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2024 Up & Coming Awards: Danielle Uzelac

Staff Report//October 9, 2024//

2024 Up & Coming Awards: Danielle Uzelac

Staff Report//October 9, 2024//

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Age: 37

Partner, Franke, Schultz & Mullen, Kansas City

Danielle UzelacPractice Areas: Insurance defense litigation

Law school: University of Missouri-Kansas City 

As talented an attorney as Danielle Uzelac is, she points out that you don’t have to be a top-ranked lawyer to be a success at your job.

“If you focus on doing good work for your clients on every case, rather than striving to stand out from the group or become a partner/member at a firm,” said Uzelac, “your clients will recognize you as a good lawyer, which is what makes the job worthwhile.” 

It has certainly been worthwhile for Uzelac who rose to partnership in record time, scoring victories for corporations and insurance carriers in complex commercial litigation. In 2022, she also obtained summary judgement for a social service agency in a landmark case involving the placement of foster care children.

What is your biggest accomplishment this year?

I worked with an attorney for many years who was lead counsel for a corporate client of the firm…where I worked as second chair on that client’s cases. When the lead counsel left the firm this year, that client requested I stay on their cases and trusted me to become lead counsel. Hearing that from the client felt like an accomplishment for all the work over the years.

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