E. Wayne Taff Jack T. Bangert S. Michael Thomas Steven F. Coronado Mark D. Katz Christopher L. Heigele Paul F. Gordon Maggie Tucker Kevin D. Brooks Lawrence E. Nordling Tiffany D. Hogan

E. Wayne Taff

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Following completion of his tour of duty in Vietnam for the U.S. Marine Corps, Wayne received his B.A. degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, graduating in the top five percent of his class. He received his J.D. from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law, graduating third in his class. Wayne was a member of the Order of Bench and Robe and Law Review.

He is admitted before the United States Supreme Court, all Missouri courts, the 8th and 10th United States Circuits Court of Appeals, and the United States District Courts for the Western District of Missouri, the District Court of Kansas, and the Western District of Wisconsin.

After achieving great success as a plaintiff's lawyer, Wayne started defense practice in 1981. He has served as national, regional and local counsel for numerous product and chemical manufacturers and presently serves as national counsel for a client with asbestos matters pending throughout the United States. His primary areas of practice include products liability, aviation, toxic torts, trucking, commercial litigation and insurance coverage. He has substantial experience in trying a wide variety of high exposure cases.

Wayne has been very active in the Defense Research Institute, serving as Secretary Treasurer, Director, Chair of the Products Liability Committee, Chair of the Expert Witness Committee, and Chair of the Law Institute, with responsibility for all educational programs presented by DRI. Wayne recently completed service as Chair Emeritus of DRI's Law Institute in which capacity he was responsible for all international educational programming. He is also a member of the International Association of Defense Counsel and the Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers.

Wayne has extensively lectured and published nationally and internationally on products liability, expert witnesses, trial tactics, toxic torts and ethics. He was the first recipient of the Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers' Outstanding Service Award, and was honored by DRI with the Louis Potter Award for lifetime professional achievement and the Rich Krochock Award for his work in training and educating young lawyers.

Wayne, his wife, Mary, his three children and their spouses and his eleven grandchildren live on the family compound in the country near Independence, Missouri.