Mark D. Katz
Of Counsel
About
Mark defends a broad range of clients in a variety of cases, from manufacturers and distributors in fire and explosion cases to governmental entities and their employees in constitutional law matters and statutory claims. Mark also serves as a mediator, which gives him the opportunity to use his four decades of service to clients in trials and appeals to help resolve disputes through mediated settlements.
After a short time with a commercial litigation law firm, Mark joined the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office as an assistant prosecutor where he charged and tried felony cases and counseled the grand jury. He left the Prosecutor’s Office to work as a civil litigator. He has represented insurance companies and their insureds at trial and on appeal in governmental liability, product liability and personal injury law cases as well as employment discrimination claims and claims raised under the constitutions of the United States and Missouri. Mark joined Fisher, Patterson, Sayler and Smith, LLP in 2024.
Mark has taken on leadership roles in local, regional, and national bar associations that focus on litigation and trial. He continues to serve on the Product Liability Steering Committee of DRI-The Voice of the Defense Bar™, and he served for seven years on the board and as an officer of the Kansas Association of Defense Counsel (KADC), including a two-year stint as chair of the Legislative Committee, where he authored KADC’s written testimony and personally testified in support of Kansas’ adoption of the Daubert standard for expert testimony.
Mark writes articles and speaks to attorney organizations on diverse topics, including legal ethics, products liability, employment discrimination, and practical solutions to common problems in litigation and trial practice. He enjoys working with young attorneys to help them develop the knowledge and skills they will need to serve clients well into the future.
About
Mark defends a broad range of clients in a variety of cases, from manufacturers and distributors in fire and explosion cases to governmental entities and their employees in constitutional law matters and statutory claims. Mark also serves as a mediator, which gives him the opportunity to use his four decades of service to clients in trials and appeals to help resolve disputes through mediated settlements.
After a short time with a commercial litigation law firm, Mark joined the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office as an assistant prosecutor where he charged and tried felony cases and counseled the grand jury. He left the Prosecutor’s Office to work as a civil litigator. He has represented insurance companies and their insureds at trial and on appeal in governmental liability, product liability and personal injury law cases as well as employment discrimination claims and claims raised under the constitutions of the United States and Missouri. Mark joined Fisher, Patterson, Sayler and Smith, LLP in 2024.
Mark has taken on leadership roles in local, regional, and national bar associations that focus on litigation and trial. He continues to serve on the Product Liability Steering Committee of DRI-The Voice of the Defense Bar™, and he served for seven years on the board and as an officer of the Kansas Association of Defense Counsel (KADC), including a two-year stint as chair of the Legislative Committee, where he authored KADC’s written testimony and personally testified in support of Kansas’ adoption of the Daubert standard for expert testimony.
Mark writes articles and speaks to attorney organizations on diverse topics, including legal ethics, products liability, employment discrimination, and practical solutions to common problems in litigation and trial practice. He enjoys working with young attorneys to help them develop the knowledge and skills they will need to serve clients well into the future.
About
Mark defends a broad range of clients in a variety of cases, from manufacturers and distributors in fire and explosion cases to governmental entities and their employees in constitutional law matters and statutory claims. Mark also serves as a mediator, which gives him the opportunity to use his four decades of service to clients in trials and appeals to help resolve disputes through mediated settlements.
After a short time with a commercial litigation law firm, Mark joined the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office as an assistant prosecutor where he charged and tried felony cases and counseled the grand jury. He left the Prosecutor’s Office to work as a civil litigator. He has represented insurance companies and their insureds at trial and on appeal in governmental liability, product liability and personal injury law cases as well as employment discrimination claims and claims raised under the constitutions of the United States and Missouri. Mark joined Fisher, Patterson, Sayler and Smith, LLP in 2024.
Mark has taken on leadership roles in local, regional, and national bar associations that focus on litigation and trial. He continues to serve on the Product Liability Steering Committee of DRI-The Voice of the Defense Bar™, and he served for seven years on the board and as an officer of the Kansas Association of Defense Counsel (KADC), including a two-year stint as chair of the Legislative Committee, where he authored KADC’s written testimony and personally testified in support of Kansas’ adoption of the Daubert standard for expert testimony.
Mark writes articles and speaks to attorney organizations on diverse topics, including legal ethics, products liability, employment discrimination, and practical solutions to common problems in litigation and trial practice. He enjoys working with young attorneys to help them develop the knowledge and skills they will need to serve clients well into the future.
Practice Areas
Education
- State University of New York at Binghamton
- State University of New York at Buffalo School of Law
Awards and Recognition
- AV Preeminent® Rating, Martindale-Hubbell
- Super Lawyers® in Missouri and Kansas, Thomson Reuters
- KADC’s Distinguished Service and Robinson Silver Helmet Awards
- Warrant Officer of the Year (1991), Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office
Bar Admissions
- Missouri
- Kansas
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri
- U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
- U.S. Supreme Court
Professional Affiliations
- The Missouri Bar
- Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers
- Kansas Bar Association
- Kansas Association of Defense Counsel
- Johnson County Bar Association
- Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association
- DRI
Publications & Presentations
“Ethics on Fire—Avoiding Blow-Ups at Fire Scene Investigations,” Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, and Johnson County (Kansas) Bar Association, June 2022 (presenter and author).
