Bill Beck is a member of Lathrop & Gage L.C. and its Executive Committee, and has 28 years of experience as a trial lawyer.  Bill's national practice consists of trials, arbitrations, administrative proceedings, mediations and negotiations to resolve high stakes, technical, complex disputes involving environmental liability and insurance coverage.

Insurance Coverage.  Bill has been lead counsel for plaintiffs prosecuting environmental insurance coverage and bad faith lawsuits and claims involving more than 400 sites and the laws of more than 40 states. Bill's insurance coverage team has expertise in insurance archaeology, policy analysis, charting, allocation, claim development, settlement negotiations, coverage litigation, and alternative coverage dispute resolution.

Superfund.  Bill has defended corporate clients against major environmental liabilities for decades, including more than 60 federal and state Superfund sites and closed landfills in 20 states.

Toxic Tort.  Bill and his team are particularly experienced in defending toxic tort litigation. Their toxic tort wins include a defense verdict in a five-week jury trial; the low cost settlement of a seven-well groundwater case; the nominal settlement of a 2,000-plaintiff groundwater and air case; and defeating class certification on the pleadings alone.   Among other engagements, Bill's toxic tort team is presently defending a large landfill in an eighty-well groundwater class action, and hundreds of odor nuisance claims against swine farm operations.

• American Bar Association, Litigation, Insurance and Environmental Sections
• Defense Research Institute, Trial Techniques Committee
• The Missouri Bar
• Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association
• Kansas City Public Improvements Advisory Committee, past Chairman
• Citizens Association of Kansas City, past Chairman
• Kansas City Community Infrastructure Committee, past Finance Chairman