Practice Areas Overview

Based in Springfield, Lowther Johnson Attorneys at Law, LLC represents individual and business clients throughout southwest Missouri in a diverse range of legal matters.  Our areas of expertise include:

Banking Law

The constantly-changing regulatory landscape can be intimidating and difficult for banks to navigate.  At Lowther Johnson, our experienced banking law attorneys regularly assist banks, credit unions, and other financial institutions with a wide variety of legal matters, including bankruptcy, state & federal banking regulations, compliance issues, commercial paper and customer relations.

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Business, Commercial & Corporate Law

Our goal is to forge long-lasting relationships with our business clients, assisting them with every type of transaction or dispute they face throughout the lifetime of their organization.  For new businesses, we provide consultation on choice of entity (i.e. sole proprietorship, partnership, corporations or limited liability company), and assist in the drafting and filing of formation documents and articles of incorporation, bylaws, and operating agreements.  Once a business is up and running, we assist with negotiating and drafting most types of transactional documents, including shareholder and buy-sell agreements, review of leases, stock subscription agreements, employment agreements, covenants not to compete, supplier agreements, distribution agreements, asset purchase agreements, stock purchase agreements, opinion letters to auditors, and nondisclosure agreements.  We also assist businesses with land development and real estate matters as well as employment issues.

When a commercial dispute arises, we represent clients in federal and state court in a wide variety of business litigation matters, including shareholders' disputes, business acquisitions, sale of businesses, vendor disputes, franchise disputes, unfair competition, unfair and deceptive trade practices, injunctions and commercial debt collections.

Our comprehensive services also include assistance with commercial compliance.  We can serve as a company's Registered Agent, prepare annual minutes, prepare and host special meetings, conduct board meetings, assist in qualifying the company to do business in required jurisdictions, obtain business licenses, obtain industry-specific licenses or registration, and prepare corporate resolutions.

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Civil Litigation & Class Actions

Our attorneys have experience with virtually every type of civil litigation matter, including complex, high stakes disputes involving multiple plaintiffs.  We have handled numerous large, multidistrict and class action matters in both state and federal courts.  In addition, our extensive civil appeals work includes appearing and/or filing documents before the Missouri Courts of Appeals, the Missouri Supreme Court, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court.

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Creditors' Rights & Collections

At Lowther Johnson, we take an active role in representing creditors throughout the bankruptcy process, including in preference and avoidance litigation, discharge and dischargeability objections, and claims enforcement.  Our attorneys also assist with claims negotiation and confirmation of repayment plans, and advise creditors on all remedies that are available to them, such as the use of involuntary bankruptcies and substantive consolidation of related debtors.

Our experienced attorneys also provide ongoing representation to creditors in collections actions.  We advise clients on all facets of credit transactions and receivables management, including providing pre-default lender counseling on rights and voluntary workouts.  After default, we undertake judicial and non-judicial foreclosures, and provide a variety of aggressive yet cost-effective measures to preserve adequate security.  These measures include pre-judgment writs of attachment and other forms of injunctive relief, creditor assignments, and lien preservation.  When necessary, we also assist landlords with collecting unpaid rent from tenants and in pursuing eviction proceedings.

When litigation proves unavoidable, we provide creditors with aggressive representation to enforce claims.  In addition to assisting clients with all standard post-judgment remedies including garnishments, executions, and levies, we work diligently to investigate and uncover any fraudulent conveyances or debt that has been illegally hidden.

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Education Law

Education matters encompass a web of unique legal issues requiring the advice of attorneys with specific knowledge and experience in this area of law.  Our lawyers assist educational institutions with a wide variety of education law matters, including contracts, teacher discipline and terminations, student rights and responsibilities, and student discipline matters such as suspensions and expulsion hearings.

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Family Law

A divorce, custody battle, or other contentious family law dispute can be among the most stressful situations a person may face.  When assisting individuals with family law matters, our goal is to guide them through this difficult time, informing them of all of  their options and working diligently to protect their rights while helping them perform all of their responsibilities.  We handle all types of family law matters, including divorce, child custody and support, alimony and post-separation support, division of marital property, separation, and prenuptial agreements.

