Charlie J. Harris, Jr.
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charlie@sbhlaw.com
816.756.0700
Charlie received his undergraduate degree from Tarkio College in Tarkio, Missouri. Over the next twelve years, he was employed by three Fortune 500 corporations in various positions in management and human resources. Among his responsibilities was the companies’ compliance with applicable state and federal employment laws.
Charlie graduated in 1995 from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Law School, where he was a member of the UMKC Law Review and received the Bureau of National Affairs, Inc. (“BNA”) National Academic Excellence Award. Upon graduation, Charlie served as law clerk to the Honorable Fernando J. Gaitan, Jr., United States District Court Judge for the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri.
On March 1, 2008, Charlie joined the law firm formerly known as Seyferth Knittig & Blumenthal LLC. and the firm changed its name to Seyferth Blumenthal & Harris LLC. Charlie has a national practice representing corporate and municipal entities against claims of race, sex and age discrimination, sexual harassment and claims involving the ADA, FLSA and FMLA. Charlie also defends corporate clients in various commercial litigation including, but not limited to, products liability and consumer litigation. Charlie is known for his dynamic trial advocacy skills and his ability to craft solutions to difficult business related problems. Charlie has been recognized by his peers as a Super Lawyer in the states of Kansas and Missouri.
In 1999, the attorneys in the greater Kansas City metropolitan area first elected Charlie to represent them on the Missouri State Bar’s Board of Governors. In September 2007, Charlie was elected President of the Missouri Bar, the first person of color to hold this distinction. Charlie has also served as Chair of the Western District of Missouri Federal Practice Committee by appointment by the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri en banc. Charlie is currently a member of the executive committee of the Federal Advocates Committee, a section of the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, and the Advisory Board for the Western District of Missouri Federal Law Clerk Society. He is a member of the Missouri Bar, Kansas Bar, Jackson County Bar, Mound City Bar, and American Bar Association. In 2005, the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law honored Charlie with the Pat Kelley Distinguished Alumni Award for service to the community, bar and civic organizations. In 2008, he was not only named a Fellow by the American Bar Foundation, but was also the recipient of the NAACP Diversity Advocate in Law Award. In 2009, the Missouri Lawyers Weekly recognized Charlie as a “Missouri Lawyer of the Year.”