The Law Office of Arthur A. Benson II is a small, civil trial practice firm which limits its practice to representation of plaintiffs in matters of constitutional, civil rights, legal malpractice, and business law. Our clients are primarily individuals or non-profit organizations who cannot afford to pay attorneys fees. Virtually all our work is done on a contingency fee basis. In some cases clients in contingency fee matters may be responsible for paying costs or expenses.

Our cases range from class action institutional reform issues, such as the Kansas City school desegregation litigation, to helping individuals obtain relief for deprivations they have suffered. Many of our cases are high-profile. Others have effects state-wide and beyond. Our work involves administrative hearings, state and federal trial courts, numerous appeals, and, occasionally, work in the United States Supreme Court.

Over the years we have established important new law involving school desegregation, employment discrimination, race relations, attorneys fees and legal malpractice, with our cases widely cited by courts in Missouri and around the nation. Our practice is tightly focused on philosophically principled areas which lawyers in this firm support as appropriate for expanding liberty and equality for those who most need the assistance our judicial system can provide. We like to think that we offer a high degree of legal expertise to those who can least afford it.

Some cases that best represent our practice are:

• Missouri v. Jenkins, 491 U.S. 274 (1989) (Jenkins I) (affirming award of attorney fees) and Missouri v. Jenkins, 495 U.S. 33 (1990) (Jenkins II) (affirming tax order) (school desegregation, involving nation's most extensive remedial orders, valued at over $1.8 billion);

• Jenkins v. Missouri, 216 F.3d 720 (8th Circuit 2000) (en banc) (reversing dismissal of case without a hearing);

• Cook v. Gralike, U.S. Supreme Court, No. 99-929, on certiorari from the United States Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit, unanimous decision, February 28, 2001 declaring unconstitutional Missouri state constitutional amendment requiring labels on ballots of congressional candidates concerning candidates' political position on specific amendment to the United States constitution proposed by U.S. Term Limits, Inc.);

• Hampton v. Dillard's, 247 F.3d 1091 (10th Circuit 2001) affirming, 18 F.Supp.2d 1256 (Kan. 1998) (denying Dillard's post-trial motions in section 1981 "shopping while black" race discrimination verdict of $1,156,000; argued on appeal in the Tenth Circuit on Novermber 18, 1999);

• Ashley v. Boyle's Famous Corned Beef Company, 66 F.3d 164 (8th Cir. 1995) (en banc opinion in employment discrimination case);

• Donahue v. Shughart, Thompson, and Kilroy, 900 S.W.2d 624 (Mo. banc 1995) (establishing in Missouri the right of some non-clients to sue attorneys for negligence);

• Jenkins v. Missouri, 127 F.3d 709 (8th Cir. 1997) (seventh of eight precedent setting attorneys fees decisions by the Eighth Circuit);

• Slone v. Herman, 983 F.2d 107 (8th Cir. 1993) (right of prisoner not released when state court ordered release to sue prison officials and their state lawyers for damages);

• Planned Parenthood of Mid-Missouri and Eastern Kansas, Inc. v. Dempsey, et al, 137 F. 3d 573 (8th Cir. 1998) (affirming district court's decision denying individual legislators leave to intervene to appeal decision that Missouri's legislative restrictions on family planning funding were unconstitutional).

References furnished on request.