Dennis E. Egan is a nationally recognized trial attorney with nearly five decades of experience representing plaintiffs in complex employment and civil rights cases. As a partner at Popham Law Firm, Dennis has been at the forefront of employment law, securing landmark verdicts and shaping legal precedents under the Missouri Human Rights Act.
Dennis was born and raised in Kansas City, graduating from Rockhurst High School in 1969. He earned a full Evans Scholarship to the University of Missouri (Mizzou), where he served as President of the Evans Scholars Fraternity, and the National Committee, and was named National Evans Scholar of the Year. He graduated with highest honors from Mizzou’s Journalism School in 1973 and earned his law degree in 1976 on a Curators Scholarship.
From 1976 to 1977, Dennis clerked for Missouri Supreme Court Justice Fred Henley. He then practiced at Gage & Tucker, focusing on trial and appellate work, before becoming a partner at the Popham Law Firm in 1985.
Specializing in plaintiff’s employment law, by 2025, Dennis has tried approximately 158 cases, including 123 jury trials. His focus on employment law began with the high-profile Christine Craft trial in 1983. In 1992, Dennis joined the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA) and was elected to its National Board in 1998, serving the maximum 12-year term. He founded NELA-KC in 1993, and served as its president until 2007, mentoring many of its 50+ members.
Dennis argued a pivotal U.S. Supreme Court case in 2007, winning a 9-0 decision on the admissibility of “me too” witnesses. He later expanded that precedent in the Missouri Supreme Court’s Cox v. KC Chiefs. A co-chair of NELA’s Trial Boot Camp, he was named an ICON by Missouri Lawyers Media in 2018. Since 1993, Dennis has been named annually to Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers, and Best of the Bar.
Areas of Practice
Employment Law
Career Highlights
- Lead or co-lead counsel in approximately 145 trials, including 109 jury trials.
- Argued a landmark "Me Too" evidence case before the U.S. Supreme Court, expanding admissibility of "other employee" testimony in employment discrimination trials.
- In 2015, expanded Missouri evidentiary law on "Me Too" testimony with a precedent-setting Missouri Supreme Court decision.
- Lead counsel in the nationally watched KMBC-9 Christine Craft cases, where he defended the rights of a female broadcaster challenging gender discrimination in media.
- Secured a $20.45 million verdict in an age and sex discrimination case against American Family Insurance—the largest jury verdict under the Missouri Human Rights Act to date.
- Achieved a $10.6 million verdict in a harassment and retaliation case, also among the largest under the MHRA.
- Obtained a nearly $1 million verdict in an age discrimination case involving wrongful termination of supervisory employees.
- Lead counsel in a $57 million class action age discrimination case (Williams v. Sprint/United Mgmt. Co.), representing over 1,700 older employees in a nationwide ADEA collective action.
- Founded the Kansas City chapter of the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA) in 1993, mentoring what colleagues have called "the fiercest and most able plaintiff’s employment bar anywhere."
- Founded and launched national NELA’s Trial Boot Camp in 2014, training plaintiff-side employment attorneys nationwide every two years.
Honors & Awards
- Dean of the Trial Bar – Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, 2025.
- ICON Award – Missouri Lawyers Media, 2018.
- Top 100: Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers – Selected multiple years, including 2005–2006, 2010, 2012–2014, and 2016.
- Top 50: Kansas City Super Lawyers – Consistently named among the top attorneys in the Kansas City area.
- Best Lawyers in America – Recognized annually since 1993.
- Kansas City Business Journal’s “Best of the Bar” – Honored every year since the listing began in 2002.