you call me and you reach me.
Questions I get asked
Will this put points on my license?
That is the reason most people call. Whether a moving violation can be amended to something that carries no points depends on the charge, the court, and what your record already looks like. I will tell you which of those apply to you before you decide to hire me.
My court date is next week. Is it too late?
Usually not, but call instead of using the form. A short phone call gets a continuance or an entry of appearance filed the same day, and email can sit unread.
Will my insurance go up?
Insurers price off your record, so the goal is keeping the conviction off it. I cannot control what your carrier does, and I will not tell you otherwise. What I can tell you is exactly what the case was resolved to, so you know what your carrier will see.
Is a family case handled the same way?
The manner is the same, the pace is not. Dissolution, custody, and support cases take months rather than one docket setting, and you will need to appear. What does not change is that you deal with me directly and hear what is realistically available before you commit to it.
There is already a warrant out. What now?
Warrants are routine work in these courts. In most municipal cases I can enter my appearance, get the warrant recalled, and get a new court date set without you being taken into custody. Call before you get pulled over again.
- Call or text
- (816) 833-4144
- wkarljennings@gmail.com
- Office
- Spring Street Law Building
201 North Spring Street
Independence, MO 64050
Send me your ticket
The quickest way is to text a photograph of the front of your citation to (816) 833-4144. That is usually all I need in order to tell you where you stand.
If you would rather not text, this form does the same thing.