“Pants on Fire—Defending Vape Pen Battery Fires,” DRI-Voice of the Defense Bar, Product Liability Conference, Las Vegas, Nevada, February 2022 (presenter and author).
“Expert Deposition Reconstructed,” Kansas Association of Defense Counsel Annual Meeting, Kansas City, Missouri, December 2019 (co-presenter and co-author).
“Ethics on Fire,” Johnson County (Kansas) Bar Association, Olathe, Kansas, June 2019 (presenter and author).
“Litigating in Federal Court and Missouri—You’re Not in Kansas Anymore,” Johnson County (Kansas) Bar Association, Olathe, Kansas, June 2017 (presenter and author).
“The Supreme Court and Personal Jurisdiction—a 150-Year Conversation about Expanding Court Power to Meet a Global Economy,” Kansas Defense Journal, Kansas Association of Defense Counsel, Summer/Fall 2016 (author).
“Is the Foreign Manufacturer All In? Personal Jurisdiction in a Global Economy,” Johnson County (Kansas) Bar Association, Olathe, Kansas, June 2016 (presenter and author).
“Case Law Update: A Tour of the Latest Developments in the Key Product Liability Jurisprudence from Across the Country,” DRI-Voice of the Defense Bar, Product Liability Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana, February 2016 (presenter and co-author).
“Kansas Legislation and Laws: Recent Procedural Changes that Impact your Practice,” Kansas Association of Defense Counsel Annual Meeting, Kansas City, Missouri 2014 (co-presenter and co-author).
“Ethics and Spoliation—Avoiding Blow-Ups at Fire Scene Investigations,” DRI-Voice of the Defense Bar, Fire Science and Litigation Seminar, Scottsdale, Arizona, November 2014 (co-presenter and co-author).
“Ethically and Successfully Representing Multiple Defendants,” Kansas Defense Journal, Kansas Association of Defense Counsel, Early Fall 2014 (author).
“Cases of Note: Shirley v. Glass,” Kansas Defense Journal, Kansas Association of Defense Counsel, Late Summer 2013 (author).
“Closing Argument,” Kansas Association of Defense Counsel Trial Academy, Kansas City, Missouri, December 2011 (co-presenter).
“ABCs of What’s New in Tort Law,” Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, Kansas City, Missouri, June 2011 (co-presenter and co-author).
“Is the Foreign Manufacturer All In? Personal Jurisdiction in a Global Economy,” DRI-Voice of the Defense Bar, Product Liability Conference, Las Vegas, Nevada, February 2010 (presenter and author).
“Comparative Implied Indemnity, Third-Party Practice and Settlement Considerations in the Wake of DCI-Part II: The One Action Rule,” Kansas Defense Journal, Kansas Association of Defense Counsel, Fall 2009 (co-author).
“Comparative Implied Indemnity, Third-Party Practice and Settlement Considerations in the Wake of DCI-Part I,” Kansas Defense Journal, Kansas Association of Defense Counsel, Summer 2009 (co-author).
“Trucking Policy Disclaimers and the Policyholder’s Obligation to Preserve Coverage in Missouri,” State-by-State Compendium, DRI-Voice of the Defense Bar, 2009 (co-author).
“The Duty to Warn in Product Liability Cases in Kansas,” State-by-State Compendium, DRI-Voice of the Defense Bar, 2008 (co-author).
“Enforcing Indemnity Provisions in Truck Leases: Seeking Certainty in an Uncertain World,” Trucking Law Conference, DRI-Voice of the Defense Bar, St. Louis, Missouri, April 2004 (co-author).
“Sexual Harassment in Employment,” Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, Kansas City, Missouri, June 2000 (presenter and author).
Annual Civil Jury Trial Demonstration Seminar, UMKC School of Law, Kansas City, Missouri, May 2000 (co-presenter).
“Five Reasons Why Sex Harassment Ain’t What It Used to Be,” Federal Practice Seminar, Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers, Kansas City, Missouri, June 1999 (presenter and author).
“The After-Acquired Evidence Doctrine,” Missouri Bar Journal, vol. 55, no. 2, April 1999 (co-author).
“Employment Practices Seminar,” in-service training for the City of St. Joseph, St. Joseph, Missouri, January 1999 (presenter).
“After-Acquired Evidence—Preparing to Defend with 20/20 Hindsight,” For the Defense, vol. 20, no. 2, DRI-Voice of the Defense Bar, February 1998 (author).
“Coverage for Wrongful Employment Practices,” Insurance Coverage Seminar, Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, September 1997 (co-author).
“Recent Developments in Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage Issues,” Insurance Litigation Seminar, Missouri Bar, Kansas City, Missouri, August 1997 (co-author).
“Gassmann v. Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society, Inc.—New Life for After-Acquired Evidence as a Complete Bar,” The Job Description, DRI-Voice of the Defense Bar, Summer 1997.