Rouse Frets and White Goss to Merge

LEAWOOD, Kan. and KANSAS CITY, Mo., Sept. 28, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- ROUSE FRETS AND WHITE GOSS TO MERGE

Combined Law Firm Will Have 65 Attorneys, Leading Practice Areas

The law firms of Rouse Frets Gentile Rhodes, LLC and White Goss, a Professional Corporation, will merge, their leaders announced today. The merger – a first of this size among Kansas and Missouri law firms - will be effective September 30.

The combined firm's legal name will be Rouse Frets White Goss Gentile Rhodes, P.C. Chuck Rouse and Harold Goss will serve as Managing Officers of the combined firm. The firm will maintain the White Goss office near the Country Club Plaza and the two Rouse Frets locations in downtown Kansas City and Leawood'sPark Place.

The combined firm will comprise 65 attorneys, offering a range of legal services. Practice areas include Business & Corporate Law, Catastrophic Loss, Commercial Lending, Construction, Economic Development Incentives, Employment, ERISA, Energy, Environmental, Estate and Succession Planning, Higher Education, Land Use and Zoning, Litigation, Medical Malpractice Defense, Public Law, Real Estate, and Regulatory Disputes.

Stronger Together

The merger combines the strength of two established firms.

Rouse Frets was founded in 1995 as Douthit Frets Rouse Gentile & Rhodes. It grew from five attorneys to 45 and now numbers among the 10 largest firms in Kansas City. The firm has a strong litigation practice, including business and commercial litigation, catastrophic loss and injury, construction disputes, employment matters, fiduciary and fraud cases, medical malpractice defense, and regulatory disputes. It has business and corporate lawyers representing clients in corporate organization and governance and commercial transactions. It has highly focused teams in the areas of commercial lending, environment, ERISA, estate and succession planning, higher education, prepaid instruments, land use and incentives, real estate, and renewable energy. Rouse Frets is ranked by U.S. News as among "Best Law Firms."    

White Goss was founded in 2000 as White Goss Bowers March Schulte & Weisenfels. The firm's practice areas are concentrated in land use, economic development incentives, real estate transactions, business conflict resolution, corporate mergers and acquisitions, employment law and white-collar criminal litigation. Founding shareholder Mike White "wrote the book" on economic development and land use and zoning in the state of Missouri as author of Missouri Land Use Law & Practice and Missouri Economic Development Law. White Goss is ranked by Chambers USA as among the top firms in its practice areas.

"The cross-border combination results in a leading Kansas City law firm with a national reach," said Chuck Rouse, Managing Officer of Rouse Frets. Harold Goss, Managing Officer of White Goss, added: "Both firms have a commitment to quality and results, and because the firms share a common vision, a merger makes both strategic and cultural sense. Our practice areas complement each other with a platform providing efficient and effective representation for local, regional and national clients."

Law Firm Facts

• Rouse Frets White Goss Gentile Rhodes, P.C. is the culmination of a merger between Rouse Frets Gentile Rhodes, LLC and White Goss, a Professional Corporation.
• The combined firm has 65 lawyers, ranking it among the top 10 firms in Kansas City and placing it among the largest firms in Kansas.
• The firm's economic development, public law, zoning and real estate attorneys have played significant roles in many major commercial and residential development projects in Kansas City, surrounding suburbs, and throughout Missouri and Kansas, including providing legal counsel regarding the new Kansas City airport as a part of Edgemoor's KCI New Terminal Team.
• The firm's substantial litigation and catastrophic loss groups have established a diverse practice in multiple disciplines, with its lawyers having experience in more than 30 states and eight federal circuits. In 2017, Rouse Frets litigators secured verdicts for clients, including two of the top three verdicts in the state of Missouri, according to Missouri Lawyers Weekly.
• The firm's business and corporate attorneys have served the corporate and transactional needs of many companies, including experience in over $1 Billion in mergers and acquisition and corporate finance projects.
• The firm offers several highly focused teams representing clients in specific industries including representation on difficult regulatory issues. Subjects addressed include banking transactions, commercial lending, higher education, renewable energy, prepaid instruments, employment, ERISA, wage and hour, environmental law, economic development incentives, land use, and federal, state and local regulations.

About the Firm

Rouse Frets White Goss Gentile Rhodes, P.C. serves and protects individuals, companies, estates and livelihoods. Based in Kansas City, the firm offers sophisticated representation for local, regional and national clients in both the private and public sectors. For more information, visit http://www.rousepc.com.

SOURCE Rouse Frets Gentile Rhodes, LLC