Lori Burns-Bucklew is a Kansas City attorney in private practice. She graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law and began practicing in 1984. An accredited Child Welfare Law Specialist, she has represented children and youth, as well as parents, grandparents, and other caregivers for children whose families are subjected to state intervention. She has served as class counsel in several civil rights class action matters on behalf of children in state care. She has trained hundreds of lawyers in the Kansas City metropolitan region regarding child welfare law and children’s issues.
Impact Litigation in Kansas
Taking Action for State Reform
Our Work
Foster Care Law Suit
On July 8, 2020, Kansas officials and attorneys advocating for the rights of over 7,000 children in Kansas foster care agreed to an ambitious settlement plan.
Wichita Gang List
For Black and LatinX folks in Wichita, equal justice under the law isn’t always possible. These Wichita community members have been surveilled, harassed, and punished specifically, often without notice and without cause.
Litigation Partners
The fight to reform our state’s foster care system isn’t just important to Kansans; it is also important across the country. In our 2018 lawsuit (M.B. v. Howard), we partnered with these individuals and organizations to transform the broken foster care system and end years of victimization and trauma for Kansas children.
The National Center for Youth Law is a non-profit law firm that helps low-income children achieve their potential by transforming the public agencies that serve them. For more information, please visit www.youthlaw.org.
Every day, children are harmed in America’s broken child welfare, juvenile justice, education, and healthcare systems. Through relentless, strategic advocacy and legal action, we hold governments accountable for keeping kids safe and healthy. Children’s Rights, a national non-profit organization, has made a lasting impact for hundreds of thousands of vulnerable children. For more information, please visit www.childrensrights.org
DLA Piper is a global law firm with lawyers located in more than 40 countries to help clients with their legal needs around the world. DLA Piper has a long-standing and deep commitment to giving back to our communities through pro bono legal services, and it is one of the largest providers of pro bono legal services globally. www.dlapiper.com
How Impact Litigation Works to Create Change
Also known as cause lawyering or public interest law, our impact litigation combines multiple strategies to protect and promote human rights in Kansas.
We don’t take issues to court as a first line of advocacy. However, when it’s necessary, Kansas Appleseed will intervene in systems of injustice through impact litigation to protect Kansans’ rights and well-being. Our advocates, lawyers, and analysts combine efforts to achieve the change Kansas needs.
Read the Most Recent Updates
Our work continues. Read the most recent updates on our ongoing litigation efforts.
