Chad Blomberg is a litigation, trial, and appellate attorney who has personally appeared in 45 different courthouses across the country. He has first-chair jury trial experience and has won appeals in Missouri, Kansas, Texas, and the Eighth Circuit. As part of his national practice, he has managed cases and led claims investigations in 19 different states and in Europe.  

Chad’s experience includes defending religious organizations, private schools, and their leaders. He also has represented owners and general contractors in multi-million-dollar construction projects, and has defended numerous and complex environmental, personal injury, nuisance, and wrongful death lawsuits.

Prior to joining First & Fourteenth (then Nussbaum Speir Gleason), Chad was a partner at a national “Am Law 200” law firm. Before his legal career he was a public relations and marketing professional. He has also worked as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Central Missouri, where he developed and taught undergraduate and graduate courses in communications and First Amendment law.

Chad defends clients in high-profile cases, conducts in-depth investigations, and helps discover the truth of a claim.  Chad also draws upon his communications background when advising clients. Using clear writing and persuasive storytelling, he challenges misleading narratives that are often the subject of significant media coverage.

Representative Matters

• Obtained a complete dismissal of a sexual misconduct lawsuit against a California diocese and its bishop. See Roman Catholic Bishop of San Bernardino v. Doe, 2019 WL 3307858, No. 04-19-000153-CV (Tex. Ct. App., July 25, 2019).
• Obtained a complete dismissal of a lawsuit against a Catholic high school. A member of the softball team sued the school following sexual misconduct by an assistant coach.
• Lead appellate counsel for multi-defendant appeal in which the court of appeals affirmed a trial court’s ruling that the statute of repose barred an adult plaintiff’s claims for injuries he sustained as minor. See F.M. Doe v. Popravak, 55 Kan.Ap.2d 1 (Kan. Ct. App. 2017).
• Obtained a complete defense verdict as a first-chair counsel in a jury trial in which a former NBA star and his wife sued a global hotel company and its bus driver, seeking a half-million dollars in damages for personal injuries, including a fractured spine.
• Reversal of a six-figure jury verdict in favor of an amusement park guest who was injured on a water slide. See Chavez v. Cedar Fair, 450 S.W.3d 291 (Mo. 2014).
• Reversal of a judgment that retroactively awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars in post-judgment interest to a group of plaintiffs claiming that a hog farm was a nuisance. See McGuire v. Kenoma, LLC, 447 S.W.3d 659 (Mo. 2014).
• Trial counsel for a nearly three-week trial arising from allegations of sexual misconduct by a priest and a diocese. The trial received national media attention.
• Complete dismissal of a lawsuit against a religious organization arising from alleged sexual torts by a member of the clergy. See John Doe B.P. v. Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, 432 S.W.3d 213 (Mo. Ct. App. 2014).
• Complete dismissal of a lawsuit against a religious organization arising from alleged sexual misconduct. See D.T. v. Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, 419 S.W.3d. 143 (Mo. Ct. App. 2013).
• Obtained summary judgment in favor of a major beverage manufacturer in a premises liability claim asserted by an injured contractor; affirmed on appeal. See Spaulding v. Conopco, Inc., 740 F.3d 1187 (8th Cir. 2014).
• First-chair counsel defending a national travel center operator in a jury trial for premises liability and loss of consortium claims by wife and husband. See Shiflett v. Pilot Travel Centers, 09LF-CV00184 (Mo. Cir. Ct. 2011).
• Trial counsel for a national food retailer in a complex breach of contract action brought by a telecommunications auditing company. See Network Consulting, Inc. v. Farmland Foods, Inc., 10AE-CV01530 (Mo. Cir. Ct. 2011).

Education

University of Missouri, School of Law, J.D.
University of Central Missouri, B.S., Public Relations

Bar and Court Admissions

Missouri
Kansas
Colorado
U.S. District Court, Western District of Missouri 
U.S. District Court, District of Kansas
U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit

Professional and Community Involvement 

• University of Central Missouri, Adjunct Faculty, 2017–present
• University of Central Missouri Alumni Foundation, Board of Directors, 2020–2023
• University of Missouri-Kansas City Law and Religious Freedom Conference, Steering Committee Member
• Kansas Bar Association, Religion Law Section Steering Committee, Member
• Volunteer Youth Baseball and Basketball Coach
• City of Riverside, Missouri, Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee, 2023
• Trinity Lutheran Church, Mission, Kansas, Member

Activities and Honors

• National Diocesan Attorneys Association, Member
• The Missouri Bar, Member
• Kansas Bar Association, Member
• Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, Member
• Super Lawyers, “Rising Star,” 2012–2018
• Missouri Lawyers Weekly “Up and Coming” Award

Publications 

• “2017 Brings New Appellate Rules in Missouri” (January 11, 2017).
• “Tort Reform Update: Missouri Changes Rules for Recovery of Medical Bills as Damages” (July 18, 2017).
• “Missouri Adopts High Burden for Venue Challenges and Affirms a $23 Million Punitive Damages Award Based, in Part, on a Manufacturer’s Profit Motive” (September 13, 2017).
• “Missouri Supreme Court Upholds Damage Caps for Statutory Causes of Action” (Associated Industries of Missouri, July 23, 2021).

Presentations

• Presenter/Co-Presenter, “Effective Legal Writing Strategies” (periodic presentation for legal clerks).
• Presenter, “The 10 Rules of Timekeeping,” (periodic presentation as part of an attorney development program).
• Co-Presenter, UMKC School of Law, Civil Jury Trial Demonstration (April 27, 2017) (expert cross-examination demonstration).
• Co-Presenter, “Social Media: Litigation Tools, Risks, and Employer Headaches,” State of Litigation Conference (July 6, 2019).
• Co-Presenter, “#YouToo: Lifecycle of a Sexual Misconduct Claim,” Public Risk Management Association, 2020 Conference (May 28, 2020).
• Co-Presenter, “How is Your Legal Health?,” 2020 Missouri Swine Health Symposium, MO Pork Association (July 21, 2020).
• Co-Presenter, “The Appellate Perspective: Standard of Review, Preservation of Error, and the Availability of Review,” CLE Program (May 4, 2021).
• Co-Presenter, Litigation: “Surviving (and Winning) a Daubert Challenge to Your Expert Report,” Appraisal Institute Annual Conference (August 10, 2021).
• Presenter, “Judicial Admissions: When are Pleaded Facts Binding,” National Diocesan Attorneys Association, Regional Meeting (October 9, 2021).
• Presenter, “Sexual misconduct risks for children in public and religious school settings,” Kansas Bar Association, Religion Law Section Fall CLE (October 20, 2023).