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Ryan E. Karaim
Ryan Karaim
Staff Report//June 15, 2026//
Partner, Franke Schultz & Mullen
Kansas City
Ryan Karaim has practiced for 39 years, spending 32 of them with his current firm — a tenure he counts among his greatest sources of professional pride along with the results he has achieved for clients. He began his career in the era of landlines and regular mail, when a 24-hour response time was standard and the pace of practice felt markedly less urgent; today, cell phones and email have made near-constant availability the norm.
A pivotal career lesson was discovering that zealous advocacy rarely requires a combative relationship with opposing counsel — a realization reinforced by the smaller-than-expected size of the Kansas City legal community. He also learned to resist the urge to mimic other litigators’ styles and to simply be himself.
His leadership approach is that of a guide rather than a boss, setting general parameters and keeping an open door for questions. He tells young attorneys to anticipate what the other side will argue and said: “Prepare, prepare, prepare.”
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