YOUR LEGAL COUNSEL
Steve Hendler
Attorney at Law.
I succeed by helping clients create value in their personal and business affairs. That starts with careful analysis and solid advice from a lawyer who understands your needs, goals and wishes. From there we can determine the best course of action and game plan to address your personal, family’s or business’s legal needs.
About Me
Steve Hendler, J.D., M.D.
Attorney at Law.
I attended the University of Kansas Law School where I focused my studies on health law, transactional law, contracts, tax law, and estate planning. In addition, I have researched, written and published on contractual issues for physicians. My law related work experience includes the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud unit (Missouri), the Kansas Board of Healing Arts, and the United States Court for the District of Kansas.
Prior to law school, I practiced medicine, specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation. My medical career includes experience in hospital and medical practice administration. In addition to my own practice I have owned and operated a management services company and advised start up companies on operations, business development and strategy.
An empty nester, I enjoy traveling, tennis, the occasional pickleball game and Jeopardy! My wife and I spend lots of time serving our master, Oreo, a rescue retriever-something mix, and spending time with our now adult children.
To learn more about me and my interests, click here:
www.mondaymorninglawyer.com
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Practice Areas
How I can help
Wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and living wills and other estate planning documents direct others on how to manage and protect your family and your life’s assets both during your lifetime and after your death.
Estate planning may address important issues such as:
Guardianship for minor children
- Decision making if you become incapacitated
- Asset Protection
- Estate and Gift Tax optimization
- Disposition and transfer of wealth
- Business succession planning
- Plans for life changes including marriage, divorce, birth of children
Contracts serve as the cornerstone for all sorts of business relationships — employment, sales, service agreements, partnerships/co-ownerships, and real estate, to name just a few. A contract spells out each party’s rights, obligations and responsibilities. Because contracts legally bind the parties, it’s important to draft and review each part of a contract to know its meaning and assure it reflects, accurately, the parties’ intentions. As your lawyer, I’ll help you understand each right and obligation a contract another party drafts creates and identify any concerns about the contract’s provisions and enforceability. Where no contract exists, as your lawyer I can draft the contract. I will also work with the other party to negotiate contract terms as needed.
From starting your business to financing to operational issues to acquisition, disposition, retirement and succession, or dissolution, legal questions and needs routinely arise. Having me assist with entity selection and set up, contracts, financing agreements, acquisitions and succession planning allows you to focus on growing and running your business.
Physicians encounter multiple legal issues in their professional and personal lives, often specific to their unique educational, regulatory/statutory, financial, and professional or employment situations. My experience as a practicing physician, hospital administrator and practice owner before becoming a lawyer gives me singular insight and depth of understanding of the complexities these legal issues create for physicians and how they impact your work and your personal lives. As your personal “on-demand” General Counsel, I can help you triage and assess legal issues that arise and provide counsel on strategic options for managing them. Where a legal issue requires other counsel, whether for convenience, jurisdictional requirements or subspecialized expertise, I can help source and facilitate proper representation.
BENEFITS
Why Choose Us
More than a Juris Doctor
As a medical doctor who has practiced medicine, I am intimately aware of how legal issues hit physicians and of the unique legal issues that physicians face. My experience investigating Medicaid Fraud complaints and working with the Kansas Board of Healing Arts gives me. insight into some of the particular statutory and regulatory concerns that impact physician practice. I have researched and written (with publication in a legal scholarly journal) about potential legal issues a rising from physician-employment contracts.
Business is Usual
I grew up in a family business (4thgeneration), have started my own businesses and “angel” invested in start up businesses. I’ve experienced and worked in businesses throughout their life cycles. I understand the ownership mindset and can provide guidance and legal services that match business owners’ and their businesses’ needs.
Families First
In my prior work treating people with disability or aging, as well as in my personal life dealing with complex family issues such as divorce, widowhood, second marriages, sibling discord, substance use I am acutely aware of the complex interrelationships and decision making that estate planning and intergenerational transfer of wealth can involve. As your counsel, I can guide you as you determine your estate plan and protect your loved ones optimally, and then create the necessary documents to accomplish your estate planning goals.
HOW IT WORKS
Our Legal Process
Step 1
Contact me below. You need not give a detailed description. A subject as simple as “I’ve got a legal question,” is enough. If you’d like, include some preferred times and contact methods to set up a telephone, video or in-person meeting. Include the general topic, if you’re comfortable (“contract question” or “estate planning” is sufficient).
Step 2
We’ll set up a time to meet. As we get to know each other, I’ll get some very general idea of your legal issue. I probably won’t want a lot of specific facts, but will want to learn more about you and what your legal needs might be. From this discussion I will determine if I potentially help you and go over the general housekeeping related to a lawyer-client relationship.
Step 3
I’ll perform a conflict of interest check. I will need to know the names of any potential other parties to a transaction, claim or issue to eliminate any potential conflict of interest, based on past or current representations. If no conflict of interest arises, I’ll send you an engagement letter that outlines the services I’ll be providing and the terms of representation.
Step 4
We’ll address your legal matter. Together we’ll develop a plan and work through to the matter’s conclusion!
FAQ
Frequently asked
Questions
Your waiver, alone, is insufficient. Where a conflict or potential conflict arises both parties must agree to my representing you. Even where both parties waive, rules of professional conduct for lawyers may still limit your right to waive a conflict. Likewise, I must abstain if I believe I would be unable to represent you effectively due to a conflict or potential conflict.
I typically charge either hourly or a set amount to complete a specific job. Once I better understand the nature of your legal issue, I can determine the payment structure—hourly vs. job—and I will review that with you. Your letter of engagement will delineate the fees for the legal work I will be providing.
Your engagement letter will spell out payment specifics. Typically, a client will prepay some amount. I retain a separate account for client prepayments and as you incur bills, we will first deduct that bill’s amount from the prepayment. Your agreement may require that you provide additional funds as you deplete the prepaid funding.
If you’ve hired me to work on a specific or discrete project, my representation will end once I’ve finished the project. You may, of course, choose to extend the representation or re-engage me for other legal work and we will discuss the parameters of additional work at that time.
If you’ve hired me for ongoing legal counseling and legal services, we will continue our relationship as our engagement agreement specifies.
Start Now
Ready To Get Started?
Use my inbox to contact me. Please let me know the
general subject and best way to reach you.
913-717-7129
steve.hendler@mmlawkc.com
11350 Tomahawk Creek Parkway
#200
Leawood, KS 66211
IMPORTANT NOTICE
The choice of lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely on advertisements.
Your inquiry does not create a lawyer-client relationship. I cannot represent you without first determining that no conflict of interest arises and I have agreed—by providing you with an engagement letter—to such representation. Prior to an engagement letter, please do not include any information you consider confidential. My review of any information you send, even if it is confidential and submitted in a good-faith effort to retain me, does not preclude me from representing another client whose interests are directly adverse to you in the matter to which the information is relevant and which can be used against you. By sending a message, you indicate you understand and agree to these terms. No attorney-client relationship exists between you and me unless and until you receive an engagement letter.