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Labor & Employment

At Lowther Johnson, our lawyers represent employers and employees alike in a wide variety of labor law matters.  Representing both plaintiffs and defendants gives our attorneys a unique perspective into the issues at play in each employment-related case that we handle.  We understand not only the tactics employed by both sides, but also the strategies that can prove effective either in defense or in pursuit of a claim.  We handle cases involving discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, disability and ADA issues, and Family and Medical Leave Act issues.  We assist employer and individuals before administrative commissions such as the Missouri Human Rights Commission and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.  We also assist employers with disputes involving employment contracts, including breach of contract disputes, vendor contracts, non-compete agreements and restrictive covenants, and service agreements.  In addition, or experience with wage and hour matters includes such issues as overtime, minimum wage, untimely wage payments, exempt and non-exempt status determinations, and Fair Labor Standards Act disputes.

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Personal Injury & Wrongful Death

When the negligence or wrongful actions of another party cause injury or death, the victim is entitled to compensation for the damages he or she has suffered, both economic and non-economic.  At Lowther Johnson, we understand the devastating impact an accident can have on an individual and his or her family.  We have extensive experience in dealing with insurance companies, and understand both how they evaluate cases and how to effectively negotiate with them so as to obtain the full recovery to which you are entitled.  Our experience in personal injury matters includes cases arising from care and automobile accidents, commercial trucking accidents, slip and fall injuries, defective products, and accidents resulting in wrongful deaths.

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Real Estate Litigation & Landlord-Tenant Law

Many individuals and small businesses count real estate among their most valuable assets.  When a dispute arises, it is important to work with attorneys who have years of experience in the area or real estate litigation.  Our expertise in this area encompasses both residential and commercial real estate disputes, and includes evictions, quiet title actions, adverse possession, boundary disputes, condemnations and entitlement disputes, specific performance actions, escrow and earnest money, mechanic’s lien foreclosure and bond actions, realtor commission disputes, and disclosure (known and unknown condition) disputes.

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Traffic Law

In Missouri, a conviction for driving under the influence (DUI) can have severe consequences, and the law only gives defendants a limited time following an arrest to request an administrative hearing, or they will face an automatic suspension of their license.  At Lowther Johnson, our experienced attorneys assist individuals with every step of the process, including requesting and preparing for the administrative hearing and handling any license suspension issues that may arise during or after your hearing.  We also represent clients seeking to contest other moving violations, such as speeding tickets, which can accumulate and negatively impact your car insurance premiums, potentially resulting in a license suspension.

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Trusts & Estates

At Lowther Johnson, our attorneys provide comprehensive estate planning services, helping to prepare documents that will meet the needs of individuals and their families.  We draft customized wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, living wills, and power of attorney documents that will protect your assets and ensure they are effectively passed on to future generations.  In addition, we also handle guardianship proceedings when people become unable to care for their own needs or financial affairs.

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Workers' Compensation

Individuals who have been injured at work can find it difficult to navigate the confusing administrative landscape to obtain the workers’ compensation benefits to which they are entitled.  At Lowther Johnson, our goal is to lead individuals through this process and help them comply with all deadlines and requirements so that they can begin recovering as soon as possible.  Should a dispute arise, our experienced litigators will aggressively fight to protect their rights.  Note also the law requires individuals to report an injury to their employer within a short period of time or risk losing access to benefits provided under the law.

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Contact Us

Regardless of your legal problem, the attorneys at Lowther Johnson are here to help.  We are a well-established law firm having served individuals and businesses for more than thirty five years. Our in-depth understanding of the local court and legal climate helps us remain attuned to the specific needs of clients throughout southwest Missouri and beyond.  To schedule a consultation to find out how we can assist you or your organization, contact Lowther Johnson Attorneys at Law, LLC today.

Also look for us online at Manta, Kudzu, Insider Pages, Hotfrog, and Brownbook.net.