Board of Directors
Judy Yi is a shareholder at Polsinelli Shughart PC. Her labor and employment law practice focuses on how to manage and minimize workplace risks associated with multi-state and federal regulatory compliance issue. In her labor and employment law practice at Polsinelli Shalton Flanigan Suelthaus LLC, Judy Yi focuses on how to manage and minimize workplace risks associated with multi-state and federal regulatory compliance issues. If a matter becomes adversarial, she represents management in agency investigations and lawsuits. She regularly provides advice pertaining to employment discrimination, wrongful discharge, collective actions, breach of contract, covenants not to compete, drafting personnel policies, management training, defamation, unfair labor practices, and protection of confidential and trade secret information.
Seema Chawla’s practice focuses on a broad range of commercial litigation, securities and employment matters. She has experience in all aspects of the litigation process, including case-strategy, client interviews, taking and defending depositions, trial preparation, trial, arbitration, and oral arguments before state and federal courts. She has handled complex commercial litigation in state and federal courts, including enforcement actions by state attorney generals, class actions and multi-district litigation. She has also successfully defended employers in all aspects of employment discrimination litigation, including defense of age, sex, race and disability discrimination suits, as well as various other claims at the administrative, state and federal levels. Greg Wu is an associate in Shook Hardy & Bacon LLP’s National Products Liability Division. His practice focuses on tort and products liability defense litigation and representing major corporations in the defense of complex personal injury and products liability cases. Greg has directed all aspects of defense litigation, including investigation, document collection, expert witness preparation, discovery, motion practice, and settlement / mediation. Greg has a particular interest in complex class litigation, and has played an active role in the successful defense of class certification on behalf of several Fortune 100 companies in state and federal courts throughout the country. In addition to his practice, Greg has co-authored and presented CLE and articles on various class action topics.
Lisa Westergaard is an associate member of Stinson Morrison Hecker LLP’s Corporate Finance Division and Intellectual Property & Technology Division. Her practice focuses on a variety of corporate transactional matters, including mergers, acquisitions, public and private offerings of securities, corporate governance, and securities law compliance. She has experience in representing a large commercial bank and its affiliate, which is a servicer of commercial mortgage loans, in the negotiation and drafting of loan sale agreements, pooling and servicing agreements, subservicing agreements and other documents relating to the securitization of commercial mortgage loans. Lisa also negotiates and documents agreements in the areas of software and technology development.
Justin Pulikkan’s practice is focused on ERISA, employee benefits and executive compensation. He advises employers on a broad range of employee benefit matters, including counseling employers on qualified retirement and welfare plan matters regarding plan administration, fiduciary responsibility, claims procedures, disclosure requirements, IRS filings, and correcting plan errors. Justin advises clients on executive compensation and Code Section 409A issues including nonqualified deferred compensation arrangements, stock option plans, and other equity-related arrangements (such as SARS and phantom stock plans), and employment agreements.
Manu K. Rattan is the managing member of the Rattan Law Firm LLC. He provides quality legal services in the areas of Business and Contract Law; Corporate and Business Formations (Incorporations, Limited Liability Companies, Partnerships and Franchises); Real Estate (buying and selling, title issues, construction law, landlord/tenant, foreclosures, collections); Estate Planning (wills, trusts, powers of attorney, living wills, living trusts and guardianships); Probate and Estate Administration; and Bankruptcy. Manu also handles litigation involving disputes between individuals and companies over contracts, agreements, and other disputes. Manu has successfully advised and helped his business and personal clients in Wyandotte, Johnson, Leavenworth, and Douglas counties in Kansas.
David Lloyd is a part-time professor of business law at the University of Missouri - Kansas City (UMKC). Prior to joining UMKC's faculty, David was an associate at one of the nation's top 100 law firms where he specialized in corporate and securities law. He graduated from the University of Kansas School of Law where he was an Articles Editor for the Kansas Journal of Law and Public Policy and President of the Asian Law Student Association. David is also a volunteer for his adoption agency, Holt International Adoption.
Fang is a member of the International Group at Husch Blackwell Sanders LLP. Fang’s practice focuses on US-China cross border transactions, mergers and acquisitions, securities and financing, and general corporate law. Fang received legal education in both the U.S. and China. As a bilingual and bi-cultural lawyer, Fang’s China-related experience includes counseling U.S. companies on establishment of operations in China, sourcing, manufacture and distribution agreements, loan transactions, joint ventures, and intellectual property protection. Fang also routinely represents Chinese businesses for their legal needs in the U.S. Fang's U.S. transaction experience includes all aspects of M&A transactions, securities compliance matters, offerings of debt and equity, contracting, and corporate entity formation and governance. Fang is active in the Kansas City international trade and Asian communities and serves as a board member of the International Trade Council of the Greater Kansas City and the Asian American Chamber of Commerce of the Greater Kansas City.
José M. Bautista is a member of Sullivan, Bautista, Morgan, Allen & Chronic L.L.C. José and his partners have a national plaintiffs’ trial practice consisting of complex tort and class action litigation. Missouri Lawyer’s Weekly has highlighted the results of José’s work on several occasions, including his $3 million settlement of a private crossing collision case involving a local construction worker in 2005. His articles on railroad litigation have been published by the premier plaintiffs’ attorney organization, the American Association for Justice, for which he currently serves as the Chair of the Railroad Law Section. In 2009, his peers recognized him as a “Rising Star” of the legal community.
Peter Chung's experience at Lathrop & Gage L.C. includes all phases of litigation. He has represented and counseled clients in tort litigation, commercial litigation, workers' compensation and employment matters. He has acted as lead counsel for his clients in trials, administrative hearings and in the Court of Appeals. His current litigation practice emphasizes tort litigation, workers' compensation and employment matters where he primarily represents large corporations.
Christopher Javillonar’s practice at Bryan Cave LLP focuses on complex commercial litigation and his experience encompasses all aspects of the litigation process, including case strategy, pre-trial briefing, depositions, hearings, trial preparations and trial. He represents regional and national clients in a broad range of business disputes, including breach of contract, fiduciary duty claims, product liability and complex class action defense.
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Judy Yi, President
Seema Chawla, President-Elect
Gregory K. Wu, Vice President
Justin D. Pulikkan, Secretary
Manu Rattan, Pro Bono Committee Chair
David R. Lloyd, Programs Committee Chair
Jose Bautista, Diversity Committee Chair
Christopher J. Javillonar, Assistant to the Immediate Past-President