Steven D. Gough

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_ISLN: 906957774
Member

Practice Areas: Business Litigation; Business Law; Corporate Law; Professional Liability; Oil and Gas Law; Personal Injury; Environmental Law; Product Liability; Real Estate; Insurance Defense.

Admitted:  1976, Kansas.  Member of the Wichita, Kansas and American Bar Associations.

Education:  Preparatory education, University of Kansas (B.A., with highest distinction, 1973); legal education, University of Kansas School of Law (J. D. 1976)  Kansas Law Review, 1975-1976.  Phi Beta Kappa.  Order of the Coif.
  
Personal Background : Born in Hutchinson, Kansas on December 7, 1951. Steve has been married to his wife, Lisa, since August 19, 1973. They have one son, Matthew, who is also pursuing a legal career. He has been an active member of Plymouth Congregational Church for many years. His hobbies include hunting, sporting clays and golf.

Professional Background : In 1976 Steve started his career with the Kahrs Nelson firm, which at one time was the third largest firm in Kansas, and was a partner in that firm from 1980 through 1999. The firm of Withers, Gough, Pike, Pfaff & Peterson LLC was formed by five attorneys who were formerly partners at the Kahrs Nelson firm.

Professional Experience includes the following:

Business and Corporate Law: formation of corporate entities, general counsel for several corporations, buy-sell agreements, sale of stock and corporate assets. See, Business and Corporate Law area of practice for more information.
  • Business Litigation: complex trademark litigation, securities fraud litigation, breach of fiduciary duties, contract disputes, and class action cases. See, Business Litigation area of practice for more information.  Since 2008, Mr. Gough has been named as a Super Lawyer in the area of Business Litigation representing the top 5% of practicing attorneys in Missouri & Kansas. For more information about this designation, please go to the Super Lawyers® icon that appears at the bottom of this page. 
  • Professional Liability: defends attorneys sued for legal malpractice. See, Professional Liability area of practice for additional information. Since 2007, Mr. Gough has been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® in the specialty of Legal Malpractice Law.
  • Oil & Gas: extensive experience in oil and gas regulatory proceedings and litigation. See, Oil & Gas area of practice for additional information. Since 2007, Mr. Gough has been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® in the specialty of Mining Law.
  • Personal Injury Litigation: has litigated serious personal injury cases. See, Personal Injury Litigation area of practice for more information.  On March 24, 2010 in the case of Dennis D. Gay v. Unified School District 435, et al, Case No. 09 CV 24, Dickinson County, Kansas, the jury awarded damages in the amount of $1.5 million to Mr. Gay after a seven-day jury trial.  Mr. Gough was lead trial counsel in that case which involved extensive preparation.  Experts included two neuropsychologists, two rehabilitation experts, a vocational expert, a life care expert, and an economist.  On May 17, 2010, the defendants paid the judgment in full. 
  • Product Liability: has defended manufacturers in a variety of product liability cases. See, Product Liability area of practice for additional information.
  • Estate Planning: advises clients concerning estate planning, preparation of wills, trusts and powers of attorney. Has litigated cases involving spousal rights, breach of fiduciary duties by trustees and will contests. See, Estate Planning, Wills & Trusts area of practice for additional information.
  • Environmental Law: has litigated cases involving surface pollution and groundwater pollution. Has worked with regulatory agencies in developing remediation plans. See, Environmental Law area of practice for additional information.
  • Professional Publications and Seminars.  
    1. "The Voidability of Interested Director Contracts Under the Kansas Corporation Code,"  24 K.L.R. 655, 663 (1976).
    2. "Tortious Interference with Contracts," Wichita Bar Association CLE, 1985.
    3. "3-D Seismic Exploration Under the Oil and Gas Lease," KBA/KIOGA Oil & Gas Seminar, 2006
    4. "The Continuing Role of Implied Covenant Law in Developing Leased Lands," Washburn University School of Law, The Future of Oil & Gas Jurisprudence II, a Symposium, October 2009.
    5. "Oil Producers v. Wind Producers, ___ Kan. ___, ___ P.3d ___, 20__)," KBA/KIOGA 36th Annual Oil & Gas Conference, October 2011.

Martindale-Hubbell®  AV® Preeminent™ Peer Rating

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Steven D. Gough carries an "AV" rating which is the highest rating attainable under the Martindale-Hubbell peer review rating system.  More information about these ratings may be found here.  AV Preeminent and BV Distinguished are certification marks of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell® certification procedures, standards and policies.

Best Lawyers in America ®

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Since 2007, Steven D. Gough has been selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2012 in the fields of Legal Malpractice Law and Mining Law. Since its inception in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Because Best Lawyers is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey in which more than 39,000 leading attorneys cast almost 3.1 million votes on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their practice areas, and because lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed, inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor. Corporate Counsel magazine has called Best Lawyers “the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice.” 

Super Lawyers®

Since 2005, Steven D. Gough has been listed as a Super Lawyer in Business Litigation by Super Lawyers®. This designation was given to attorneys representing the top 5% of the practicing attorneys in Missouri & Kansas.  For additional information, please see superlawyers.com. 

Practice Areas

Office Location

200 West Douglas
Suite 1010
Wichita, KS 67202
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Phone: 316-267-1562
Toll Free: 888-587-2399
Fax:    316-303-1018

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