WJA 2023: Michelle Cocayne

Associate, Turney LG

Michelle Cocayne is one of those attorneys who has practiced in both civil and criminal law.

“I love being in the courtroom and I love how litigation is a puzzle,” she said. “It is a job that requires constant thinking and analysis. I enjoy the complexity of the work.”

Originally from O’Fallon, Mo., Cocayne graduated from UMKC with an interest in public service work.

“I volunteered at a non-profit in St. Louis for battered women,” recalled the 34-year-old, “and I saw that the attorneys there had the most ability to make a change in the woman’s life.”

After clerking for Judge Jalliah Otto of Jackson County, Cocayne assumed duties as legal counsel at the Missouri Department of Revenue. By 2016, she had become an assistant prosecuting attorney for Clay County.

Two years ago, she took on a new role at Turney LG dealing with professional, product and premises liability.

“I am lucky that my clients are from all walks of life, all different industries,” said Cocayne, who was recognized in 2020 as an Up & Coming attorney by Missouri Lawyers Media. “I have all kinds of clients who do all different things so it keeps it interesting.”

Cocayne is active in the legal community as a volunteer for the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association’s Military Matters Pro Bono Program. She is also a fundraising board member at the Association of Women Lawyers of Greater Kansas City and board member at Lawyers Encouraging Academic Performance.

She thinks that firms – and the legal profession as a whole – are taking steps to clear obstacles females may find in the workplace.

“I think that the flexibility with work and working from home can be somewhat beneficial to women attorneys,” she said, “because having the ability to be flexible in what hours you are working and still be a mother is extremely helpful.”

She also said there is greater awareness in the field.

“I think women are able to practice more efficiently because there is understanding around those specific issues that women face,” she noted.