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Tom Porto

Tom Porto is a trial attorney who dedicates his practice to representing victims of injury and death involving negligence and medical malpractice as well as cases involving civil rights abuses and employment discrimination.

After spending more than five years as a Missouri State Public Defender, Tom joined the Popham Law Firm in 2013 and became a partner in 2015. He is regularly recognized as the Best of the Bar in the Kansas City area and was selected as a Rising Star in 2015, 2016 and 2017.

In 2017, Tom was honored with the prestigious Lon O. Hocker Award, presented to one trial lawyer in Kansas City each year under the age of 40 based on their “demonstrated balance between zealousness and honor, strength and courtesy, and confidence and respect.” The selection committee includes federal and state judges and the Trustees of the Missouri Bar Foundation.

In 2018, Tom was elected by fellow members of the Missouri bar, to serve on the Missouri Bar’s Board of Governors. The Board of Governors  of the Missouri Board determines policies and sets the course of action for the state bar to follow.

Additionally, in 2013, Mayor Sly James appointed Tom as a commissioner on Kansas City’s Planned Industrial Expansion Authority, which offers incentives encouraging investment to remove blight in targeted areas of Kansas City. Tom currently serves as secretary. He is also a board member of the Wornall Homestead Homes Association and a frequent volunteer at the Bishop Sullivan free legal clinic.

A native of Kansas City, Tom is a graduate of Rockhurst High School. He received his undergraduate degree from the distinguished University of Missouri School of Journalism and has been published in the New York Daily News and ESPN Magazine, among other publications. He received his law degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City where he excelled in trial advocacy.

Tom passionately follows the Kansas City Royals—in good seasons and bad—and enjoys spending time with his wife, Caitlin, their daughter Isabelle and their black lab, Apollo.