Seyferth Blumenthal & Harris > Charlie J. Harris, Jr.

Charlie J. Harris, Jr.

Practice Areas

Employment Litigation | Business Litigation | Executive Employment Agreement Negotiations | Collective Bargaining

After receiving his undergraduate degree, Charlie held various positions in management and human resources in the corporate world before attending the University of Missouri at Kansas City School of Law. Upon completing his law degree, he served as a 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 corporations, not for profit agencies, corporate officers and directors, and municipalities against claims of disability, race, gender, sex and age discrimination, sexual harassment, and wage and hour and collective actions. Charlie also defends corporate clients in various commercial litigation including, but not limited to, products liability, business litigation, and commercial litigation. Charlie is known for his dynamic trial advocacy skills and his ability to craft solutions to difficult business related problems. Charlie has also successfully negotiated many employment and severance agreements for high-profile corporate directors and officers, athletic coaches, public officials, and executives.

Charlie was the first African-American elected to serve as the President of the Missouri Bar and has been asked to serve as special master for discovery issues in complex commercial and business litigation by judges on the state and federal benches. Charlie also serves as an arbitrator for AAA and has been chosen by both plaintiffs and defendants to serve as a mediator in complex litigation.

Additionally, Charlie has been appointed by the Missouri Supreme Court to serve as a Disciplinary Hearing Officer. In this role, he presides over disciplinary hearings where there are allegations of ethics violations by Missouri attorneys.

Children’s Mercy Hospital recently named Charlie to its Board of Directors, which works with administration – alongside more than 8,000 employees – to honor the responsibility of ensuring children receive the best care possible and fulfilling the mission and vision of the organization on a daily basis.

Phone: 816.756.0700
Direct: 816.285.0556

Professional Honors

  • Former President of the Missouri Bar
  • Recognized by Missouri Lawyers Weekly as a “Missouri Lawyer of the Year”
  • Recognized by The National Law Journal as a 2023 Employment & Discrimination Trailblazer
  • Named to Missouri Lawyers Media’s inaugural Top 100 POWER List in 2022, recognizing the top attorneys in the state and adjacent metro areas
  • Selected by Missouri Lawyers Weekly to “The POWER List – Employment Law,” recognizing Charlie as one “the most powerful employment attorneys in Missouri,” 2020-present
  • Benchmark Litigation Labor & Employment Star, 2019-present
  • Recognized by Missouri Lawyers Weekly in the 2019 class of Diversity & Inclusion honorees
  • Recognized by Missouri Lawyers Weekly as a “Legal Champion” in the 2019 Missouri Lawyers Awards for his work in helping to end litigation brought against Jackson County, Missouri with the plaintiff’s claims dismissed and no payment made
  • Included in The Best Lawyers in America in the field of labor and employment law
  • Named by Chambers USA as a “Key Individual” in the Kansas City area in the field of labor and employment law
  • Repeatedly named to Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers
  • Named to Kansas City Business Journal’s “Best of the Bar” for 2018 and 2019
  • Recipient of the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law Pat Kelley Distinguished Alumni Award for service to the community, bar, and civic organizations
  • Fellow of the American Bar Foundation
  • Recipient of the NAACP Diversity Advocate in Law Award
  • Featured in nationally broadcasted vignette celebrating the First 100 Years of the NAACP
  • Recognized by The American Registry as one of “America’s Most Honored Professionals”

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • Former Member of the ABA House of Delegates
  • Member of the Missouri Bar, Kansas Bar, Jackson County Bar, Mound City Bar, and American Bar Association

Education

  • University of Missouri – Kansas City, J.D., 1995
    • Member of the UMKC Law Review
    • Recipient of the Bureau of National Affairs, Inc.’s National Academic Excellence Award
  • Tarkio College, B.A.